By Dr. Julie Cornell-White
Cause damage without owner knowing
Internal parasites can:
Lower horse’s resistance to infection
Rob horse of nutrients
Permanently damage internal organs
Types of parasites and affects on horses
Signs of Parasitism
Different deworming
programs
Various deworming
products
Proper pasture management
Most Common:
Large Strongyle
(Bloodworm/redworm)
Small Strongyle
Ascarids
(roundworms)
Tapeworms
Lungworms
Pinworms
Threadworms
Dull, rough coat
Decreased stamina, lethargy or depression
Unthriftiness
or loss of condition
Slowed growth in young horses
Pot Belly
Colic
Diarrhea
Larvae penetrate lining of bowel and migrate along blood vessels that supply intestines
Unthriftiness
Weight loss
Poor growth in your horses
Anemia
Colic
They can be controlled using macrocyclic lactones and related dewormers
Larvae burrow into the lining of the intestines where they are encysted for several months
When encysted, most dewormers
do not affect the larvae
Severe damage to lining of intestines
Colic and diarrhea
Weight
Slow growth in young horses
Poor coat condition
Lethargy
Use dewormers
with Moxidectin
and Fenbendazole
Especially problematic in young horses
Becoming resistant
Colic-impaction of intestines
Coughing
Poor body condition and growth
Rough hair coat
Pot belly
Can cause colic ranging from mild cramping to a severe episode
Tiny mite acts as an intermediate host that is ingested by the horse
Infestation usually occurs where small intestine enters cecum
Worm horse 1-2 times per year with a dewormer
containing Praziquantel
or Pyrantel
Cause chronic coughing
Donkeys are natural host
Lay eggs on skin around horse’s anus
Causes horse to rub tail
Larvae of botfly enter mouth when horse lick’s eggs
Cause ulcerations in mouth
Cause damage to lining of stomach where they attach
Mostly problematic in young foals
Cause diarrhea
FECs
help determine:
Drugs to use
Which horses require less and more deworming
Length of time between dewormings
The effectiveness of your deworming
program
Negative results DOES NOT MEAN your horse is free of internal parasites
Larvae are undetectable with FEC
Use broad-spectrum dewormer
as basis of program
No dewormer
is 100% effective, but eliminating majority of parasites will:
Improve health
Minimize risk of serious disease
Improve feed efficiency
Reduce pasture contamination
Two basic types if deworming
programs:
Continuous-feeding daily wormer year-round
Strategic or rotational-deworming
only at certain times of the year, or when FECs
rise
http://www.saratogaequine.com/vaccination deworming.php
Type of horse
# of horses on farm
Ages of horses
Pasture management
Geographic location
Don’t overcrowd pasture-causes overgrazing and contamination
Dispose of manure regularly
Don’t spread manure on grazing pastures
Mow and harrow field regularly
Don’t feed on ground
Remove bot
eggs from horse’s hair coat