When it number to keep your farm sawbuck goodly or parasite - free , the answer no longer come from a uncomplicated rung of deworming medication or , for that thing , a regular deworming rotary motion agenda .
“ We know that not all horses carry parasite burdens large enough to be of clinical concern . We know that repeated use of anthelmintic [ broad - spectrum dewormers ] causes selection for ohmic resistance . And we be intimate that parasites are not transmitted yr - round , ” say Bob Storey , science laboratory manager at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine ’s Department of Infectious Diseases . “ So , with all that we do know , we should be use a handling and bar regime that is found on need rather than the calendar or custom . ”
To keep your gymnastic horse parasite - free , work with your livestock or equine veterinary surgeon to determine the treatment method acting that will work best in your region , on your farm and with your buck . Before you go into that get together , make certain you have all the information you ask .
What parasites affect my horse?Some leech that affect your horse look on the area of the rural area where your farm is located . Parasites include nematodes , arthropods and cestode . To check what variety of parasites infect your sawhorse , do a fecal egg enumeration reduction test ( FECRT ) .
However , some leech in your horse are n’t movement for vexation . Your veterinary surgeon can explain which unity and why .
“ The most pathogenic parasites , that is the ones capable of causing the most harm including potential death of the Equus caballus , are rarified now in herd that have been dewormed quite often , ” says Gene Lyons , a parasitologist at the University of Kentucky ’s Equine Research Center . “ The remaining strongyles — the small strongyles that are found in almost all horses — can from time to time cause clinical problems , but usually they do n’t raise discernible negatively charged effects . ”
What deworming medications are uncommitted to treat my horse?The main categories of medicine usable in the U.S. to treat parasite are benzimidazoles and pyrimidine , which treat nematode worm ; macrocyclic lactones , which handle nematodes and arthropods ; and prazinoisoquinolines , which treat tapeworm .
“ Years ago , when there were so many more classes of anthelmintics , and effective ones , on the food market , they could be dependent on providing splendid control of sponger , ” Lyons says . “ Now with such few compounds … selective usage of them is imperative . ”
When is my sawbuck most at jeopardy for getting parasites?Seasons impact the parasites are infecting your Equus caballus . pocket-size redworms , a type of nemopod , for example , are conduct between late gloaming and early spring in the South , while in the North , they are transmitted between late spring and other spill , Storey says .
Strongyle insect larvae also balk cold and freeze - thaw bike , says Mary Rossano , Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Kentucky .
Is my current deworming treatment working?If you mark your horse prove symptoms of parasite plague , such as a poor coating and weight passing , work with your veterinarian to figure out if it is a problem with your leech - mastery regimen or due to an illness . Parasitologists apprise that you regularly do a FECRT on your ruck , and ask for the results of the nut count in Gram .
“ In a dead goodly , well - cared - for chemical group of sawbuck , you will have a distribution where approximately one - third of the horses will be shed the most egg , ” Storey suppose . After do the faecal egg tally on each horse over a stop of about six month , you could decide which horses are low , medium and high shedders .
If you think your dewormer is n’t working properly , perform the mental testing , put through your parasite treatment , then execute the test 10 to 14 days later to equate outcome .
“ If the dewormer that you used is good , the post - treatment number will be less than the pre - treatment number by at least 95 percent , ” Storey say . “ If not , then your dewormer is not amply in effect against your universe of parasites . ”
What are my other options to verify parasites?Figuring out the expert method to keep your knight sponger - free can be a challenge . Rossano tender other techniques you could implement on your farm to determine the spread of parasite .
One option is pasture - dragging to break up manure pile where parasites domiciliate . Do this in the hottest part of the summer , Rossano says , when parasite cash in one’s chips the fastest . Do n’t drop back pastures and disperse out the manure during other meter of the year — that will only spread the sponger to other parts of the field . Keep the horses off pasturage for one to two weeks after doing this .
you’re able to also follow up eatage rotations , if your farm is large enough to do so . verify younger horses follow the older ones in the rotation , because younger are more at risk for catching parasites and older horses shed less bollock . Or substitute horses with other farm animal on a eatage .
Finally , get rid of manure from horses stable , and if executable , the pasture , and compost it in a fashion that is hot enough to kill the parasites .
“ hit manure from forage has been shown to be at least as effective as chemical substance deworming for controlling strongyles , ” Rossano says .
