PS9-17. Effects of Copper Oxide Wire Particles and Selected Botanicals for Gastrointestinal Parasite and Heat Stress Management in Spanish Goats.

Abstract This study evaluated the effects of copper oxide wire particles (COWP), Cymbopogon citratus essential oil (CCSO; lemongrass), Ulmus fulva (UMF; slippery elm), and Artemisia absinthium (ART; wormwood) supplementation on naturally acquired gastrointestinal parasite infections and heat stress responses in Spanish goats. Forty doelings (2–3 years old; 39.3 ± 5.8 kg body weight) were randomly assigned to five treatment groups (n = 8): control (no supplement), COWP (0.3 g in a gel capsule ), CCSO (1 mL/goat/day), ART (6 g in 200 mL water/goat/day), and UMF (10 g in 200 mL water/goat/day). Treatments were administered orally each morning for six weeks except for COWP that was administered once weekly. Parasite burden was assessed using fecal egg counts (FEC), and packed cell volume (PCV). Heat stress indicators included rectal temperature, respiration rate, coat surface temperature, ambient temperature (AT), relative humidity (RH), and temperature humidity index (THI). Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS using one-way ANOVA. Average AT, RH, and THI during the study were 27.2±6.5 °C, 68.7±9.6 %, and 76.6±4.5, respectively, indicating that experimental goats were exposed to mild heat stress conditions. Supplementation did not show any effect (P > 0.05) on FEC compared with the control group (2179, 1230, 1031, 912 and 617.8 for CON, UMF, ART, CCSO and COWP respectively; SEM = 570.1). Similarly, all supplemented groups exhibited similar (P > 0.05) respiratory rate, rectal temperature, and coat surface temperature compared with the control. Goats in the COWP group had significantly (P < 0.05) higher PCV than those in the control CCSO groups (23.7, 26.1, 27.3, 28.5, and 29.3, % for CON. CCSO, ART, UMF and COWP respectively; SEM = 1.31). The UMF supplemented goats had greater final body weight compared with other treatments (P < 0.05) (37.4, 37.5, 38.1, 38.9, and 42.0 for CCSO, CON, ART, COWP, and UMF, respectively; SEM = 1.45). The relatively mild THI during the summer, combined with variable weather patterns, may have limited the observable effects of supplementation on heat and parasite loads in goats.