I am new to your website and find it truely helpful. My question seems to be topic that is visited one way or another quite often, but I am still having difficulty making a decision what is best for my situation.
I have 4 horses (10 mo., 2 yr., 9 yr., 21 yr.) and for the time being, they are on 2 1/2 acres. The old mare foundered some years ago but is doing okay. I know that is not enough acreage for that many horses, wasn't planned but happened. All are being fed SafeChoice by Nutrena, have good quality coastal hay and are generally in good health. I need a worming program best suited to our current situation. I have noticed that you talk about the daily wormer. Do they develop a resistance this? Are there any other issues that may result with having something like this constantly in their system? What do you recommend?
Thank you for sharing your time and expertise.
Have a great day!
Dena

Where are you from? bridgeport, texas

How did you locate this forum? my friend, kim

Hi Dena,

Thank you for writing about this important issue. You're right about your horses being on a relatively small area -- though there are plenty of horses, I'm sorry to say, who have much less space. So, your situation is definitely manageable, but the issue of worms is a real concern. The more land they have, the less the infestation.

I prefer a daily worming program because it is a very safe way to worm. The chemical dosage is very small, since it is given on a daily basis. And, pyrantel tartrate is a very safe wormer.

Paste wormers still need to be in the picture, however, but only twice each year, instead of every other month. So, once a year, you'd worm for tapeworm (either with a prazaquantel combo or a double dosage of pyrantel pamoate). And once a year, use ivermectin.

You asked about resistance. There is much evidence lately to suggest that they do, in fact, build up a resistance to these drugs and they no longer work. So, if your horses do not travel and are not exposed to other horses, you could do a fecal check every 3 months instead of steadily worming them. It has to be a fresh sample -- no more than 4 hours old and kept refrigerated until it reaches the vet. And, if worms are found, then you need to treat and retest.

Tapeworms, however, are difficult to detect in a fecal sample -- so I really do recommend treating for them.

Confused? I understand. I would suggest doing a fecal check first to get an idea of what you're dealing with. If no worms show up, you can wait 3 months and do it again. (This is all assuming that your horses do not travel).

All the best,

Dr. Getty

thank you for your quick response. in regards to them traveling, basically they do not. the old mare and the 10 month old filly does not travel. i have plans to start trail riding on the 10 yr old mare and of course it's time for the 2 yr old filly to start training, so there will be some in the near future. would this make a difference due to the possibility of bringing something new onto the property? you mentioned the possibility of developing a resistance. can you give an average time frame for how long it takes to develop the resistance to the daily wormer? is the paste worming still the best way to go? if so, what is your recommendation for a paste worming program? there are so many and how often?
still confused.

Where are you from? bridgeport, texas

How did you locate this forum? my friend, kim

Hi Dena,

Since there will be some travelling involved, it is best to worm them regularly since new worms can be brought in.

This is what I would suggest...

Do the daily wormer, as directed on the product label. Then, at the beginning of May, give your horses a paste wormer that contains Ivermectin and Prazaquantel. At the beginning of November, give them a paste wormer that just contains Ivermectin.

Then, sometime during the summer, pull a fresh manure sample and have it analyzed by your vet to see how things are going.

That will keep things organized and simple.

Let me know how things work out. (No pun intended!)

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Hi there

I have my horse on a daily herbal dewormer. Would the worms build up resistance to this too? What if I took her off it for say 2 weeks or so every few months and paste deworm her, or what do you suggest? Should I be doing that like I would do with my herbal dewormers? I do plan to deworm with a paste twice a year as well as you have mentioned. Thanks for the help, this is most interesting.

Where are you from? SA

Hi Christine,

It is certainly possible that your horse can develop a resistance to an herbal wormer. But, rather than going off of it periodically, it would be safer to do a manure check and see if it is still working. Then you'll know if you're on the right track.

Yes, it is an interesting topic -- and frankly, a bit disconcerting since we've been using these wormers for years and now they may not be doing the job.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Eeeek - but what if it it stops working? Do I just do the let me poison my horse every 6 weeks idea??? What if I used a normal paste wormer and detoxed her? would it still be damaging to her system? just a crazy thought..

Where are you from? SA

Hi Christine,

I'm not sure what you mean by "detox her." But, if you find that your program is not working, it is far better to give her these medications (that are not dangerous) than to allow worm populations to build up (which, as you know, is very dangerous).

So, go ahead and do the fecal sample and see where you stand. Hopefully, things are doing like you planned.

Let me know what you learn.

All the best,

Dr. Getty