The Dogmother Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 One thing to bear in mind is that the active ingredient in Droncit doesn't 'kill' the worms per se; it paralyses them so that the mouth parts should let go of the gut lining and the worm will then be passed..... that's the theory anyhow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Oh wow. This has been very informative so thank you - another thing to think about should anything out of the ordinary appear here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Am a bit worried after this thread.I have a garden with free range garden full of children and hens,and while I poo pick as much as possible I wouldn't like the kids to get tapeworm.I presume this is a possibility,I am not so concerned about roundworms but tapeworms I think are more serious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claireabella Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 From what I understand Grandmashazzie, tapeworms in hens are host specific, so different to tapeworms found in humans. From what I've read hens pick up hatched tapeworm eggs from all the usual bugs and worms they eat. They cannot get tapeworms directly from the cysts in the poo, the cysts must be eaten by an intermediate host (slug/ snail/worm etc) which then hatch inside the intermediate host, which then gets eaten by the hen and the cycle begins all over again I think the answer is to treat the worm load in the hen and poo pick as much as possible to try to break the cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 That is correct Claireabella. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Oh thank you Claireabella and DM that is reassuring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolly Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Well 2 weeks on Im still checking Grace's droppings whenever I see her producing one (you can get a bit obsessed and goodness only knows what the neighbours think if they see me crouching down on the lawn with my reading glasses perched on my nose, poking piles of poo with a stick! ) and so far I've not seen any of the tapeworm segments but I guess there's still time for more to show up, I'm keeping everything crossed.... Claireabella, how are your girls doing now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 I think we should have a photo of you in action! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claireabella Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 I am exactly the same Dolly. Bending down, having a good look! Mine still have them but they haven't had their second dose yet. I thought it was due this Saturday but when I checked the calendar, it's next Saturday, so I will definitely be giving them a second dose. The big girls seem really well though and have been laying everyday, I think it bothers me more! I'll be glad when they're gone for good! That's great news that you can't see any now and of course, it gives me hope Fingers crossed that you never have to see them again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolly Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Thought I'd give an update on the tapeworm situation and its not good Grace had her follow up dose of Droncit tablet but just a week later I've seen the cysts wriggling in her droppings again. I've been in contact with my vet who has been doing more research, he even contacted the Ministry of Agriculture who said they'd not heard of tapeworms in chickens and couldn't suggest anything other than what we've done so far. The vet doesn't have any other suggestions as to how to get rid of them so I'm getting really down about it now, I can't bear to think of those things inside poor Grace and have no idea what to do next . She appears healthy apart from a slightly dirty bottom but she's obviously shedding cysts all the time and contaminating the ground everywhere she goes. Any suggestions gratefully received Claireabella - how are your girls doing now, I hope you have better news than me.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavclojak Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 My suggestion would be to PM the Dogmother, Redwing or Egluntyne or one of the moderators....I would trust what they had to say and if anyone is going to know then they would be the ones! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I am going to PM you with a suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolly Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Thank you both so much for your quick replies, I've got an appointment with a different vets on Monday and feel better now that I have a plan of action! I'll report back with an update later.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claireabella Posted April 4, 2014 Author Share Posted April 4, 2014 Not good news here either I'm afraid I gave my girls a second dose of Droncit last Saturday but it's just not getting rid of them. The girls look well and laying every day but I hate to think of what's going on inside. I've done what I think is the right thing by giving the medication but it's just not working and vets don't seem to have a clue about what to do either. I'd really welcome some advice. These tapeworms seem impossible to get rid of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claireabella Posted April 6, 2014 Author Share Posted April 6, 2014 Ok, I've been doing some more research on this because it's starting to really frustrate me that I can't get to the bottom of this for my girls. I think that praziquantel is not the right medication for the specific type of tapeworms that are found in poultry. It seems that this medication is made to target the most common types of tapeworms in cats and dogs (but that makes sense, Droncit is for cats/ Drontal for dogs!) and is not a generic tapeworm treatment. Defra's website confirms that flubenvet is not effective against tapeworms in poultry although I did find a veterinary manual from the British Veterinary Association that recommends a double dose of flubenvet for tapeworm (so this must be where the vets get it from ). Tapeworms in cats and dogs have specific intermediate hosts, usually fleas (most common), mice and wild animals that dogs may catch (rabbits etc), whereas tapeworms in poultry have totally different intermediate hosts, slugs/ snails/ beetles/ worms and even ants (depending on the species of tapeworm). I think the way forward may be to have faecal samples examined, since to treat this effectively, the specific species of tapeworm needs to be identified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claireabella Posted April 8, 2014 Author Share Posted April 8, 2014 Just read my last last post and it sounds like a bit of rant It wasn't meant to be, think I was on a mission when I posted that Just a quick update - I rang Retfords Poultry this morning (from work - bit awkward talking about tapeworms in the office ) and they have said that they can identify the worm type, species and do an egg count, so I'm going to send a sample to them tomorrow. I'm out of ideas of what else to do How are you getting on Dolly? Thanks again for all the support and help with this. So grateful for this forum, who else could you talk to about your chickens having tapeworms?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolly Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 My new vet gave Grace a whole 50mg droncit tablet and said to repeat it in a week and again the week after that, he also took a dropping sample to check it was definitely tapeworms, but he was almost certain it was. The next day he called to say no tapeworms were in her sample and to cancel the repeat doses That said, I won't stop checking for them wriggling in her droppings for some time yet as I'm paranoid they'll still show up, so I'm not starting the celebrations yet.... Unfortunately one of my other girls has them now, so he advised the same treatment for her ie. 1 whole droncit tablet. I've got to send samples off from all my girls in 2 weeks time so he can check for the worms again. Keeping everything crossed.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Good luck Dolly. It is worth bearing in mind that tapeworm eggs aren't present in every dropping, in fact, they seem to be more likely in those done later in the day, so perhaps it's worth taking in a selection if you get my drift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claireabella Posted April 12, 2014 Author Share Posted April 12, 2014 Good luck Dolly, sounds like you've got a good, chicken savvy vet there. Keeping everything crossed for you Keep us updated won't you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essnee Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 Hi, we're having the same problem with our girls and have treated with 20mg Droncit, but their poo is still teaming with white sesame seed looking eggs. Just wondering if the 50mg Droncit dose worked? I'd hate to harm our lovely ladies 🐔🐔🐔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Best to contact a vet and have their poo checked for worm load and ask about dosage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Tape worms don't always shed eggs, and the wormer prescribed for treating them has to come from the vet - it's called Praziquantel (Biltricide) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 Still don’t understand why you lot don’t get to use Iverquantel, which contains ivermectin and praziquantel... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 From a quick Google I’m. It sure Praziquantel is available here in liquid form. The one UK website doesn’t seem to actually sell it. Most hits are Dutch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...