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Flexolt another tool for controlling lice in sheep

This season MSD Animal Health released onto the New Zealand market a new lice control product for sheep which trades under the name Flexolt.

Flexolt is a novel product, in that its contains a new active and in addition it is a new approach to treatment. Sheep are drenched with Flexolt rather than the conventional methods of using pour-on and spray-on products after shearing.

One of the major advantages is that sheep do not need to shorn prior to treatment, given the product works from the inside out and this is a consideration with the price per treatment of $2.68 GST* incl per sheep. Because Flexolt is given as a drench, sheep don’t need to be dry when treated.

Flexolt comes in a 5L container and there are 555 adult sheep (60kg) doses per pack. The product is very safe, and lambs can be treated provided they are greater than 6kg bodyweight.

While this is not the year for high expenditure on sheep farms do consider the product if you have a mob that cannot be treated conventionally for whatever reason, such as long wool, you are pushed for time, you split shear, or you are bringing new sheep onto the farm.

It is also a product that can improve the longevity of other lice products and slowing the development of product resistance through alternating the use of different products in the flock.

Sheep lice live their entire life on sheep and can only survive a small number of days off the animal. It is for this reason that our advice is to treat all sheep on the farm and ensure biosecurity is good to minimise mixing with neighbouring flocks.

Critical to its effectiveness and successful lice control, is ensuring that all sheep are treated at the same time. To aid this, each 5L pack of Flexolt comes with a crayon marker and a neoprene sleeve to enable each sheep to be marked as it is drenched ensuring any animals slipping past the drencher can be identified and treated.

Flexolt containers once used maybe be recycled via the local Agrecovery centre.

With many lice products available our commercial managers and vets are happy to provide advice on the combination of management systems and treatment regimes that suit your property and ensure the products you are using will continue to do so into the future.

*Price as at July 2024 and subject to change without notification.

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