Bug'N Out Usage Guidelines

Bug’N Out is an essential oil and herbal parasite blend I use in the management of parasites for my own herd. After seeing the results I achieved with it, I made it commercially available. You can purchase it here if you have not done so already, or make your own version with this recipe (or see below for a quick version). This page is intended to detail how, when and why to use Bug’N, as well as address what to expect after dosing.

Quick Essential Oil Blend

One dose is 1 drop each of sweet orange, lemongrass and oregano essential oils in 1ml olive oil. Sweet orange has a wide safety margin and you can add 2-3 drops to a dose if treating barberpole. The instructions below apply equally to Bug’N and this EO blend, but if using the EO blend, consider adding a commercial herbal parasite blend to give it a good boost.

Indications for Use

You can see a more thorough writeup on the criteria I use in my herd to determine the need to treat in the article When Do I Treat for Parasites?, but the most common indications are:

rough, brittle coat
reduced body condition
larger than normal appetite
pale eye membranes (FAMACHA score)
depressed attitude
isolating from the herd
fecal sample confirming high egg count (500 or more on a McMaster slide)
times of high stress (weaning, moving, immune suppression due to illness, etc.)

How to Use

Bug’N Out can be used as a standalone product at the following dosage:

1ml for miniature goats/2ml for standard sized goats 1-2x daily for 3-5 days

Any of the supportive care options can be included for regular dosing; see below.

Dose lower for prevention and higher based on severity of symptoms. If you have a goat with serious symptoms, waste no time in beginning acute dosing as follows in a step down method of dosing:

Day 1: 4x at 8a, 12p, 4p, 8p
Days 2-3: 3x at 8a, 2p, 8p
Days 4-6 2x at 8a, 8p
Day 7: 1x at 8a

Only step down the dose if symptoms are improving. If symptoms stay the same, stay at the previous day. If symptoms worsen, go back to the higher previous dose and stay there until symptoms improve. Use this protocol no more than 10 days in serious cases. If you aren’t seeing daily improvement, don’t waste time waiting and select a different method to treat.

Supportive Care

If acute dosing is needed, add in supportive care options with every dose:

1 tsp blackstrap molasses*
1/4 tsp kelp
1/4 tsp nettle leaf*
1/4 tsp total of one or all of the “spicies”: cayenne (no more than 1/8th tsp), ginger, turmeric, garlic, cinnamon
1/2 tsp chlorophyll*
1 tsp garlic fermented honey
1 tsp garlic/ginger paste
regular dose of any herbal parasite blend

*high priority, high margin of safety for prolonged use

Probiotic Options

You can optionally follow up with probiotics after a regimen of parasite formula. These natural options are ideal, dosed 1-2x daily for as long as your intuition indicates is appropriate:

kefir 1-2 TBSP per dose
yogurt 1-2 TBSP per dose
apple cider vinegar 1-2 tsp per dose
juice from naturally fermented kimchi or pickles 1-2 tsp per dose

The options in the supportive care can be continued along with probiotics as needed.

What to Expect

You may see:

temporary stool changes lasting 2-3 days past last dose
live worms expelled in stool
a worsening of symptoms, which indicates immediate necessity to begin supportive care and/or consider other treatment options

I have seem improvement in FAMACHA score within days of using Bug’N Out on multiple occasions. All of the indications above should begin improving if parasites are the issue. Another common cause of many of those symptoms is mineral imbalance, so if improvement is not seen, confirm with fecal and begin exploring mineral status.

Continue the discussion in the Parasite Formulas forum.