The Meningeal Worm
Yesterday I spotted this ewe lamb walking with an unnatural gate. This is indicative of the meningeal worm. The worm is a parasite that is passed into pastures by deer. While 95 percent of deer have it, it does not effect the deer, only sheep and goats.
Like many of the pasture parasites we deal with, this is deposited in the fecal matter. The meningeal worm then moves to secondary host such as slug or land snail. The larvae are then left in the snail’s mucus trail on the grass, which is eaten by the sheep (or goats).
Once the larvae is consumed it makes its way from the stomach to the spinal cord, where they lay eggs near the base of the brain of the sheep. This eventually causes damage to central nervous system of the animal.
In this video the ewe lamb shows signs of damage in her right rear leg. You can see that the leg remains at times fully extended rather than returning to the bent position. If you compare her movement with the left leg you can see the effects as well.
Treatment in this case is not too bad. We’ll treat her for the next five days with Fenbendazole. But we’ll have to watch to see if she makes a full recovery. I think she will because we caught early but there is no way of telling until the treatment is complete.
For more information on this problem, Cornell University has a great webpage with information about the meningeal worm and the research they are conducting.
Like many of the pasture parasites we deal with, this is deposited in the fecal matter. The meningeal worm then moves to secondary host such as slug or land snail. The larvae are then left in the snail’s mucus trail on the grass, which is eaten by the sheep (or goats).
Once the larvae is consumed it makes its way from the stomach to the spinal cord, where they lay eggs near the base of the brain of the sheep. This eventually causes damage to central nervous system of the animal.
In this video the ewe lamb shows signs of damage in her right rear leg. You can see that the leg remains at times fully extended rather than returning to the bent position. If you compare her movement with the left leg you can see the effects as well.
Treatment in this case is not too bad. We’ll treat her for the next five days with Fenbendazole. But we’ll have to watch to see if she makes a full recovery. I think she will because we caught early but there is no way of telling until the treatment is complete.
For more information on this problem, Cornell University has a great webpage with information about the meningeal worm and the research they are conducting.
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