1 yr dewormer pack...good idea??

[jeezitsjacki]

I was looking through a horse catalog and saw that they have a 1 year dewormer package... 6 tubes.. here it is. Do you think it would be a good idea to buy ?

jan/feb: Oxibendazol or Fenbendazole (their choice anthelcide EQ or Safe Guard

march/april: Ivermectin/Praqiquantel paste (their choice Zimecterin Gold or Equimax

May/June: Generic Purchase Pyrantel Pamoate

July/Aug: Oxibendazol or Fenbendazole (same choice of Jan/Feb)

Sept Oct: Ivermectin/Praziquantel Paste (sale as March/April)

Nov/Dec: Generic Purchase Pyrantel Pamoate

the whole package is $40.00

[Ryle]

Not in my opinion.

Rather than just deworming by rote, the new recommendation is to deworm based upon risk factors in your particular situation and each individual horse's resistance to the parasites. Some horses need deworming more than other--much more.

Add to that the fact that fenbendazole has a very high incidence of problems with strongyles being resistant to it (more than 90% of areas tested had resistant parasites) and for an adult horse that deworming pack is using a most likely ineffective product twice a year. Then the pyrantel also has issues in about 40% of areas tested so you may even be using an ineffective product up to 4 times a year.

You really need to assess the situation by looking at your horse's environment, have a fecal egg count done on your horse after the spring weather starts and well after you last dewormed to see what kind of parasite load your horse normally carries and then work out a reasonable deworming program based upon those factors.

Go to www.thehorse.com (http://www.thehorse.com) and check out their webinar on strategic deworming.

[ImaBronsonBear]

I've used the 1 year pack, and it works well. Keeps me from buying dewormer every two months.:D

[Ryle]

ImaBronsonBear,
The question becomes, how do you know it worked well? Did you know your horse had parasites prior to deworming and did you do fecals after deworming to see if the product was effective. Because one of the big issues with using these routine deworming programs is that owners just dose the horse and assume that the product did something. Truthfully, you can't just look at the outside of a horse and know what kind of parasite load it's carrying--if you could then there wouldn't be any need for fecal testing. Many times this is not the case and the owners don't know until there is a huge problem.

[ImaBronsonBear]

It worked well, as in, i didn't have to remind myself every two months to go order dewormer, or buy it for $20 at the feed store.:D

So no, i have absolutely no idea what my horse's parasite load is, and whether the dewormers work or not. I also know that this is not the most effective way to worm a horse and that many of the deworming products out there are not nearly as effective as they once were. I am also aware that the best thing for my horse (and every horse) is to get the vet out and formulate a good deworming regimen. But i am also aware that i have decided that i will deworm every two months and trust to chance (if you will) on the rest. I've thought about this a lot (yes, i read that article in The Horse and get their e-newsletter every week), and i've decided that what i am doing right now is the best thing for me and my horses at this point in time.

[Ryle]

That's fine if that is what you've decided to do after educating yourself. I just wanted to clarify the point for the OP who hasn't done the research.

Just saying that it "works fine" gives the mistaken impression that you know it's working effectively to remove parasites in your horses. There is a big difference in "it's the easiest thing for me to do" and "it's a good way to minimize the parasite load in my horses".

;)

[luvs2ride1979]

Oxibendazol or Fenbendazol are not effective products in adult horses. There is a high rate of parasite resistance in most all of the USA and Canada. Pyrantel also shows resistance, but not as bad.

I use only Ivermectin, Moxidectin, and Pyrantel products. I use Pyrantel in a double dose or Tape Care Plus+ (which is a double dose in one tube). Exodus also makes a multi-dose Pyrantel tube.

Here's my deworming routine. It's worked well to keep my horses parasite free for the past 4 years. My gelding is prone to worms and it's kept him from showing any signs of infestation.

Jan 1: Ivermectin + Praziquantel
Mar 1: Pyrantel, double dose (Exodus Multi Dose or TapeCare+)
Apr 1: Moxidectin
July 1: Ivermectin
Sept 1: Pyrantel, double dose (Exodus Multi Dose or TapeCare+)
Oct 1: Moxidectin

[jeezitsjacki]

thanks luv, maybe I will try yours out. It sounds better than the package

[luvs2ride1979]

thanks luv, maybe I will try yours out. It sounds better than the package

No problem! I'm no vet or expert, but it works for my horses well ;).

Keeping your pasture managhed can help keep parasites down too. I keep maure spread as much as possible and picked up when I can. We're going to get some chickens soon, to help even more :cool:.

