Copper Oxide Wire Particles

[Pipedream Farm]

Several of us at the last trial were discussing a new sheep wormer being tested. While I had some time today during my mindless task at hand I thought I'd try to pull some references for you to read on Copper Oxide as a sheep wormer.

 

Mark

 

Copper Oxide Effective Against Nematodes in Small Ruminants

 

Effectiveness of copper oxide wire particles for Haemonchus contortus control in sheep.

 

Effect of copper oxide wire particles dosage and feed supplement level on Haemonchus contortus infection in lambs

[Pipedream Farm]

COPPER OXIDE WIRE PARTICLES FOR

HAEMONCHUS CONTROL

Failure of anthelmintic chemicals to remove

resistant strains of nematode parasites is

emerging as a serious health threat to sheep

production in many areas of Australia. Recently

a ?super-strain? of H. contortus, resistant to most

chemical groups including the avermectins, has

been confirmed in Northern NSW, and

chemotherapeutic options are now limited.

Alternative means of controlling H. contortus

need to be identified to enable sheep production

to continue in this area.

Copper oxide wire particles (COWP) are an

efficient and effective means of treating copper

deficiency in grazing livestock. After dosing, the

COWP move from the rumen with ingesta and

the needle-like particles lodge in the folds of the

sheep?s abomasum where the low pH induces

release of high concentrations of soluble copper,

which has an anthelmintic effect against

abomasal nematodes. The protective effects of

COWP remain for five to seven weeks after

administration. The length of protection appears

to be related to the time taken for the needle-like

particles lodged in the abomasum to dissolve,

and the localised areas of high copper

concentration to disappear.

Research in New Zealand demonstrated that

administration of 5g of COWP (i.e. two copper

bullets/pills) reduced establishment of H.

contortus and O. circumcincta by 95% and 55%,

respectively, with no effect on T. colubriformis.

Subsequent research indicated that 2.5g COWP

(i.e. one bullet/pill) can virtually eliminate both

established and incoming larvae of H. contortus

for the period during which the particles are

dissolving. In field trials conducted by Dr

Malcolm Knox, CSIRO Livestock Industries, the

use of COWP did not eliminate all worms from

treated sheep, but did significantly lower

numbers to levels that did not produce clinical

disease for five to seven weeks after

administration. A subsequent AWI-funded PIRD

study in conjunction with the Bundarra-

Kingstown Farm Management Group, has

confirmed this finding in small groups of COWPtreated sheep within flocks.

Further studies are in progress by CSIRO

Livestock Industries, Armidale, to determine

whether whole flock COWP treatment can offer

improved control through lowering faecal egg

output and reducing larval availability on pasture

and hence overall worm populations in grazing

flocks. Strategic treatment with COWP appears

to have the potential to reduce Haemonchus

spp. establishment and egg laying capacity for an extended period, and may offer producers a

supplementary control to chemotherapy,

particularly in areas where anthelmintic

resistance is a problem and copper supplements

are nutritionally beneficial. Schering-Plough

Animal Health has supported this research

project.

 

Source: SUSTAINABLE CONTROL OF INTERNAL PARASITES OF SHEEP (SCIPS): A SUMMARY OF RECENT AND CURRENT RESEARCH ON CONTROL OF INTERNAL PARASITES OF SHEEP

A good overview from Australia

[NancyO]

Mark,

 

thanks for the information.

 

Nancy O

[Deacon Dog]

Thanks Mark.

 

...particularly in areas where...copper supplements are nutritionally beneficial

My first thought was how this could be compatible with sheep susceptibility to copper toxicosis. Maybe in some areas it's not.

[Pipedream Farm]

Tony,

 

this is from the first citation in my fisrt post...

 

 

Using copper oxide wire particles to control internal parasites in small ruminants, such as sheep and goats, is safe and effective when two grams or less are used.

 

The treatments must be restricted in order to avoid copper toxicity. They found no signs of copper toxicity at any dose tested (up to 6 grams).

Copper oxide is not soluble and neutral pH and therefore uptake will be slow compared to other sources of copper like the copper sulfate used in mineral feeds which is quite soluble (23g/100mL 25 degC water or 1.9 lbs/gal of 77 degF water).

 

Mark

[Howdyjabo]

Copper toxisity is accumulative-- for short periods excessive copper is not an issue.

Given a break before the levels become toxic gives the animals a chance to clear their body of the excess.

 

If you just used the boluses in the spring or on market lambs you stand a good chance of getting by.

 

IF-IF-IF they are not already carrying an excessive burden of copper in their system.

 

Next older sheep that dies have a liver biopsy done and see just what levels they are carrying.

 

When I boipsied my sheep the 1 TunisX had normal levels and the 1 Dorset had high levels. I know that that is not conclusive but it added to what I was seeing in my flock- that the Tunis were more resistant to copper issues.

 

Its GREAT news for people that run sheep and goats together. The goats need lots more copper than sheep and it would be a selective way to get them what they need over the sheep and improve their overall health.

[Howdyjabo]

Anyone know where we can get copper oxide boluses???

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Can you measure copper levels in a live sheep or do they have to section the liver?

[Howdyjabo]

Has to be the liver where the copper is accumulating

Blood levels are incunclusive

[Bill Fosher]

Different breeds are also especially sensitive to copper levels. Of particular interest to Becca, Texels are among these -- they need less copper than other sheep and also suffer from toxicity at lower levels than other breeds. Sheep in most of the US get enough copper without supplementation. I'd be pretty cautious about using this. Send off a few liver samples from lambs before starting, perhaps, to see how much headroom you have.

 

When we had liver samples done on some of our lambs, they were consistently in the lower third of the target range, so we might be able to get some benefit from copper supplementation. But as Karen points out, excess copper is stored in the liver, and can be released if the liver is stressed somehow. Once it's released into the bloodstream, there's nothing that can be done, and the sheep will die. So I'd be concerned about using COWP on adult breeding stock long-term.

 

Also for Becca, when the liver is working right, it regulates copper in the bloodstream. So you can have excess copper in the diet and be flirting with disaster and see no signs in the blood until it's too late.