colourfulpony asked:
i have just moved my horse to a new yard where we are expected to use our own worming routine (at my last yard we all did the same). i wormed my horse with equest in june so she is due again in early september. i have looked into using equest and have found that you can get a pack of 4 equest wormers (2 of each of two types) which together treat for a year. however i have been told that horses can become immune to equest so only to use it once every other year. is this right? if this is so why do the manufacturers sell this pack?
horse owning
horse owning
It is good that you are on a worming program; however, if eveyone else in the barn does not worm regularly and they are turned out in the same pasture, it is not helpful. All the horses should be on the same schedule.
horse owning
Proper de-worming technique for horses on pasture is to alternate wormers every 2 months.
One month, de-worm with a pyrantel based wormer (Strongid, Equest, etc)
In TWO months, deworm with an IVERMECTIN based de-wormer. These are usually very inexpensive, because you can find more that are ONLY the active ingredient, and no added flavors, etc.
This is what we recommend, and GOOD LUCK! You can deworm every three to four months during the winter, but with warmer seasons, you need to be careful.
horse owning
It can happen. Many people switch off using one type of wormer with an other. That way horses never become immune to any type. And if your horse does not like taking thw wormer like mine, then fill it with molassos, and he will learn to like wormers.
horse owning
Worms can become resistant to specific worming drugs therefore rotation of drugs is recommended. Manufactures sell in bulk to increase sales, and some people have more than one horse so it saves them money. Have a look at the use by date on the box as well, many wormers have a long life span so if you decide not to use just equest this year you can keep the spare ones safe for another time or ask if anouther owner would share a pack with you.
Have you ever considered faecal egg counts? They can be carried out by some vets/labs/ and can inform you if your horse even requires worming, if you practice good pasture management i.e pick up droppings and the paddocks are not horse sick then the horses often don’t have many worms. there are websites with information on the benefits of faecal egg counts or you could ask your vet for advise.
I would definatly reccomend using different wormers to reduce the risk of worm resistance. I hope this helps!
horse owning
You could use it for one year, and it would more than likely be fine, but there is always a chance that the parasites will build up an immunity to the wormer whenever you use the same brand over and over. Try switching brands every other time you worm. I personally rotate between 3 different brands and haven’t ever had a parasite problem.