Evaluation of Extended-Release Eprinomectin Injectable and Doramectin Injectable with the Inclusion of Refugia on Performance Outcomes and Fecal Parameters in Stocker Cattle

Evaluating different tactics to mitigate the effects of gastrointestinal nematode infection in growing stocker cattle is essential to better understand opportunities to optimize cattle health and performance. Due to the potential development of anthelmintic resistance, parasitologists and industry stakeholders have proposed maintaining refugia in cattle populations and combination treatment as tactics to delay anthelmintic resistance yet limited large-scale field data are available for practitioners to make evidence-based decisions. The objective of this experiment was to compare the effects of extended-release eprinomectin injectable and doramectin injectable on growth and fecal shedding of parasites in stocker calves grazing with non-treated (refugia) cohorts. Steers (<i>n</i> = 995; 243.38 kg) were randomized to one of two experimental treatment groups on Day 0, extended-release eprinomectin (ERE) or doramectin injectable (DOR). A subset of animals (<i>n</i> = 47) was selectively not treated with an anthelmintic to maintain refugia (REF). Individual body weights were recorded on days 0, 105, and 130 to calculate average daily gain and overall body weight gain during each of those time periods. Fecal samples were collected per rectum from approximately 10% of the same animals in each group on days 0, 105, and 130. Mean fecal egg count was significantly lower in the 10% of animals tested in the ERE group on days 105 and 130 when compared to 10% of the animals in the DOR group (Day 105-ERE: 46.45 eggs per gram, DOR: 155.30 eggs per gram, <i>p</i> < 0.01; Day 130-ERE: 9.65 eggs per gram, DOR: 22.51 eggs per gram, <i>p</i> = 0.02). From day 0 to 105, the mean average daily gain in the ERE group was 0.87 kg/day, which tended (<i>p</i> = 0.055) to be higher than the mean for the DOR group, 0.845 kg/day.