[Gpdd] [HEALTH] Worming Protocol Background

[Ann Evans]

Dear Joanie,
Just to give you a little background from my personal experiences 
regarding worming. I learned to worm cavies in Bradenton Florida in 
1983. A member of the American Cavy Breeders Association, ACBA, taught 
me. She had about 200 cavies and later went on to become one of the top 
breeders and one of the best ACBA judges in Florida. I too have been a 
member of the ACBA since the 1980’s though I operate a rescue for 
special needs cavies and do not breed. I was a newbie to cavy medicine 
back in the 1980’s. She taught me that parasites were the number one 
cause of disease and death in cavies. She believed in the old saying an 
ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure. Whenever she got a new 
cavy she treated it as if it had a full blown case of external and 
internal parasites. This meant that she gave all new cavies 2 doses of 
ivermectin, which kills mange mites, and some internal parasitic worms. 
The second dose of ivermectin was given 10 to 14 days after the first 
dose. She also gave 5 consecutive doses of panacur to kill internal 
parasites. To prevent parasitic infections she routinely wormed all her 
cavies with ivermectin and panacur. I have never met an ACBA breeder 
that did not worm their cavies. It seems to me that most breeders have 
come up with there own worming protocols to prevent parasites.
It wasn’t until 1999 that I read in Peter Gurney’s book The Proper Care 
of Guinea Pigs that he prevented mange mite infections by giving 2 doses 
of ivermectin at 14 day intervals every 6 months. In the acknowledgment 
section of the book he mentioned Vedra Stanley-Spatcher and the CCT. In 
his Piggy Potions book published in 2000 he has a page titled worming 
where he mentions the use of ivermectin and panacur and the need to worm 
your cavies every 3 months. Again he acknowledged Vedra Stanley-Spatcher 
and the CCT. I already knew about Vedra and the CCT from V.C.G. 
Richardson who wrote Diseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs in 1992. She would 
later go on to mention Vedra’s and the CCT’s work on ivermectin in her 
second edition of her book published in 2000. Quesenberry and Carpenter 
in Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents 2nd edition 2004 state in their 
formulary that panacur needs to be given for 5 days for the treatment of 
internal parasites in guinea pigs. In fact they list 15 different drugs 
for use in guinea pigs for the treatment of internal and external 
parasites. The interesting point is that only ACBA members, Peter Gurney 
and Vedra Stanley-Spatcher mentioned to me that ivermectin and panacur 
can be used to prevent parasitic infections. I can certainly stand by 
their words. I have been worming cavies since the 1980’s with ivermectin 
and panacur. I allow my cavies to graze on grass in my garden. I grow a 
variety of plants for them to eat. I have never had a parasitic 
infection in any of my cavies though many of them when they first 
arrived at Piggyville had internal and external parasitic infections 
along with fungal infections. I truly believe preventative worming is 
the best gift of health you can give your cavy.
I am not a vet but I volunteer as a cavy health advisor for Dr. Frank 
Bonsack DVM of the Adventure Animal Hospital in Tampa Florida.
Cheers,

Ann and the Rescued Piggys of Piggyville, Tampa Florida USA.