Worming Horses
Ascarid
Facts You Need To Know Now!
Worming horses today can be a real challenge. With all the different brands on the market, it’s hard to decide which one is right for your horse. Before you choose which brand to use, it is important to know what you’re dealing with. You can't win the war if you don’t know the enemy. Worms in horses are a continual threat throughout a horse's life. The damage caused to horses by parasites can be devastating if not prevented. Although, wiping them out completely is probably unrealistic, you can keep them in check.
There are many different types of parasites that reside in our horse’s environment.They depend largely on what region of the country that you live in.
Here is some information about the most common parasites, from life-threatening, to simply irritating. After reading this you will know why worming horses is so important.
Ascarids or Roundworms
Their life-cycle lasts about 3 months. Adult ascarids can be up to 20 inches long, ½ inch in diameter and are bright white. They travel to the horse’s lung as soon as possible. This can cause severe problems, even death if not treated. This is especially true for younger horses.
Signs of ascarids in horses include a pot-bellied appearance, dry cough, diarrhea, poor appearance or dull coat. Respitory infections and pneumonia are also common in infested foals.
Ascarids pass through the manure to grass and the eggs can actually live outside the horse for up to 10 years. Eggs are then ingested by the horse while grazing. Female ascarids can lay up to 200,000 eggs per day. Imagine how many worms your horse could have with a regular horse worming program.
Small Strongyles or Red-worms These are considered the most common parasites. Their life-cycle lasts about three weeks. Adult small strongyles can be ½ to 2 inches in diameter and are bright red in appearance.
Small strongyles can be very severe, due to prolific egg laying. Even though the larvae are smaller than the head of a pin. Horses with low immunity and very young horses are especially vulnerable.
Adults lay eggs that are passed out with the manure. There they mature and infest the horse when the grass is eaten.
Some signs of small strongyles are weight loss, decreased appetite and a dull hair coat. They are also a major cause of many types of colic. It has been estimated that 90% of colic cases are caused by worm infestation or damage from previous infestations. Worming horses on a regular basis will alleviate this problem.
Large Strongyles or Bloodworms
These parasites can affect horses of all ages. They are reddish-brown in color and can range from ½ to 2 inches long.
The good news about large strongyles is that, nearly all de-wormers attack them, making them much easier to control. However, if unprotected, horses can suffer sudden death from an infestation.
Large strongyles migrate through the blood vessels and will affect the liver, arteries, pancreas and intestinal walls.
Colic is one of the most common symptoms of large strongyles. Weight loss, loss of appetite and a dull coat are also good indicators.
Always check the label to make sure when worming horses, that your controlling all the possibilities.
Tapeworms
Are yellowish-green in color and are approximately 3 inches long. They can also be a cause of colic in horses.
These worms locate the opening in the colon and then migrate into the large and small intestines. There they sap the nutrients from feed which leads to decreased intestinal mobility. To make it worse, there are hardly any outward signs or symptoms of tapeworms.
Bots
Are the larvae of the bot fly and are bright yellow in appearance. They lay there eggs on the horse’s legs and coat. When the horse licks or bites at his legs, the bots are ingested.
Bots burrow into the tongue and mouth and cause irritation and inflammation. Eventually they work their way to the stomach causing the same symptoms there.
There they remain for 8 to 10 months until the larvae is excreted in manure. They burrow into the ground and emerge as adult bot flies. Worming horses can stop these critters before they have a chance to come out.
Bot eggs should be removed from your horse as soon as possible, to avoid infestation. You can use a bot knife to scrape off the eggs. This should be a regular part of your horse grooming when bot flies are active. Avoid scraping the bot eggs off in places where your horse eats or he could still ingest the bots that you scrape off.
Pinworms
Are brown or dark gray in color. Female pinworms are 3 to 6 inches long. Males are only about ½ long. They have a life-cycle of about five months.
Pinworms are more of an annoyance that a hazard. They travel through the digestive tract to the tail-head region. These little nuisances travel out of the anus and lay their eggs on the surrounding areas. This can cause intense tail irritation and tail rubbing. Tail rubbing, due to intense itching, can then lead to a secondary infection if allowed to continue.
A fecal test should be performed by your vet at least twice a year. This will determine what kind of horse worms you’re dealing with. It will also determine if your horse worming program is doing its job. You may have to re-evaluate your program for de-worming horses.
Types of Horse Wormers There are many different types of equine wormers. There are paste wormers, pelleted wormers, liquid wormer, daily wormer, etc. You just have to figure out which one is right for you and your horse.
Paste wormer is the most commonly used method of worming horses. However, they are developed to target different parasites, and will need to be rotated with other wormers to be effective.
