Probably more goats have been lost to parasites than to any other cause. And yet we cannot develop a vaccine, we cannot provide an antibiotic, we cannot even depend on the same dewormer from one year to the next.  

Very few dewormers have been tested for effectiveness in goats and the ones that have are now useless.  We are forced to choose our deworming program by hearsay & faith.  One of the major problems with this method is that we take a chance on making the problem worse by encouraging the development of resistant strains of parasites by our under-dosing & dosing at the wrong time.  

At the University of Tennesee College of Veterinary Medicine in Knoxville, TN, we have a parasitology department that likes working with goats.  Dr. Sharon Patton has a list of research projects to be done on goats but very few funds to carry out the research.  Not many companies donate monies earmarked for goat  research.   

In the summer of 1999, Dr. Patton was able to do a study on Doramectin, a new dewormer that was out.  A link to the results of that study will be provide soon, along with the results of a second study on Pyrantel tartrate & pamoate.  

Dr. Patton & her team would very much like to test the Golden Blend Morantel pellets.  They would also like to test Cydectin & Moxidectin to find the proper dosages needed.  They would like to do pasture testing & find ways to reduce infestation in the pastures.  They would like to test natural dewormers & test clinically the effectiveness of supplements like copper, iodine, etc.  

These people are willing to donate their time & facilities but funds are needed to pay for the drugs & to pay for the student help to administer the drugs, collect samples (repeatedly) & check the fecals.  

Please help us fund some of this research, be a part of the solution.  $3,500 will get the first study rolling.  See what you might have that you can put up for auction.  Visit the site often & bid.

Once we have the funding, Dr. Patton will be looking for volunteer herds that are within an hour’s drive of the Vet school.  

A website will be put up at UT to help us follow the study & to give a little more information about what is involved in each study.  

This auction is being sponsored by the TN Valley Goat Association &  Khimaira.

Please note:  Neither the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine,  Tennessee Valley Goat Association nor Khimaira has any additional responsibility with this auction other than identified above.