Horse died after wormer

[Country Girl 43]

One of our local members just lost her rescure mare this week after worming her. The vet suspected that the worm medication had to do with the event.

Now....this horse had been rescued from a very neglectful place. the mare was pretty much on her death bed. But the gal brought her home and started FEEDING her and caring for the mare. She was gaining weight and spirit. That little mare was a fighter.

I am sure there were other things from long term neglect that contributed to the death of the horse, but, it was the wormer that finally took her away.

This is what the horse looked liked when she rescued her...

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk85/ARSPSBEC/spicefirstdayaway3.jpg

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk85/ARSPSBEC/spicefirstdayaway.jpg

This is what she looked like last month...

http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk85/ARSPSBEC/Spice1123109.jpg

[alittleoffkey]

Wow, they did great with her.

Does the vet think it was an extremely large worm load? What kind was it?

[jeezitsjacki]

wow they did amazing with her... I am very sorry for this

[JackieB]

Poor sweet horse. I'll look forward to meeting her at the Rainbow Bridge. Her suffering is over.

I have heard that a horse with an extremely large parasite load can be harmed by worming. Ryle could explain it to us.

[Cat]

I'm so sorry that she passed away. She looked to be doing so well.

This is one of the things my vet suspects might of caused Dante's colic that lead to his death. How he explained it is if they have a large worm load (Dante was a BLM mustang) and they get wormed that a large group of worms die-off and then causes blockage. Usually not a concern with our horses that get wormed regularly because they don't get that many worms built up in their system between wormings.

There can also be a chance at a reaction or side-effect due to a wore down systems I am sure. Or it could have been anurysim (sp?) or heart issues due to her previous condition.

How good of them to give her a chance.

[Steelhorserider]

That poor woman...to lose a rescue horse after she had made such progress....tragic.

[vicklynn]

That is sad. Im sorry that she died. Im sure it wasnt the wormer, but the effects of the dead worms causing blockage. I say, if the previous owners had taken care of her, she would of never been in a position to die.
Sure was looking so much better.
((HUGS)) for your friend, and you for being so close to this issue.

[luvs2ride1979]

Deworming rescues can be tricky. If they have a heavy worm load, the mass die off can cause impaction colic. It's always best to start with one of the less effective dewormers (like fenbendazole), and give half doses once a week for four weeks, then a full dose of something slightly more effective, like Pyrantel Promate. Wait 4-6 weeks, then give Ivermectin. This is the routine that a friend of mine uses on severely emaciated rescues she gets in, and she hasn't lost one to impaction colic in 10 years!

One vet I talked to recommended using a daily dewormer at a half dose for 2 months before giving a paste dewormer.

She was looking good in that last photo! It's a shame to have lost her. My sympathies.

[FatSpottedAppy]

That is too sad.. It looks like she was coming along nicely, too.

[oursarge]

So sad, she was looking great. It's heartbreaking. A friend of mine does the worming slowly too, I forget what she does but she said it's so it's not to have all the worms die at once.

[ImaBronsonBear]

That is so, so sad. I'm sorry.:( But i've also heard what everyone else is saying about a large worm load and that their mass die-off can lead to colic.

[Gypsy Rose]

I'm so sorry! I've also heard about large worm loads being a problem if they die off too quickly from deworming.

[ProvenPaint]

Wow. I'm so sorry to hear this - looks like allot of progress was being made.

But I do thank you for posting this - I learned something quite valuable today!

[mustangluver]

O geesh so sad!!
I am in this boat right now with the horse I took in. She is FULL of tape and round worms. We are on a vet recommendation, but he is telling me this will make or break her. It is sooooooooo scary!

[HaveFaith]

That is awful. She was looking good and the lady looked so proud of her. I hate it. Hubby just told me yesterday that a man we know lost a yearling right after he wormed her. Hubby tried to buy her a couple of months ago but she was skinny and he wanted a fortune for her. He had surgery and wasn't able to take care of them right. I didn't understand why until I read this. Thanks for the info, and sooo sorry again.

[dustys_girlly]

every time you get a new horse i always recommend doing a worming over time. i have had a lot of people come in to work and have no idea that giving a wormy horse a full dose of good wormer can kill them. its not the wormer but the blockage that is cause but the dead worms. I'm sorry to that happened to your friend.

[Country Girl 43]

Wow! I am really glad I posted this! Lot's of good info about wormers.

This poor little horse was an inspiration on our local forum. She was originally purchased at auction by another woman who in turn did not do right by this poor mare. Everyone suggested getting the horses teeth floated and she refused. When this mare was purchased at auction she was in better shape then in the first to pictures. The woman that originally bought this mare, almost killed her. That is when the new owner stepped up and offered to TAKE the mare and give it the proper medical things it needed as well as food and water.

We all watched as this little mare kept putting on weight and getting spunky. She was a fighter till the end. She was a sweet thing.

[YAorNEIGH]

That's a real shame...Did she colic or..what happened? Often, if you deworm and kill off a large amount of them all at once, it can lead to an impaction.

She looks like she was a real sweetheart. May she rest peacefully.

[Ryle]

Blockages are not really a huge concern except in very young horses where a high load of ascarids is possible. Ascarids are very very large worms so can end up leading to a blockage much more easily than strongyles or tapeworms. In adult horses there is generally a resistance to ascarids so the risk of having a blockage caused by GI parasites after deworming isn't very big.

I'm really sorry to hear about the loss of this mare.

[cloedoll]

That's just horrible. She looked so much happier and healthy, too. :( RIP.

[Tiz]

Before anyone leaves with idea that wormers are dangerous, can you say why the vet said worming her killed her?