Wormer confusion

EQUINE WORMS

• Redworms (large and small strongyles) – very common, cause ill-thrift and disease. These worms migrate through the wall of the gut, the large strongyles entering the circulation and the small strongyles encyst in the gut wall.
• Tapeworms – less common, implicated in some forms of colic.
• Ascarids and threadworms – very important in foals.
• Lungworms – uncommon, except in donkeys.
• Pinworms  - lay eggs around rectum causing irritation.
• Bots – the adult worms in the stomach rarely cause disease but the worms cause annoyance as they lay their eggs on the skin.

DRUGS AVAILABLE

Basically there are only 5 worming drugs on the market that are used to treat ROUNDWORMS:

Fenbendazole   Panacur either as a one-off dose or in the 5 day guard form.

Ivermectin          Eqvalan, Eraquell, Furexel, Noromectin, Panomec, Vectin & Equimax
These all contain ivermectin at 1.87% and each syringe contains paste to dose a 600kg horse. THEY ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME PRODUCT.

Moxidectin       Equest

Pyrantel           Strongid P & Pyratape P.

They treat roundworms at the regular dose, and roundworms and tapeworms at  the double dose.

• Praziquantel treats tapeworms.
  

EFFICACY

Resistance to Panacur is becoming common. This is particularly the case in situations where horses have grazed the same pasture for years and received regular treatment with Panacur. 

There has been some resistance to ivermectin in cattle but this is not yet a significant problem in horses. To our knowledge all the various forms of ivermectin are all as effective as each other.

Moxidectin (Equest) has a similar mode of action as ivermectin but is the most effective against encysted small red worms, a siginificant cause of worm problems and diarrhoea in horses.

 WORMING ROUTINE

Please visit the worming web page.