For example, if you use Safe-guard as a regular wormer, you would need to also rotate it with something like Zimecterin Gold. Safe-guard is effective for some parasites, but not all. Zimecterin would cover the parasites that Safe-guard doesn’t.
This also keeps your horse from building up immunities to one certain product. If you use the same product everytime, the parasites will become immune to it. This is just an example, I’m not saying that’s what you should use.
The best place that I have found to buy Cheap Horse Wormers is Jeffers Equine. They have a large selection and are more affordable than most other places. Worming horses is very important and saving money is even more important.
Horse Worming Schedule
Always consult your vet and he will help you come up with a de-worming program suited specifically to your horse and the area in which you live.
A good schedule to follow when worming horses is to de-worm about every two months, year round. At least twice a year use a wormer that is effective against all worms and bots, such as Ivermectin.
Equine De-Worming Program Outline When To Dose Product (Chemical Name)
January 1: Broad Spectrum de-wormer such as fenbendazole (Panacur, Safe-Guard); oxibendazole (Anthelcide EQ)
March 1: Ivermectin 1.87% (Equell, Equimectrin, Eqvalen, Ivercare, Zimectrin), for general de-worming. April 15: Moxidectin plus praziquantel (Quest Plus or Combo Care), to treat encysted strongyles and tapeworms.
June 15: Either double dose pyrantel pamoate (Strongid, Strongyle Care) OR single dose praziquantel combination product with either ivermectin or moxidectin (Equimax, ComboCare, Quest Plus, Zimectrin Gold), to treat tapeworms.
August 15: Ivermectin 1.87% (Equell, Equimectrin, Eqvalen, Ivercare, Zimectrin) for bots; first dose.
October 15: Ivermectin 1.87% (Equell, Equimectrin, Eqvalen, Ivercare, Zimectrin) for bots; second dose.
November 25: Broad Spectrum de-wormer such as fenbendazole (Panacur, Safe-Guard); oxibendazole (Anthelcide EQ)
.
Worming horses today can be a real challenge. With all the different brands on the market, it’s hard to decide which one is right for your horse. Before you choose which brand to use, it is important to know what you’re dealing with. You can't win the war if you don’t know the enemy. Worms in horses are a continual threat throughout a horse's life. The damage caused to horses by parasites can be devastating if not prevented. Although, wiping them out completely is probably unrealistic, you can keep them in check.
There are many different types of parasites that reside in our horse’s environment.They depend largely on what region of the country that you live in.
Here is some information about the most common parasites, from life-threatening, to simply irritating. After reading this you will know why worming horses is so important.
Ascarids or Roundworms
Their life-cycle lasts about 3 months. Adult ascarids can be up to 20 inches long, ½ inch in diameter and are bright white. They travel to the horse’s lung as soon as possible. This can cause severe problems, even death if not treated. This is especially true for younger horses.
Signs of ascarids in horses include a pot-bellied appearance, dry cough, diarrhea, poor appearance or dull coat. Respitory infections and pneumonia are also common in infested foals.
Ascarids pass through the manure to grass and the eggs can actually live outside the horse for up to 10 years. Eggs are then ingested by the horse while grazing. Female ascarids can lay up to 200,000 eggs per day. Imagine how many worms your horse could have with a regular horse worming program.
Small Strongyles or Red-worms These are considered the most common parasites. Their life-cycle lasts about three weeks. Adult small strongyles can be ½ to 2 inches in diameter and are bright red in appearance.
Small strongyles can be very severe, due to prolific egg laying. Even though the larvae are smaller than the head of a pin. Horses with low immunity and very young horses are especially vulnerable.
Adults lay eggs that are passed out with the manure. There they mature and infest the horse when the grass is eaten.
Some signs of small strongyles are weight loss, decreased appetite and a dull hair coat. They are also a major cause of many types of colic. It has been estimated that 90% of colic cases are caused by worm infestation or damage from previous infestations. Worming horses on a regular basis will alleviate this problem.
Large Strongyles or Bloodworms
These parasites can affect horses of all ages. They are reddish-brown in color and can range from ½ to 2 inches long.
The good news about large strongyles is that, nearly all de-wormers attack them, making them much easier to control. However, if unprotected, horses can suffer sudden death from an infestation.
Large strongyles migrate through the blood vessels and will affect the liver, arteries, pancreas and intestinal walls.
Colic is one of the most common symptoms of large strongyles. Weight loss, loss of appetite and a dull coat are also good indicators.
Always check the label to make sure when worming horses, that your controlling all the possibilities.
Tapeworms
Are yellowish-green in color and are approximately 3 inches long. They can also be a cause of colic in horses.
