Aug 13, 2021
After a significant industry investment in research and a four-year journey, a deer-specific triple combination drench is here: Cervidae Oral. The development of Cervidae Oral was 50:50 funded by Nexan and your DINZ levy. It’s made in New Zealand and marketed by Agritrade.
The drench is pre-mixed and ready to use, with a proven 98.5% efficacy. The withholding period is 28 days. This is a big improvement on the default 91-day withhold needed for the “off-label” combination drenching that’s been used by many.
Another welcome change is that it’s no longer necessary to figure out effective dose rates for deer. The label recommendations on this triple-combination drench – 1ml/10kg liveweight – can be followed without fear of under or over dosing.
While a new deer-specific drench is a welcome new tool for parasite control, it is not a panacea. It’s for use as part of good parasite management to reduce parasite challenges (e.g. grazing management) and use of high-CARLA sires. It’s not a substitute for minimising parasites on pasture, and drenching should only be used when necessary.
There are unlikely to be any new active ingredients for deer anthelmintics any time soon, so it will be important to use this product carefully to preserve its effectiveness as long as possible.
Cervidae Oral is available through your vet or rural retailer.
