Re: How often do you deworm your horse?
Jill
news:fjusi4thjmv8turie...@4ax.com...
> How often do you deworm your horse?
>
> I'm asking because it seems no one can seem to agree.
> The companies that sell the stuff want us to buy it often, so they
> recommend every 6 weeks. I know some people who only do it once a
> year. The vets I have used, all differ in the time period, and a
> recent vet I spoke with said to do it every 3 weeks.
>
> It sure would be nice if someone really knew....
>
> Then to make matters worse, some vets say to alternate types, and
> others say Ivermectin and/or Quest can be used without alternating.
>
> Does anyone really know what to do?
>
> Thanks
>
> Cheryl
>
and if you read the USA group then you get ones which are given daily.
;)
And some people will only worm when they have tested and found a worm load.
And different wormers work at different levels.
And the herbal ones work differently again
And local conditions will have a significant effect.
Probably the best is to test to get a base line for YOUR animals, then work
with YOUR vet as they will know what the local grazing conditions are like
and what the worm load of it is likely to be.
Test once a year if you want to check your system is working.
--
regards
Jill Bowis
Domestic Poultry and Waterfowl Solutions
Herbaceous; Herb and Alpine Nursery
Seasonal Farm Food
http://www.kintaline.co.uk
John
> How often do you deworm your horse?
>
> I'm asking because it seems no one can seem to agree.
> The companies that sell the stuff want us to buy it often, so they
> recommend every 6 weeks. I know some people who only do it once a
> year. The vets I have used, all differ in the time period, and a
> recent vet I spoke with said to do it every 3 weeks.
>
> It sure would be nice if someone really knew....
>
> Then to make matters worse, some vets say to alternate types, and
> others say Ivermectin and/or Quest can be used without alternating.
>
> Does anyone really know what to do?
>
> Thanks
>
> Cheryl
Just a few reality check thoughts for consideration:-
Profit is a powerful driving force whether by drug company or vet
practice!
There is only a benefit in worming when there are worms to be treated!
Most wormers are poisonous to a greater or lesser degree.
What providers graze the same paddocks as your herd? If there are none
then the chances of outside infestation are low. Note: equine
tapeworms have different transmission vectors.
If every horse was wormed for bots in mid winter there would be a
vitual national eradication
Ivermectin is currently not compromised by resistance developed in
worms it treats BUT that can easily change if people underdose on a
regular basis
I'm sure others can add more thoughts to these
Catja Pafort
> How often do you deworm your horse?
>
> I'm asking because it seems no one can seem to agree.
> The companies that sell the stuff want us to buy it often, so they
> recommend every 6 weeks. I know some people who only do it once a
> year. The vets I have used, all differ in the time period, and a
> recent vet I spoke with said to do it every 3 weeks.
>
> It sure would be nice if someone really knew....
>
> Then to make matters worse, some vets say to alternate types, and
> others say Ivermectin and/or Quest can be used without alternating.
I think there are two factors to decide which wormer you are going to
use.
One is the grazing. In Crumble's last field - twenty cross-grazed acres
for six or seven horses - I stepped down worming to three times a year.
This is controversial (what isn't), but between the condition of the
horses and the relative unlikelyhood of picking up worms on that acreage
in a closed herd, I felt it was acceptable.
If you have smaller paddocks where horses are much more likely to eat
near their droppings, I'd worm more often, ditto for places where the
horses change frequently. I would *always* be thorough deworming a new
horse.
The other factor is choosing wormers that will target which worms. As a
minimum, I'd do the Panacur 5-day in spring, double strongid in autumn,
and Ivermectin after the first frost - so it's really only the summer
intervall where you have to make a decision.
Personally, I would stay away from Quest - I do not like the danger
factor (you can overdose the others quite safely), I do not like the way
it works (if you have a horse with a large worm burden, Quest can be
very hard on its system.)
Catja
--
writing blog @ http://beyond-elechan.livejournal.com
GrnOval
> How often do you deworm your horse?
>
> I'm asking because it seems no one can seem to agree.
> The companies that sell the stuff want us to buy it often, so they
> recommend every 6 weeks. I know some people who only do it once a
> year. The vets I have used, all differ in the time period, and a
> recent vet I spoke with said to do it every 3 weeks.
>
> It sure would be nice if someone really knew....
>
> Then to make matters worse, some vets say to alternate types, and
> others say Ivermectin and/or Quest can be used without alternating.
>
>
> Thanks
>
> Cheryl
Can I have one on sport?
We work with Simon at wormersdirect.com and came up with an
appropriate worming scheme for us (Littl'uns Equine Rescue Trust).
After having had a problem with encysted redworms (nasty little
feckers that don't really show in a "basic" worm count), and because
of the amount of ins and outs we get then we think we're managing ok.
At the moment, it tends to be every 13 weeks, with those that arrive
going on 5 day guard and quarantine. We also use worm counts to get
an idea of how we're coping.
It is very much an each to their own, but people like Simon are quite
useful, cos although they are there to do business, they are
knowledgeable about their field too.
HTH
Si
trainer
> Does anyone really know what to do?
>
> Thanks
>
> Cheryl
There is some good information available if you do a Google -- but
look for sites that have been put up by vet colleges, not drug
companies! (You can usually tell which is which from the URL).
From these, I learnt that even fecal egg worm counts are not always
accurate as worms lay eggs sporadically rather than consistently and
some horses will be more-or-less resistant to worms while others will
be the opposite. So even professional worm counts can be deceptive. I
currently have nine ponies on 25 acres but expect more and want to cut
down on worming before it becomes a problem. So I have purchased my
own microscope and just ordered a McMaster counting slide. Doing your
own counts is not rocket science and an expensive high powered
micoscope is not needed. The glass slides cost 80GBP each here in the
UK but I've located a US company that makes them in acrylic for 30USD
for two, plus shipping! For information on what eggs to look for, just
Google "images" for the relevant species. With this set up, worming
will be directed at problem horses when it is required, not according
to the calendar or drug companies.
Another thing I have started is purchasing wether lambs (castrated
males) in the autumn sales which will be cross grazed with the horses
and sold off in the spring. I tried this last year, letting a sheep
owner graze his sheep for a modest fee and saw just how quickly they
grow. (Be warned -- you'll need good fences!). Some paddocks will be
cut for hay, further reducing contamination. Sheep and cattle eat
horse worm eggs and larvae without ill effect so act as worm
controllers, and most cattle/sheep worms don't affect horses so it
works both ways. I also have a rather expensive poo vacuum cleaner for
cleaning the pastures as I flatly refuse to hand pick.
I will report back in a few years to tell you if my cunning plan is
working!<g>
Derry
suer
him once a year in summer (it comes back always as below-50) and I give
him a tapewormer midwinter.