Deworming problem

[miniaturehorselover]

So i de-wormed my mini mare yesterday as she was getting wormy.. i realized this morning there was a bunch of dead worms in her poop is this good or bad? I gave her 130 kg and a bit went on the ground and on her face... will it still work? thanks

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I usually think that if there are a large(ish) number of worms in the droppings after treatment it means the horse was carrying a heavy worm burden and should be wormed a bit more often or some other change to their living conditions should be made (keeping the droppings picked from their pens/stalls or rotating their pasture) The worms you see are the ones that the medication has killed off. I would suggest doing her again in 2 - 4 weeks to be sure you have gotten rid of those that will now mature.

 

[horsenut50]

How often do you deworm and what do you deworm with? It sounds like your horse has a heavy worm load. When deworming a horse that hasn't been dewormed in a long while or has a heavy burden you have to be careful in not killing off the worms too fast or risk colic and/or impaction. You start off with a mild dewormer like Panacur then deworm two weeks later with Ivermectin. After that you should be deworming about every 8 weeks since you have such a heavy infestation. Along with this program I would be picking up stalls and pastures of manure and disposing away from the horses every day. That would help in keeping worm population under control to keep your horse healthy.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Wormers do not kill worms. It is a neurotoxin that causes the parasite to release its hold and then it is expelled. It dies after it is expelled. A wormer works by giving enough toxin to kill the parasite and not harm the host. I would wait two weeks before another dose. Use a different kind the second time.

Did you see the red strongyles? White round worms? Bots?

Consult your vet about how often/what type of wormer to use.

Not sure what you mean by she "was getting wormy"...

One tell-tale sign of an infestation of parasites is the coat hairs will have a hook on the end.

Kudos to you for being alert to her health.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Wormers do not kill worms. It is a neurotoxin that causes the parasite to release its hold and then it is expelled. It dies after it is expelled.

Most of us just accept that we are 'killing' the worms with the medication since giving it will result in their death.

 

[Carolyn R]

Knowing the kind of worms that were expelled helps also. Like roundworms, when found, are usually found in horses under two or with compromised systems (be it age, illness, poor body condition), roundworms are persistent! Other worms may die off easier and be less likely to have a resistant stronghold in a healthy horse. I would be inclined to do a panacure power pack once you have a really cold spell.

Wormers like zimectrin gold work on tapes, while others have little to no effect on them. It is important to know what type of worms are present in the feces. I would glove up and examine that manure.

My biggest piece of advice, others may roll their eyes, but I would make sure your horse is very well hydrated, would even go as far as soaking hay/ grain and giving probiotics and adding some oil to keep her lubed. It never hurts to be proactive when trying to head off potential problems, ESP secondary issues that may arise when a horse feels off due to parasites (more typically they feel off due to the parasites dying off). Extra water incorperated into the diet never hurts!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Why did you think she was "wormy" in the first place? How often do you deworm? What with? What did you use this time?

 

[miniaturehorselover]

Hi sorry for the late reply.. i use invermectin at this time of year.. considering its fall. Normally i de-worm twise a year (vet told me to) spring and fall witch does the trick..i clean her stall daily and she gets plenty of water... also what i mean by getting wormy i mean shes getting thin on her sides yet she eats 2 flakes of hay a day..she rubs her bum on the fence witch drives me nuts.. so far the de-wormer seemed to have worked

i will keep a eye out if she is worsening

 

[Marsha Cassada]

If she is not getting enough protein her sides will be thin and her backbone will stick up. Hay does not have enough protein. I'm not even sure 2 flakes of hay is enough, unless she has grazing time. Does she get excercise? I would give her alfalfa, either fresh or in pellets if you can't get fresh. Does she have a mineral block? Not just salt, but minerals.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

De worming must be carried out every eight weeks throughout the year- this is how long most chemicals stay in the system, after which time the horse starts to be re-infested. At this time of year you also need to add a tape worm killer (praziquantel) and I also do the Guard (fenbendazole) five day ( as well as, not instead of, Ivermectin) to get the encysted small strongyles - which is most probably what you are seeing emerge now. I am afraid the days of worming twice a year are long behind us! I am a great believer in a worm count but you do have to remember that tapeworms and encysteds do not show up on a worm count.

 

[Max's Mom]

De worming must be carried out every eight weeks throughout the year- this is how long most chemicals stay in the system, after which time the horse starts to be re-infested. At this time of year you also need to add a tape worm killer (praziquantel) and I also do the Guard (fenbendazole) five day ( as well as, not instead of, Ivermectin) to get the encysted small strongyles - which is most probably what you are seeing emerge now. I am afraid the days of worming twice a year are long behind us! I am a great believer in a worm count but you do have to remember that tapeworms and encysteds do not show up on a worm count.