These worms locate the opening in the colon and then migrate into the large and small intestines. There they sap the nutrients from feed which leads to decreased intestinal mobility. To make it worse, there are hardly any outward signs or symptoms of tapeworms.
Bots
Are the larvae of the bot fly and are bright yellow in appearance. They lay there eggs on the horse’s legs and coat. When the horse licks or bites at his legs, the bots are ingested.
Bots burrow into the tongue and mouth and cause irritation and inflammation. Eventually they work their way to the stomach causing the same symptoms there.
There they remain for 8 to 10 months until the larvae is excreted in manure. They burrow into the ground and emerge as adult bot flies. Worming horses can stop these critters before they have a chance to come out.
Bot eggs should be removed from your horse as soon as possible, to avoid infestation. You can use a bot knife to scrape off the eggs. This should be a regular part of your horse grooming when bot flies are active. Avoid scraping the bot eggs off in places where your horse eats or he could still ingest the bots that you scrape off.
Pinworms
Are brown or dark gray in color. Female pinworms are 3 to 6 inches long. Males are only about ½ long. They have a life-cycle of about five months.
Pinworms are more of an annoyance that a hazard. They travel through the digestive tract to the tail-head region. These little nuisances travel out of the anus and lay their eggs on the surrounding areas. This can cause intense tail irritation and tail rubbing. Tail rubbing, due to intense itching, can then lead to a secondary infection if allowed to continue.
A fecal test should be performed by your vet at least twice a year. This will determine what kind of horse worms you’re dealing with. It will also determine if your horse worming program is doing its job. You may have to re-evaluate your program for de-worming horses.
Types of Horse Wormers There are many different types of equine wormers. There are paste wormers, pelleted wormers, liquid wormer, daily wormer, etc. You just have to figure out which one is right for you and your horse.
Paste wormer is the most commonly used method of worming horses. However, they are developed to target different parasites, and will need to be rotated with other wormers to be effective.
For example, if you use Safe-guard as a regular wormer, you would need to also rotate it with something like Zimecterin Gold. Safe-guard is effective for some parasites, but not all. Zimecterin would cover the parasites that Safe-guard doesn’t.
This also keeps your horse from building up immunities to one certain product. If you use the same product everytime, the parasites will become immune to it. This is just an example, I’m not saying that’s what you should use.
The best place that I have found to buy Cheap Horse Wormers is Jeffers Equine. They have a large selection and are more affordable than most other places. Worming horses is very important and saving money is even more important.
Horse Worming Schedule
Always consult your vet and he will help you come up with a de-worming program suited specifically to your horse and the area in which you live.
A good schedule to follow when worming horses is to de-worm about every two months, year round. At least twice a year use a wormer that is effective against all worms and bots, such as Ivermectin.
Equine De-Worming Program Outline When To Dose Product (Chemical Name)
January 1: Broad Spectrum de-wormer such as fenbendazole (Panacur, Safe-Guard); oxibendazole (Anthelcide EQ)
March 1: Ivermectin 1.87% (Equell, Equimectrin, Eqvalen, Ivercare, Zimectrin), for general de-worming. April 15: Moxidectin plus praziquantel (Quest Plus or Combo Care), to treat encysted strongyles and tapeworms.
June 15: Either double dose pyrantel pamoate (Strongid, Strongyle Care) OR single dose praziquantel combination product with either ivermectin or moxidectin (Equimax, ComboCare, Quest Plus, Zimectrin Gold), to treat tapeworms.
August 15: Ivermectin 1.87% (Equell, Equimectrin, Eqvalen, Ivercare, Zimectrin) for bots; first dose.
October 15: Ivermectin 1.87% (Equell, Equimectrin, Eqvalen, Ivercare, Zimectrin) for bots; second dose.
November 25: Broad Spectrum de-wormer such as fenbendazole (Panacur, Safe-Guard); oxibendazole (Anthelcide EQ)
.
Voice For Horses Rescue Network
PO Box 566
Toledo, Ohio 43697-0566
(419) 247-0025
www.voiceforhorses@wmconnect.com
This site and it's content are Copyright Voice For Horses Rescue Network 1999-2011 All Rights Reserved, No picture can be reproduced or used without the express and written permission ofVFHRN. Any copy or reproducing of photographs will be considered copyright infringement
PO Box 566
Toledo, Ohio 43697-0566
(419) 247-0025
www.voiceforhorses@wmconnect.com
This site and it's content are Copyright Voice For Horses Rescue Network 1999-2011 All Rights Reserved, No picture can be reproduced or used without the express and written permission ofVFHRN. Any copy or reproducing of photographs will be considered copyright infringement
