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Woodland View Farm and Equine Service 2007-2010. All rights reserved.
Site Designed and Maintained by Willow Bend Designs
For December 2009 and January 2010
December 2009
A crowd of around 175 people attended our recent client education meeting and listened to an entertaining talk by Dr. Jody Wade from Fort Dodge Animal Health about the emerging problem of equine parasite resistance. If you did not receive an invitation to our meeting we apologize. It seems that people at the bottom of the alphabet did not receive our flyer. In an effort to avoid this from happening in the future we are compiling an email list so that we can notify you in the future by email. Please contact us with your email address.
Dr. Wade stressed the importance of running fecal egg counts to determine which horses are the low, medium and high shedders of worm eggs. By deworming horses that have very low infestations of parasites we are contributing to the development of parasite resistance to our deworming products (anthelmintics). By deworming sheep and goats indiscriminately that industry, in some areas of the country have created parasites that are not susceptible to any of the products on the market and consequently animals are dying as a result of parasites. Unless the horse industry starts deworming more strategically we will be in the same boat.
The most serious worm that infects adult horses is the small strongyle. In addition to small strongyles, roundworms are a serious threat to foals and yearlings. In a nut shell it has been documented that small strongyles are becoming resistant to the benzimidazoles such as Panacur, Anthelcide and Safeguard as well as those containing pyrantel such as Strongid paste or pellets. Roundworms, on the other hand, are becoming resistant to Ivermectin and moxidectin (Quest).
The current recommendation is to do fecal egg counts (FEC) on horses to determine their load of parasites. 20% of the horses are low shedders and have FEC below 200 eggs per gram (EPG) and require TWICE A YEAR TREATMENT. 60% of the horses have FEC of 200-500 and require THREE TIMES A YEAR treatment. The other 20% of the horses have FEC of over 500 EPG, are high shedders and require FOUR
TIMES A YEAR treatment. To determine if you have a resistance problem you will need to have a FEC done on the day that you deworm your horse and another one done 10-14 days later. If you do not have a 90% reduction in the FEC then you have a resistance problem and you should not use that product on your farm again.
Another concept that was presented was the egg reappearance period (ERP). That is the period that an anthelmintic will keep the shedding of worm eggs suppressed. This period varies with the class of dewormer that you use. For benzimidazoles the ERP is only 4 weeks. For Ivermectin the ERP is 8 weeks and for Quest the ERP is 12 weeks. Regardless of the product that you used do not deworm again prior to the ERP or again you are contributing to the development of parasite resistance.
Develop a Deworming Plan
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Foals should not be dewormed prior to 8 weeks of age. The product that you use should be either a benzimidazole or pyrantel since round worms do not seem to be resistant to them yet. Therefore my old recommendation of treating foals with Ivermectin starting at one month of age is incorrect. Many of my deworming recommendations have changed. Visit our website at Woodlandviewequine.com for an update. The bottom line is that we must stop relying on the schedule the drug catalogue puts out and start deworming the horses that need treated at the time they need treated and with the product that is most effective or we will end up with no dewormers that work!
Winter Specials
One thing that has not changed is the fact that horses in this part of the country should be treated for tapeworms between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. In light of that fact, Quest Plus gel will be on special for $13.00 during the months of December and January.
We will be offering a 10% discount on small animal spays and neuters during the months of December and January. Call to schedule an appointment.
Fleas are still active in the winter time. We carry Vectra spot on for the control of fleas in cats and dogs. Call for specials during December and January. You may want to take advantage of the savings and stock up for the whole year.
Even though it may not be politically correct, I would like to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS. I would also like to thank you for your business and wish you a prosperous New Year.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kline and the staff at Woodland View Equine Service
Quest Plus Gel (tapeworm treatment) $13.00
Small animal spays and neuters - 10% discount
Vectra Spot - Flea control in dogs and cats
Call for special prices