This actually isn't the case here in the US. Many vets are urging people to stop the 8 week deworming routine because of the concern about parasites developing resistance. Equus did a cover story on this earlier this year. My vet has all of his clients testing fecal samples twice a year and worming according to the results, while also taking into consideration physical condition, exposure to other horses, etc. He has us worm twice a year as long as the fecal results are negative.

 

[miniaturehorselover]

My vet told me shes extremely healthy just the way she is..i didnt say her backbone where sticking out i just said i can feel her ribs.. both my trainer and vet recommended i give her two flakes a day.. even that is enough as she is tiny.. she gets exercise and yes she does have salt and mineral blocks... i trick train her so when she does get exercised she gets treats witch makes her fat.. last summer she was way over weight so im following what my vet told me.. he highly warned me no pellets or grain he said only deworm her spring and fall and gave me a deworming cheat so im just fallowing what he told me..

 

[happy appy]

My vet only has be deworming after fecals are done. She checks them twice a year. we always deworm for bots in the late fall. Usually end November. Do you have a current picture of the mini?

 

[rabbitsfizz]

This actually isn't the case here in the US. Many vets are urging people to stop the 8 week deworming routine because of the concern about parasites developing resistance. Equus did a cover story on this earlier this year. My vet has all of his clients testing fecal samples twice a year and worming according to the results, while also taking into consideration physical condition, exposure to other horses, etc. He has us worm twice a year as long as the fecal results are negative.

That may well be the case but you, therefore, need a blood test twice a year to see if the animals has encysteds and tapeworms. The chemicals still only last eight weeks, and under worming can be as disastrous as over worming. There is no such thing, btw, as a negative faecal test, only one that shows worms are within acceptable parameters- that is why I prefer to do them myself (obviously a lab still processes them). I have read all the latest on worming and resistance and I am happy that the dangers caused by resistance are actually much less than the dangers caused by lack of worming. There is NO way to tell from the outside if a horse is wormy or not, sorry, there are a few signs of worms that are obvious but most are not.

ETA- sorry, I have just been reminded that a blood test does not show up encysteds- I knew that!!- nothing does- although in my case forty years ago I did find out the hard way with an autopsy....

 

[miniaturehorselover]

i dont have a recent picture of her but anyways maybe in canada its different everyone in my region uses the same vet and only deworm twise a year

 

[miniaturehorselover]

and she got a blood test shots and vaccines 3 weeks ago

vet said she was healthy and just needed to be wormed

 

[Carolyn R]

Jane is right, certain worms in certain stages will not show on a fecal. I still go by once a month on foals and young horses

and every 8 weeks on the others.

 

[AnnaC]

What made your vet say that she needed worming? Did he 'feel' her for himself or was he just looking at her? How easily can you feel her ribs - if easily then I would be worried that she is not carrying enough weight to comfortably withstand the winter cold. Also to find an amount of worms in her droppings after worming speaks to me of an over burden, I very rarely find worms in my horse's droppings post worming. Which wormer did you use and which ones has your vet suggested for the future, different wormers work in different ways and need using at different times of the year to be 'successful'.

 

[djskid]

Nope-it isn't different here in Canada! Just another thing to consider but our vet advises us to use something other than ivermectin in the fall as it not effective on tapeworms, and fall is when they are most common.

but anyways maybe in canada its different

 

[shorthorsemom]

My vet was doing a fecal study as part of a study done at New bolton Center. She said that some horses are "shedders" of worm eggs and some horses test negative on every fecal done. She also mentioned the resistance issue to me. I cant remember what else she said, I will quiz her next time I see her as to what else they discovered on the study. They would do fecal testing on your horse for free to get more information for their study.

Anyway, I have never seen any worms on any horse I have owned after worming, I know it happens, but it is something I haven't seen and can only imagine how alarming that would be. I would mention to your vet and see what they recommend the next step should be.

I thinking worming protocol differs greatly depending on your housing situation. With someone that has a larger number of horses on the same pasture, vs... somebody with a smaller pasture, only a couple of minis and they are turned out with a muzzle on for instance. Or if you have horses housed with goats or some other animal... might change your worming protocol. I would discuss treatment plan with your vet per your individual situation, but would proceed slowly as you do not want to introduce colic or laminitis during treatment. I would also put your mini on some probiotics right away. best wishes