RETHINKING EQUINE PARASITE CONTROL STRATEGIES

 

 

Our goal is NOT to make your horses worm- free, but rather to maintain their worm levels at a healthy low  level and to reduce pasture contamination with worm eggs and larvae.   We also must ensure that the products we use are effective.

 

 Here is how we do this:

 

     In the early spring, at least 3 months after the last deworming collect a manure sample for us to do a fecal egg count to determine if your horse is a major egg shedder or not.  Regardless of his shedding rate, you still need to deworm at this time in the spring to control  blood worms and tape worms.  If your horse is a low or non-egg shedder, you only need to deworm in the spring and fall to control blood worms and tape worms..

     If your horse is a major egg  shedder,  (as determined by the fecal egg count above)  bring us a manure sample 2 weeks after the dewormer is given to see if the product chosen in fact killed the worms and reduced the egg count.  This tells us that you do not have a resistance problem.  Major egg shedders will need to be dewormed once  more in mid-summer, then in the fall.

 

 

Here is a very simple summary:

 

FOR YEAR 1:

 

SPRING:  Fecal egg count----deworm with Quest  Plus----repeat fecal egg count on major shedders in 2 weeks

 

MID SUMMER:  Eqvalan for major shedders

 

LATE FALL: QUEST PLUS

 

FOR YEAR 2, 3, 4, etc:

 

Low and non-shedders---Quest plus spring and fall

 

Major egg shedders--same protocol as for year 1


 

DEWORMING PREGNANT MARES

     All pregnant mares should be dewormed about one month prior to the expected foaling date.  This will decrease the shedding of worm eggs that may be picked up by the foal.  We like Eqvalan for this  time.

 

DEWORMING FOALS

     Foals have very little resistance to worms and can quickly develop severe infestations.  Large round worms (Ascarids)  are of particular concern and can cause fatal worm impactions.  If not dewormed properly, blood worms (Large Strongyles) can be serious by 4-6 months of age.  We deworm foals starting at 2 months of age and do them every second month until weaning. We recommend Strongid at two and four  months of age and Eqvalan at six months.  After that they can go on the adult schedule.  As a weanling we will deetermine if they are a major egg shedder or not.