Equine Worming Programme 2010.
Recommended Equine Worming Programme 2010.
We recommend strategic worming so that your horse is only treated with worming medication if he really needs it. With this plan, some horses may only need worming once per year. If you prefer not to have a worm egg count or tapeworm blood test carried out, you should treat your horse as if he has a positive test and give him the wormer recommended on this plan. Some horses kept in a very low risk situation (such as horses kept on their own or with one other which has had negative worm egg counts previously) may not require worm egg counts as often. Please call us for specific advice. This programme is intended as a guide only and will not suit every horse in every situation, so please contact us if you have any queries.
FEB/MARCH Single dose Equest or Equest Pramox.
Test for Tapeworms - Use Equest Pramox rather than straight Equest if positive.
If <150epg no need to worm
If >150epg use Vectin or another Ivermectin wormer.
NOVEMBER All horses should receive Equest Pramox. (Except pregnant/lactating mares or foals under 7months)
Use Equimax for foals over 3months and pregnant/lactating mares.
Further Advice on Worming.
Correct Dosing.
The correct dose of wormer should be given for the weight of your horse. The weight can be estimated using a weighband around the girth. As a rough guide, a 12.2hh Welsh Pony will weigh 250-275kg and a 15.2hh middleweight hunter around 500-600kg. Wormer Syringes contain enough to treat a 575kg-700kg horse depending upon the brand, and a sachet enough for a 300kg pony. Tablets usually are 1 tablet/100-110kg. Most wormers are safe, so in general it is better to slightly overdose than to underdose, but take care with foals and small ponies. (Especially Equest and Equest Pramox)
Worm Egg Counts.
These are used to find out if your horse is infected with worms or not. Collect a small sample (2g) of fresh faeces in a clean sealable pot, label it with your horse's name, age and date of last worming, and bring it in to us. Worm egg counts are done by the local laboratory and are £12.00 incl VAT. (Jan 2010) Results are given in epg. (Eggs per gram of faeces.)
Tapeworm Blood Tests.
We recommend a blood sample at least once per year to test the level of antibodies in your horse to tapeworms. Tapeworms are not detected by a normal faecal worm egg count, and have been proven to be associated with some colics. This is ideally done in March, but could coincide with your horse's annual health check and vaccination if you prefer.
Foals and Pregnant Mares.
Equest Pramox must not be given to foals less than 7 months old or to pregnant/lactating mares. Equest should not be given to foals less than 5 months old. Foals are more prone to worm infestation than adult horses. We usually recommend giving them Strongid -P every 6 weeks from 3 months of age, but this may not be suitable for every foal, so please call us for specific advice, particularly if you see worms in the droppings.
New Horses.
We recommend any new horses with an uncertain worming history are wormed with Panacur Guard 5 day wormer and then Equest Pramox on the 6th day before being introduced to the pasture. This should clear them of all types of worms and is gentler on the intestines than using a combined wormer. Having a worm egg count and tapeworm blood test carried out will also let you know the horse's current worm status.
We recommend strategic worming so that your horse is only treated with worming medication if he really needs it. With this plan, some horses may only need worming once per year. If you prefer not to have a worm egg count or tapeworm blood test carried out, you should treat your horse as if he has a positive test and give him the wormer recommended on this plan. Some horses kept in a very low risk situation (such as horses kept on their own or with one other which has had negative worm egg counts previously) may not require worm egg counts as often. Please call us for specific advice. This programme is intended as a guide only and will not suit every horse in every situation, so please contact us if you have any queries.
FEB/MARCH Single dose Equest or Equest Pramox.
Test for Tapeworms - Use Equest Pramox rather than straight Equest if positive.
MAY Worm egg count end of May.
If <150epg (eggs per gram of faeces) no need to worm
If >150epg use Equest
If <150epg no need to worm
If >150epg use Vectin or another Ivermectin wormer.
NOVEMBER All horses should receive Equest Pramox. (Except pregnant/lactating mares or foals under 7months)
Use Equimax for foals over 3months and pregnant/lactating mares.
Further Advice on Worming.
Correct Dosing.
The correct dose of wormer should be given for the weight of your horse. The weight can be estimated using a weighband around the girth. As a rough guide, a 12.2hh Welsh Pony will weigh 250-275kg and a 15.2hh middleweight hunter around 500-600kg. Wormer Syringes contain enough to treat a 575kg-700kg horse depending upon the brand, and a sachet enough for a 300kg pony. Tablets usually are 1 tablet/100-110kg. Most wormers are safe, so in general it is better to slightly overdose than to underdose, but take care with foals and small ponies. (Especially Equest and Equest Pramox)
Worm Egg Counts.
These are used to find out if your horse is infected with worms or not. Collect a small sample (2g) of fresh faeces in a clean sealable pot, label it with your horse's name, age and date of last worming, and bring it in to us. Worm egg counts are done by the local laboratory and are £12.00 incl VAT. (Jan 2010) Results are given in epg. (Eggs per gram of faeces.)
Tapeworm Blood Tests.
We recommend a blood sample at least once per year to test the level of antibodies in your horse to tapeworms. Tapeworms are not detected by a normal faecal worm egg count, and have been proven to be associated with some colics. This is ideally done in March, but could coincide with your horse's annual health check and vaccination if you prefer.
Foals and Pregnant Mares.
Equest Pramox must not be given to foals less than 7 months old or to pregnant/lactating mares. Equest should not be given to foals less than 5 months old. Foals are more prone to worm infestation than adult horses. We usually recommend giving them Strongid -P every 6 weeks from 3 months of age, but this may not be suitable for every foal, so please call us for specific advice, particularly if you see worms in the droppings.
New Horses.
We recommend any new horses with an uncertain worming history are wormed with Panacur Guard 5 day wormer and then Equest Pramox on the 6th day before being introduced to the pasture. This should clear them of all types of worms and is gentler on the intestines than using a combined wormer. Having a worm egg count and tapeworm blood test carried out will also let you know the horse's current worm status.