 The Control of
Parisites Several years ago we provided
an information sheet on internal parasitism in the horse with a suggested protocol of
worming, to follow, to prevent both horse and pasture infestation. We have been pleased to
see many of our clients following this suggested protocol and in these cases I am unaware
of anybody having had any internal parasitic problems in their horses and ponies. Times
change and new and improved products come on the market and when this occurs we like to
inform yourself, as a client.
There are three groups of internal parasite which
have the ability to damage the gut and cause disease in the horse in Guernsey. The
information below will hopefully explain the importance of developing a sound worming
regime, using the best products at the correct time:
ROUNDWORMS come in many different forms but to
simplify the situation, in the adult, Guernsey field grazed horse, the group known as
cyathostomes (red worms) are the principle problem. They are grazed off the pasture as
microscopical larvae which bury their way through the gut and over many months migrate
around certain organs of the body and the arteries of the gut, depending on the worm type.
They then return in changes larval form to the wall of the intestine where they live for a
while (encysted) before bursting out into the gut to form adult worms which produce eggs
to contaminate your pasture. Land which has been grazed by donkeys at some point over the
preceding few years may be contaminated with LUNGWORMS. These parasites appear to be
unable to complete their life cycle in the horse the horse but the larval form migrates to
the lungs where it can develop into a ‘foreign body type pneumonia’.
TAPEWORMS: There is increasing evidence that the
horse tapeworm, Anoplocephala, which live at the iliocaecal junction (near where your
appendix is sited) of the horse can cause major disease such as repeated colic. Tapeworms
have an interesting life cycle which cannot be completed without an ‘intermediate
host’. In the case of Anoplocephala, this is the harvest mite found on the pasture
during the summer and autumn and to a lesser degree in hay. The horse eats the mite, the
tapeworm is liberated in an immature form and over many weeks changes to an adult
tapeworm.
BOTS. The Bot fly, Gasterophilus, is the fast
moving, bee like fly which buzzes around stables and fields in the summer months. Eggs are
laid by the fly on the horse which ingests them whilst grooming itself. The eggs hatch by
this process, the larvae burry their way through the back of the tongue and all the way
down to the stomach, where they erupt and form masses of large grubs which cling to the
stomach wall. There is still debate on how serious a disease risk they are but some forms
of digestive upset and colic are blamed on them. The adult flies can make horses bolt.
There are many different horse worming products on
the market. We believe that the following two ‘wormers’ will provide the
spectrum of antiparasitic cover necessary to protect your horses health in Guernsey.
EQUEST. This is a new wormer on the market in the
form of an oral dosing syringe. Ideally it is given directly into the mouth but it can
also be put in a little ‘tasty’ food. It has several benefits over other wormers
on the market: It is effective against encysted redworm larval forms as well as the adult
worms, has no known parasite resistance and delays the reappearance of eggs for over three
months as well as being effective against bots and lung worm. Because of these facts, four
times per year dosing with EQUEST should keep your pasture and horses free from these
parasite types.
STRONGID-P. Pyrantel, the active ingredient of this
wormer is the only product effective against tapeworms. Strondid-P must be given at double
the dose rate for that prescribed for adult roundworms at least once every year,
preferably in the winter. Give your horse an early Christmas present and dose him in
December.
Your worm control will only be as good as your
management. Picking up droppings in the field, daily, not allowing the ground to go
‘horse-sour’ and keeping noxious weeds at bay are essential. Rotating cattle or
sheep after the horses have grazed the land and ploughing, liming and reseeding every few
years will help prevent worm infestation on the pasture. Any new horse introduced to a
yard should be wormed with EQUEST and kept in a box or restricted paddock for a couple of
days with collection and disposal of droppings prior to any introduction to communally
grazed pasture. This particularly applies to horses brought in from outside the Island.
The following worming protocol is advised:
- January: EQUEST (Adult and encysted roundworms /
Bots)
- April: EQUEST (Adult and encysted roundworms / Bots)
- July: EQUEST (Adult and encysted roundworms / Bots)
- October: EQUEST (Adult and encysted roundworms /
Bots)
- December: STRONGID-P (double dose) (Adult roundworm
and tapeworm.)
Remember to either keep the horse in for 24hours
after worming or to make sure that ALL droppings are picked up ASAP. No worm product kills
100% of worms, hence the necessity to follow the above protocol. |
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