External Parasites: 
     External parasites like lice and mites are a common occurrence in the cooler season. They are not nearly as dangerous to goats as internal parasites, though they can still cause anemia, hair loss, or skin irritation. Note: External parasites are very species-specific, so you cannot catch them from your goats and your goats cannot get them from your chickens, etc. Mites are not visible to the naked eye, so if you see a bug on your goats it is likely lice. 

Treatment and Prevention:
     The best, simple treatment or annual prevention we've found for external parasites is Cylence. Like most goat meds, it can be expensive but it lasts a while. It is given externally along the goats withers. Ultraboss is also highly effective and works in the same fashion but please note that the ingredient permethrin it contains is poisonous to cats. Ivermectin injection may work for treating external parasites (does not treat internal parasites) but the concentration is low and can create a lot of resistance causing the drug to be ineffective when you may need to treat internal parasites later. Natural mite and lice treatment or prevention such as diatomaceous earth does not have enough evidence to support it's efficacy. 

                                                                                  Internal Parasites: 
     *All goats will have parasites. You cannot entirely eliminate them in your animals, but you can do you're best to keep them at a manageable level* Goats should NOT be wormed on a schedule. This is an old practice and a major contributor to increasing parasite resistance issues that cause dewormers to be ineffective. Goats should be dewormed as needed based upon FAMANCHA scores and fecal tests.
     FAMANCHA:  FAMANCHA is a method of examining the inner mucous membrane of a goats lower eyelid. To do the test properly, the eye must be gently pressed so the mucous membrane is visible, rather than the eyelid merely being pulled down. Here is more information on what a FAMANCHA is. Here is a helpful video demonstrating how to correctly perform the test. It is recommended this test be regularly done before there is an emergency situation for an anemic goat. The anemia-causing Barberpole worm is the main parasite that can be inferred from this test as a first step. A fecal test should be done after to determine if and how you need to deworm.
     Fecal Egg Count: Fecal tests determine the parasite eggs per gram (EPG) a goat is passing in its manure. This can help you determine whether or not you need to deworm your animal. They can be performed by a veterinarian, labs, or at home with a microscope! MeadowMist Lab provides affordable goat fecal tests and samples can be collected and mailed in.
     Refugia: Refugia is a concept that can help avoid dewormer resistance. Refugia is the population of parasites that has not been exposed to the drug, either on pasture or in an animal. The idea is that a refugia population should be left in tact by not deworming all of your goats with the same dewormer so as to maintain genes that are still susceptible to the anthelmintic drugs, if possible. It is a very important principle regarding parasite resistance and it should be kept in mind when managing a goat herd. 

Prevention: 
     Rotational grazing: Rotational grazing is the ideal method of parasite prevention. Rotational grazing mimics nature by keeping herd animals in tighter groups in smaller areas that move frequently. This allows the land to rest and parasites to die off before it is re-grazed. It also has major benefits like improving pasture regrowth and quality, even if only 2 small pastures are utilized. 
     Bioworm: A new and very interesting way to prevent internal parasites in goats is a product called BioWorma (and related product Livamol with BioWorma). The product is a goat food topping and contains a certain fungus that when excreted from the animal, prevents the eggs from hatching on the ground. It does NOT treat a goat that already has worms, but it helps prevent reinfection from pastures. It is similar in effect to rotational grazing, but can be a great and effective option if you cannot implement rotational grazing. It is safe for all goats including kids and pregnant does.
     Kidding season timing: Kids born in cooler winter months have less exposure to parasites because the conditions are not optimal for worms or coccidia to thrive. If your area gets adequate freezes over the winter, some parasites will be killed off at this time. You may find earlier kids grow better than kids born in late spring or summer.
     Herbal Dewormers: Some people find good success with herbal dewormers. It does not have enough evidence that I would feel comfortable promoting it as a "treatment" but it may be used as a form of prevention. Popular herbal deworming formulas are Molly's Herbal Dewormer and Land of Havilah. Some people like to supplement with pine needles, pumpkin seeds, or even Christmas trees, though I don't feel comfortable giving any Christmas trees because many may contain flame retardants that are harmful to goats if ingested.          
     
Treatment:
 *I do not like giving any dewormer during pregnancy unless necessary, though some are marked safe for pregnant does (such as Ivermectin) and some are not safe for pregnant does (such as Cydectin and Valbazen). 
*Dewormers should NEVER be underdosed. Generally, with goats, I would prefer they be given a bit too high of a dose than too low of a dose. A low dose will be ineffective and merely increase parasite resistance. Though dosages should ALWAYS be closely monitored and double-checked, goats have a very high metabolism and need a higher dosage than other ruminants such as sheep. Ivermectin, for example, would have to be given around 7x the recommended dose to be a harmful overdose to goats. 
     Chemical Dewormers:  * The doses I include are higher dosages than what you will see on the label. 
     Coccidia:  Coccidia is not a worm, but a protozoan parasite. Please see the section on coccidia below for its specific recommended treatment and prevention. 
     Tapeworms: Valbazen (albendazole) is effective against tapeworms. Quest Pro is also effective against tapeworms. These are NOT safe for use during pregnancy. They also should not be given to goats for 30 days prior to breeding. 
  Strongyles:  Strongyles such as barberpole worms should be treated using 2 classes of dewormers. Generally, a white dewormer and a clear dewormer. I like to follow the protocol from Rosie's Nubians below.