Horse Dewormers

HORSE DEWORMERS

 

Spring is a great time to deworm your horse.  We offer lots of choices in dewormers here at Hawkeye Tack & Western Wear. 

 

We all know that controlling parasites through appropriate deworming is the major part of your parasite management program.  Bots, pinworms, small strongyles, round worms and tape worms pose the greatest risk to horses. 

 

Parasite Review

 

There has been a reduction in large strongyles, also called bloodworms or redworms due to the wide spread use of deworming products.  They can be seen occasionally in horses that are not being dewormed, so it is important to consider them.  Large strongyles penetrate the bowel lining and travel through the intestine’s blood vessels.  In large numbers they can cause extensive damage.  Ivermectin products effectively control them.

 

Small strongyles burrow into the intestinal lining and remain dormant, or encysted for several months.  Left unchecked, small stongyles can cause severe damage to the intestinal lining.  In the encysted stage they are resistant to most dewormers, particularly benzimidazol, but are susceptible in early and late larval stages.  Products containing fenbendazole and moxidectin are the only ones effective against encysted small stongyles.

 

Roundworms or ascarids, are most often a problem in young horses.  They migrate into the lungs where they are coughed up, swallowed and complete their life cycle.  In large numbers, they can block the intestines.  To decrease a foals exposure to roundworms you should deworm pregnant mares 30 days before foaling or right at foaling.

 

Tapeworms are most common in horses with access to pasture.  They settle in the ilocecal junction, which is where the small intestine, cecum and colon meet.  A product that contains praziquantel is effective against tapeworms, and is recommended that it be used annually.

 

How Parasites Get Into Your Horse

 

Horses are infected with parasites in a number of ways, depending on the parasite’s lifecycle.

 

Basic Parasite Lifecycle

 

Many types of equine parasites live in manure in the grass and are eaten as the horse grazes.  Once these parasites enter the horse’s system, they migrate, mature and lay eggs.  A new generation of parasite eggs and larvae leaves the horse in manure, then waits in the grass to be ingested again.

 

 

 

Indirect Lifecycle

 

Parasites with indirect lifecycles depend on another organism to get into the horse.  For example, tapeworm eggs develop in the oribatid grass mite and enter the horse when infected mites in the grass are ingested.

 

Bot Fly Lifecycle

 

Bots aren’t worms, they’re flies.  Adult female bot flies lay eggs on the horse’s legs, shoulder, chin, throat and lips.  The eggs hatch and bot larvae enter the horse when licked or by burrowing under the horse’s skin to the mouth.

 

Signs of parasites

 

It may come as a surprise to many that horses can have a dangerously high parasite load and still look relatively healthy.  However some horses (especially young ones) will show visible signs such as:

·                    dull rough haircoat

·                    lethargy or depression

·                    decreased stamina

·                    slowed growth in young horses

·                    pot belly (especially in young horses)

·                    colic

·                    diarrhea

 

 

Parasite Prevalence

 

Parasite resistance is a concern for all domestic animals and should be monitored.  One way to determine the type and level of infection is through a fecal egg count done by your veterinarian.  The McMaster’s fecal egg per gram test is recommended over the regular fecal floats, which may be inaccurate.  It is important to note that a negative count doesn’t mean the horse is parasite free.  Some parasites produce eggs intermittently, larvae don’t produce eggs at all and tapeworm eggs are particularly difficult to find in horse manure.

 

Proper Deworming Program

 

Ask us to help you design a deworming program to meet your needs.  The interval you deworm depends on such factors as the number of horses, pasture management, weather conditions and types of dewromers used.  Typically a broad spectrum dewormers works well unless a specific problem is determined, and then that one should be targeted.  Using ivermectin, moxidectin and paziquantel twice a year will take care of those.

 

At present the three main chemical classes of deworming products are pyrantel, benziminidazol and ivermectin.  There is a relatively new group of products that combine ivermectin and praziquantel.  They provide safe, broad spectrum control for tapeworms through us of praziquantel, as well as parasites such as ascarids, bots, lung worms, pinworms, intestinal threadworms, small strongyles and large strongyles through the use of ivermectin.

 

By proper timing and rotating your dewormers, as well as proper management you should be able to keep those nasty parasites at bay.

 

Classes of Dewormers

 

Pyrantels

 

Stongid Paste (Pyrantel Pamoate)

Tape Care Plus (Pryantel Pamoate)

 

Benzimidazoles

 

Anthelcide (Oxibendazole)

Panacur (Fendendazole)

Safe-Guard (Fendendazole)

 

Macrocyclic Lactones

 

IverCare (Ivermectin)

Quest Gel (Moxidectin)

Zimecterin (Ivermectin)

Iver Ease (Ivermectin)

 

Combined Macrocyclic Lactones

 

Combo Care (Ivermectin/praziquantel)

Equimax (Ivermectin/praziquantel)

Zimecterin Gold (Ivermectin/praziquantel)

 

Let one of the knowledgeable associates at Hawkeye Tack & Western Wear answer any questions you may have on horse parasites and deworming your horse.

 

Hawkeye Tack & Western Wear

720 E. 30^th Street – Des Moines, IA 50317

800-310-8225   or  515-264-1622

or visit us online at www.hawkeyetack.com