Worming
Intestinal parasites (or worms) are a common cause of disease and death in horses of all types. Many horses may harbour worms, but do net necessarily show any symptoms of their burdens, but more heavily infected horses may show a variety of symptoms including
- Weight loss
- Inappetance
- Colic
- Poor coat
- Anaemia
- Poor performance
- Diarrhoea
- Sudden death
There are many types of worms that can affect horse, and some of the more common species are listed below
- Cyathostomes or small red worms – horses infected with these worms often display mild symptoms, however a more acute syndrome can occur which is characterised by severe diarrhoea, which is often followed by death. The presence of these worms can be detected by a faecal worm egg counts, however treatment can be difficult since some of the immature worms may lie dormant in the lining of the intestine.
- Strongylus species – these worms can cause anaemia in affected animals, but are also implicated in severe colic cases, and sudden death. Diagnosis can be made via faecal egg count and fortunately modern day wormers are very effective against this species.
- Tapeworms – this type of worm are often associated with colic and weight loss. Horses with persistent burdens are prone to recurrent spasmodic colic and impactions. Diagnosis is made via a simple blood test, and if treated with the appropriate wormer, affected animals show no long term effects.
- Parascaris equorum – these worms typically affect foals and yearlings, but are susceptible to broad spectrum wormers.
- Oxyuris equi – this is also none as the equine pinworm. It can cause intense itching around the anus and tail, but are susceptible to broad spectrum wormers.
- Bots – often in the summer flies lay eggs on the hair coat of horses. These eggs are then ingested and the bots hatch and attach to the stomach wall. They are of little clinical significance and rarely cause problems.
There are many different types of wormers that are effective against different groups of worms. There is no one wormer that is effective against all the worm types. It is therefore important to follow a worming program that is specific to your horse and your horses’ environment, throughout the year.
It is also crucial that you do not under-dose your horse since this can lead to the worms gaining resistance to the wormers. Another important aspect of worm control is to frequently ‘poo pick’ fields and paddocks as this will remove sources of infection for horses using the pasture.
At Oakhill every year we provide worming programs for your horses. We use a targeted strategic dosing program. This system worms horses at crucial times of the year, and at other times horses droppings are analysed to identify infected horses – these horses are then wormed appropriately. This system provides superb protection for your horse, and prevents the development of resistance by reducing the frequency of wormer administration.