Worming question.

ElaineW · Worming question.

Hey Everyone.
I wanted to pick your brains a little bit. Okay,here's the deal.
At the first of March I wormed Jet with Ivermectin (spelling) I buy the yearly rotation.
When I wormed him some of the wormer got spit out. I was not concerned at the time.
Now it's spring, the coats are coming off, grass is starting to grow and Jet is loseing weight!
He's eating free choice hay , but he's not really eating hay, he's grubbing around for grass, 6 pounds of equine senior a day, with added flax.

I had a friend pose a question of worms,, it's possible I said. She works at the co'op and said she's heard of a few horses that has done this. Not that it's gonna take the place of the vet mind you. But maybe I need to worm with something else. Jet's condition is not bad, just lean. Can't see ribs, but can feel them. That sorta deal.

Should I reworm with Ivermectin? Or is there something else you suggest.

Thank you all in advance for your thoughts!

amira

Have you used either Quest Plus or Zimectrin Gold to hit the tapeworms? Just a thought, I rotate between Ivermectin (generic) and one of the above, 4 times a year is plenty where I am and for my herd.

Hooves crossed for a good outcome for Jet

PasoBaby_CarolU

I agree. I'd follow up with Zimectrin Gold and get everything. Also, have the vet check his teeth.

ElaineW

Thanks for your replies!!

Carol.. I just had his teeth done about 6 months ago ,,
I will pick him up that wormer tomorrow and give it a go!

imagele

ElaineW

jackspark

Had the same problem last year with Shaun and I followed the Ivermectin with the Z Gold and put my mind at rest over the tapeworm idea. My dog had a bad case of tapeworms and made me question all farm family including me! Don't ask, that's between my doc and me

LaPrincipessa

If you want to check him for worms, have your vet do a fecal on him. It's the only way to know if worms are really the problem. This won't indicate tapeworms but will let you know if your horse has a worm problem.

I'm learning a lot from a new boarder about the importance of deworming and monitoring the entire herd.

Did you know that 20% of your horses probably shed 80% of the eggs?

Did you know some horses have a higher natural resistance to parasites and do not need to be dewormed as often?

Did you know administering a sub-lethal (to the parasites) dose actually contributes to breeding anthelmintic-resistant worms?

Did you know that deworming when populations are naturally low (hot summer for the south; cold winter for the north) further selects for the super-parasites?

Did you know that short rotation with ineffective dewormers furhter contributes to resistant parasites because it kills the weak or non-resistant ones but may fail to impact the hardier worms?

Did you know that closed herds are at higher risk for breeding populations of super-worms?

I'm completely revamping my approach to Cricket's deworming based on the articles, studies and information my new friend has provided.

You're best friend in creating your deworming program is your vet and fecal egg counts (FEC). Remember, there are only 3 classes of dewormers (pyrantels, fenbedazoles and ivermectins). Research for new classes is not a priority. Many parasites are already showing heavy resistance to the first two classes.

Just passing along some stuff I didn't know . . .

whisperingwindfarms

I agree with everything in Lisa's post. The issue may not have anything to do with worms. It pays to be cautious and not just pull out another chemical when we don't really know what the issue is.

I've posted this here before but last year, I did 4 sets of fecals over the season. 2 horses were consistently clean and 2 were consistently loaded. That tells me that some horses are just "cleaner" in their systems no matter what the routine may be.

Treatment based on diagnosis is always better than treatment based on speculation.

Just my $.02 . . .

LaPrincipessa

Another thing to note, a FECRT (fecal egg count reduction test) is the *ONLY* way to know if you dewormer had any real impact on your horse's worm load.

A FECRT is simply a floatation test performed just before deworming and another floatation test performed 2-3 weeks following deworming. The numbers are compared and you have an idea of the efficacy of your chosen dewormer.

Note - you need to wait at least 2, but preferrably 3, weeks before the second test. Testing too soon can give you a "false positive." Worms simply "stunned" by the dewormer will cease egg production for a time and you need to wait to see if they are actually dead.

I do my own fecals - it's not hard and it's not terribly expensive (especially if you have a few friends to share the cost of the microscope and a convenient location to keep it). They are not scientific but I can identify strongyle eggs and I can tell if my horse is loaded or not. It's been fascinating to see just what does work and what doesn't.

PasoBaby_CarolU

Tapeworms don't show up on the Fecal Egg Count. I'd do Zimmectrin Gold or Quest once a year, regardless.