Leeches

8.8 LEECHES

Leeches are different from other parasites. There are two major types of leeches affecting livestock:

 leeches that live and feed in the nose and throat.

 leeches that attach to the skin of an animal, suck blood, and then drop off.

Symptoms / Diagnosis: Nasal leeches cause serious problems in some areas. (They can also affect people sometimes). When the animal is drinking water, baby leeches enter the mouth with the water. These leeches attach to the lining inside the nose, and begin to suck blood and grow. They cause blood loss and irritation. As a result, the animal eats less, and growth and production are decreased.

Treatment of Nasal Leeches: Treatment depends on what is available. Local remedies can work well.

 Some farmers prevent the affected animal from drinking for about one day. Then they offer water, and when the animal starts to drink, the leech also sticks its head out to drink. Then the farmer grabs the leech and pulls it out. Because leeches are slippery, they must grab the leech with a piece of cloth, or a pair of pinchers.

 Another treatment is to use a solution applied in the nose of the affected animal. A nicotine solution prepared from tobacco, a chloroform / spirit solution, or other solutions may be used.

1. Restrain the animal properly (preferably in a crate).

1. Hold the animal's head level so that the fluid put into its nose will remain there. (If the nose is pointed down, then the solution runs out of the nose; and if the nose is pointed up, then the solution runs down the throat and the animal swallows it.)

1. Using a syringe with the needle removed, squirt 20-30 ml of the solution into the nostril where the leech is. (5 ml for small animals).

1. Hold the animal's head level for one to two minutes.

1. If there is a leech in the other nostril also, then repeat the process for the other side.

Sometimes the leech falls out and is seen immediately. However, often the leech is not seen again. Apparently the solution kills the leech, it slides down to the throat, and the animal swallows it.