For all of my clients that know me, I do love the topic of Equine Parasitology aka worms in horses.
I AM VERY WORRIED…. so, you should be too!
Last year at my seminars I discussed the concerns we have with our wormers and that they are no longer working the way they used. I advised all of my clients to be very careful when bringing new horses onto the property to ensure they do not bring a population of resistant worms.
Sadly, this season we have seen multiple horses with worms that are resistant to 2 different types of wormers, leaving us with minimal options going forwards.
A quick note: Resistance is NOT being seen in the way you would think. The wormers are reducing the egg output of the horse’s poo to zero. BUT not for long enough. The eggs are re-appearing much more quickly. This is an early warning sign.
What can you do?
PLEASE STOP WORMING unnecessarily.
A lot of out wormers are lasting 18-24 weeks before a positive egg count is seen. This means that horses may only need to be wormed twice a year, or even less if possible.
To all clients that worm at the change of the seasons or 3 times a year… PLEASE STOP. This could be very dangerous.
What do you need to do?
Get advice from myself or an Equine Vet that has an interest in horse worms.
The aim is to keep your paddocks clean by reducing egg output in the poo, and worm only when the egg count indicates it.
PLEASE make me happy and stop over worming.
Another DANGER:
Stop using any wormer that contains Ivermectin. If you want more information or to know why, get in touch.
READ the ingredients of your wormer: Cross out the word ‘Praziquantel’. And if there is only 1 more ingredient…. Do not buy it!!! Or throw it in the BIN!!
PLEASE let’s worm responsibly. We cannot turn back the clock.
I cannot name the wormers not to use, but if you go by my above advice, it will be easy to work this out yourself.
Thank you for helping save horses lives across NZ.