One of the most important routine health care procedures in the life of domestic horses is appropriate deworming, commonly referred to as ‘worming’. All domestic horses should be on a worming program. Parasite infections can simply be a minor irritation to your horse and may result in poor condition, with your horse not benefiting from the full nutritional value of its feed. Colic, loss of weight, poor skin and hair, depression, diarrhea and anemia are all conditions of a parasitic horse. Parasite infections can also be fatal.
The intestinal worms that horses pick up have long and complex lifecycles. Generally, they reproduce inside the horse. The eggs come out in the manure and the larvae climb up the grass stalks. The horse eats the grass stalks and the worm larvae enter the horse where they grow up, reproduce and the cycle starts again. Most worms live in the intestines but some live in the lungs; both types have serious effects on the horse's health and are exceedingly undesirable.
The most common parasites attacking equines are:
Bots - can destroy the stomach wall and cause dental deterioration.
Pinworms - can irritate the rectal region, evident in tail-rubbing.
Roundworms - can damage the heart, liver, and lungs, and may cause colic.
Strongyles - can destroy circulatory vessels, and may cause colic, anemia, diarrhea, weight loss, brain damage, and more.
Tapeworms - can cause intestinal ulcers.
It is important to remember that most horses are never free from parasites. Because of the worming programs available, horses no longer need to be bothered, damaged or die from parasite problems. Using dewormers on a regular schedule in combination with good stable management practices is critical to relieving your horse of most parasites.
Since parasites are primarily transferred through manure, good stable management practices can help:
- Regular cleaning of stables and paddocks.
- Feeding hay in mangers and nets.
- Avoid when possible, wet paddocks and/or pastures.
- Working manure loose in paddocks/pastures with a harrow, or spreading manure from stalls will scatter manure along with eggs and larvae and will help destroy and dry up the parasites.
- If possible, the grazing of cattle, sheep, or goats in horse pastures decreases exposure as equine parasites do not mature in these animals and the parasites life cycle is broken.
In terms of management priorities, establishing a parasite control program is probably second only to supplying the horse with clean, plentiful water and high quality feed. No single wormer will kill everything. The proper treatment program involves using the right wormers at the right time for good parasite control:
- Rotate wormers to keep the horse from building a resistance.
- Ensure all horses co-habitating are wormed together, and use the same product.
- Keep accurate records of when horses were wormed and what dewormer was used.
Just as there are different kinds of worms, there are also different kinds of dewormers which are commonly referred to as ‘wormers’. Therefore very important to remember that different wormers address specific worm types:
Ivermectin- Wormers that contain Ivermectin are considered all around wormers. They can work against all of the three major types of worms, redworms (strongyles), pinworms and roundworms (ascarids). They may also be given safely even in large doses. They may not however be effective in the treatment of tapeworms and encysted strongyles
Moxidectin- This is effective medication for pinworms as well as small and large strongyles. Medicines with Moxidectin are the answer to encysted strongyles. Do remember that this ingredient is very potent and can harm your horse if you administer an too much.
Fenbendazole- Treatment products with this product also fight the three major types of horse worms. The ingredient is one of the safest to use even in large dosages. This is the treatment of choice when worm infestations are in their beginning stages.
Praziquantel- This is the treatment option for your horse if it has tapeworms.
Oxibendazole- This ingredient is said to be highly effective for big strongyles and roundworms as well as for threadworms and pinworms. If administered in the correct dose, the ingredient can kill these worms completely.
Pyrantel- This ingredient can either be Tartare or Pamoate. The Tartare type can be used on a daily basis as a form of horse health maintenance. Pamoate on the other hand can be used against all three of the major horse worms plus tapeworms and threadworms.
A deworming program is relatively simple and economical to do to ensure the horse’s health. The horses under Natchez Bend’s care are wormed every eight weeks and the wormers are rotated accordingly. If you have any questions about your horses worming schedule and/or the wormers used, please speak to Miss Brittany or Mrs. Trish.
Reference links:
http://www.aaep.org/
http://www.thehorse.com/
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_do_horse_worms_come_from http://www.wormingyourhorse.info/ |
