Infection with worms occurs through eating food or consuming liquids. In this regard, poultry is not immune from infection. However, even in the case of infection with worms, geese do not always show signs of damage to the body. This is due to the developmental characteristics of certain types of pathogenic microorganisms. But in such circumstances, goose meat is dangerous for humans.
Where do geese get worms?
Infection with worms occurs through:
- grass and other food;
- water (during swimming or consumption);
- infected individuals through personal contact.
Young animals are at risk of infection.This is due to the fact that the goslings’ body has not yet formed immunity to the negative effects of the environment.
Symptoms and signs
Researchers have identified over 200 species of helminths. But poultry is affected by no more than 10 types of worms. For geese and young animals, nematodes are considered dangerous, which often provoke the death of infected individuals. Such consequences result from infection with capillariasis, which manifests itself in the form of the following symptoms:
- decreased appetite;
- diarrhea mixed with mucus;
- blanching of the mucous membranes;
- slow growth;
- decreased activity.
These signs are characteristic of young animals. In adults, the disease is asymptomatic. With ganguleteracosis, which spreads through the feces of an infected bird, the following phenomena are observed:
- prolonged diarrhea;
- weight loss;
- lack of appetite;
- general weakness.
Common helminth infections include hystrichosis, which is also spread through feces. This pathology manifests itself as:
- blanching of mucous membranes;
- depressed state;
- decreased appetite;
- slow weight gain.
With hystrichosis, other symptoms are possible, since the helminth that causes this disease affects internal organs, including the liver and heart. A characteristic sign of infection with tetramerosis is anemia and dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, and streptocariasis is disheveled feathers. More often, when infected with helminths, geese experience decreased appetite and lethargy due to the fact that the parasites consume nutrients during development.However, some diseases cause other symptoms.
Such pathologies include drepanidoteniosis, which causes:
- intense thirst;
- profuse lingering diarrhea;
- impaired coordination of movement due to damage to the central nervous system;
- retardation in growth and development.
An exacerbation of the symptoms of helminthic infestation occurs mainly in the warm season. Some types of parasites cannot tolerate cold. Therefore, in winter, if infected with such worms, the bird will heal on its own, without outside intervention.
Diagnosis of infection
Helminthic infestation is diagnosed solely on the basis of the results of an examination of the bodies of dead birds and feces. Without a specialized examination, it is impossible to identify the type of disease and, as a result, select effective treatment.
How to treat worms in geese
The type of drugs is selected taking into account the type of helminths that have infected the bird’s body. Therapy for helminthic infestation is carried out only with the help of tablets. Treatment with folk remedies is recommended as an auxiliary method that cannot replace medications prescribed by a veterinarian.
The following are used in the treatment of helminthic infestations:
- "Ivermectin" in powder form. The bird must be fed with this substance for 3-5 days. When infected with trematodes, Ivermectin is not effective.
- "Piperazine." Apply 2 times every other day. Prescribed for infection with nematodes.
- Fenbendazole or Mebendazole. Prescribed for various helminthic infestations. The frequency of use and concentration of the substance are calculated taking into account the type of helminth.
- "Albendazole". Recommended for nematodes or as part of complex therapy for helminthic infestations.
- "Niclosamide." Prescribed for trematodes or cestodes. The drug is given to the infected bird in the morning, after an overnight fast.
- Praziquantel.Recommended for cestodiases and trematodes.
At the same time, it is recommended to change the feeding pattern, remove infected geese from healthy ones and disinfect the poultry house.
Preventive measures
As part of the prevention of helminthic infestation, it is recommended not to allow geese to swim in stagnant bodies of water with large quantities of duckweed, snails, crustaceans and other animals or plants that birds eat. At the same time, it is necessary to regularly clean the poultry house of droppings. Also, as a preventive measure, geese should be given anthelmintic drugs 1-2 times a year: a month before going to water bodies and 2-3 weeks after the beginning of autumn.
