A great debate-using pour-on, on pigs

Ever hear another farmer/homesteader say "just use ivermectin pour-on, I use it on everything" (maybe including themselves...ha ha)?

Worms are inevitable when it comes to any living creature residing outside. They can be picked up in dirt, contaminated water, or other pigs. While most are picked up through ingesting them, others penetrate through the pigs' skin!

So what is the best way to eradicate them?

First, you will want to think about the purpose of your pig. Are they a pet? A breeder? Future bacon? Choosing a dewormer for your pets and breeders is easy. But if your harvesting your pig, you will want to base your worming schedule on the withdrawal dates of the dewormer product. You want to make sure you are not butchering your pig with drug residue in their system. This isn't a safe practice, nor is it allowed at any USDA inspected facility.

Second, you need to consider the stages of the parasites life cycles. Some dewormers are ineffective to the eggs and larvae. This means deworming needs to occur again before the new adults are able to lay more eggs, reinfecting the pig.

There a few different kinds of dewormers.

Injectable

and oral

But what about Pour-Ons? The ivermectic pour-on (typically for cattle) that we mentioned above is....NEVER OK. It is not made for pigs and can harm them in more ways than one from burns to possible death.

There ARE topical options though! Though they are not as effective as injectables and oral solutions due to pigs not having the hair density of say, cattle. Using a variety of wormers formulated specifically for pigs is going to be your best practice to help ensure there doesn't become parasite resistance to treatments.

We have put together a few lists of samples of each type of wormer and what they help treat!

Injectable

Dectomax (gastrointestinal roundworms, lungworms, kidney worms, mange mites & sucking lice)

Noromectin (gastrointestinal roundworms, lung worms, sucking lice & mange mites)

Ivomec (gastrointestinal roundworms, lungworms, lice & mange mites)

Oral

SafeGuard (lung worms, larvae kidney worms, large roundworms, nodular worms, small stomach worms & adult/larvae whipworms)

Wazine (round worms & nodular worms)

Pyrantal S (large roundworms & nodular worms)

Atgard C Swine Wormer (whipworm larvae, nodular worms, large roundworm, stomach worm)

ADM MoorMan's ShowTec ShowGuard Swine Dewormer Supplement-found on Chewy.com (wide range of internal parasites-fenbendazole)

Pour-Ons

SwineGuard (flies, mange mites, & lice)

Permectrin ll 10% (flies, ticks, mange mites & lice)

PointGuard (mange mites & lice)

Remember to ALWAYS do your research and read treatment instructions before administering!

May's Hobby Farm's Suzy Q