[Ryle]

Spreading manure is a bad idea unless it's been properly composted or you won't have horses on that pasture for at least a month during hot/dry weather and longer if the weather is mild. This is because you actually spread the larva around and minimize the effectiveness of horses' natural habit of not grazing near piles of feces which helps to keep them from picking up so many parasites.

Luvs deworming program is pretty sound for a horse that is at high risk of reinfection, but many horses don't need to be dewormed that often. Depending on your weather/seasons there are times of the year when you may be able to discontinue deworming or need to concentrate more on using really good products based upon the risk of reinfection rates at that time. Management considerations like picking up feces every couple of days, dry lot, stalling, feeding hay vs. pasture all will play a role in risk of reinfection and how often a horse needs to be dewormed.

The goal should be to minimize the parasite load in your horse while limiting the number of times you deworm a year to help reduce the risk/rate of developement of resistant parasites.

[WashingtonBay]

The risk of re-infection from larva poo also depends a lot on whether the herd making the droppings is stable and managed the same, doesn't it? The same pasture with the same horses is a lot lower risk than a boarding stable with horses on all kinds of schedules coming and going all the time. Since Jacki's horse is boarded with shared turnout, she's probably at a much higher risk than a horse who is kept at home or is alone with a stable group that is all equally managed.

[Ryle]

That depends on the horses in the pasture and the particular horse you are taking care of. Some horses have really high natural resistance to parasites and others don't. So even with minimal deworming some horses won't be shedding many parasite ova or carrying much of a load. The accepted idea is that 20% of horses carry 80% of the parasite load. So, it's still important not to just assume that your horse is going to need regular deworming but to take a bit of time/effort to run fecal egg counts occasionally (be sure to do them after the egg reappearance period for the last drug used is well past) to see if your horse is picking up a heavy parasite load.

[WashingtonBay]

I'm speaking of the larva availability in the pasture - spreading poo versus removing all of it. A stable herd that isn't changing is going to have a much more predictable and controllable rate of infecting the pastures than a constantly changing herd at a boarding stable.

[jeezitsjacki]

ben is boarded at a barn and he usually goes out alone but we just got a new horse and they seem to be becoming friends so he has gone out with him recently, we just got him last week. Also we dont have a specific pasture for each horse. we have 13 horses and not enough pastures so horses rotate pastures depending on the days. We usually have a group that goes outside in the mornings, then they come in, then another group goes out in the afternoon. I worm every other month because thats what I have been told to do. I have been only using Zimectrin Gold but I have recently learned you should rotate kinds of wormers... Ryle do you have a general worming schedule I could use?

[Ryle]

I'm speaking of the larva availability in the pasture - spreading poo versus removing all of it. A stable herd that isn't changing is going to have a much more predictable and controllable rate of infecting the pastures than a constantly changing herd at a boarding stable.

Predictable, yes if you've taken the time to KNOW what kind of resistance each horse in the pasture has.

[Ryle]

Ryle do you have a general worming schedule I could use?

Not really, you need to assess the risk factors for your situation:
How old is Ben?
How old are the other horses?
Are the other horses dewormed at all?
Are feces picked up out of the pastures every couple of days?

Have you done a fecal egg count on Ben at least 2 weeks after the egg reappearance period has passed from the last dewormer you used. Prefferably one in the spring when the weather is moderate and you will get a good idea of what kind of parasite load he carries even in the heaviest reinfection times. Knowing whether or not he's one of those horses that is highly resistant to parasites or not is really important so that you know if he's one that you have to deworm more frequently or not to keep his parasite load down.

[jeezitsjacki]

Not really, you need to assess the risk factors for your situation:
How old is Ben?
How old are the other horses?
Are the other horses dewormed at all?
Are feces picked up out of the pastures every couple of days?

Have you done a fecal egg count on Ben at least 2 weeks after the egg reappearance period has passed from the last dewormer you used. Prefferably one in the spring when the weather is moderate and you will get a good idea of what kind of parasite load he carries even in the heaviest reinfection times. Knowing whether or not he's one of those horses that is highly resistant to parasites or not is really important so that you know if he's one that you have to deworm more frequently or not to keep his parasite load down.

Ben is 8, the other horses range from 8 to 25 ish. Yes the other horses are dewormed at the pastures that he is in are picked regularly. The back pasture isnt but it is huge and we dont use it in the winter. I havent done a fecal egg count, but I will be soon hopefully

[Ryle]

If pastures are picked every 2-3 days, you can likely get by with deworming spring and fall with ivermectin/praziquantel or moxidectin/praziquantel and doing fecal egg counts once or twice in between to see if you need to do any more than that. Picking feces out of pastures that often GREATLY reduces the reinfection rates.

[jeezitsjacki]

thanks for all the help ryle, I will stick to that