When choosing a horse wormer treatment, it is important to go for a product that will effectively control the exact parasite affecting the animal.
The medication is specific and using the wrong product will cost you a lot of money and deny your horse the chance to enjoy good health.
5 Horse Wormer Treatments to Care for Your Horse
There are several horse wormer treatments that are sold by different companies under specific brand names, but the basic ingredients are the same. Here are the drugs available.
1. Ivermentic
This horse wormer is effective in the elimination of many large parasites. It can help in the regular control of large and small red worms, thread worms, roundworms, and even bots. Most of the parasites that cannot be killed by this medication still end up having shortened lifespans. It is necessary to note that Ivermectin does not work well for the control of tapeworms.
Horses should be treated with this drug from about 7 weeks; and after that, you should control them for parasites regularly. Before the horses get to their 18th month, you should administer the drug every 8 weeks. The horse should then receive ivermentic treatment every ten weeks.
Ivermectin is highly toxic and you should only use it at the recommended dosage. In other animals, contact with small amounts of this drug can even lead to death.
2. Praziquantal
Praziquantal is mainly used for the treatment of tapeworms. The drug is also effective against many types of flukes. Compared to other wormer treatments, it has a smaller spectrum of anti-arthropodal activity. It is often used with Ivermentic for complete healthcare of your horse.
This drug also covers the area of deworming many animals and human beings. Unlike Ivermentic, this drug is safe even when taken well above the recommended dosage. You will only note some minor side effects. However, you still need to stick to your vet’s guidelines.
3. Fenbendazole
This drug is sold under several brand names. These include Intervet, Panacur, and Safe-Guard. It is used to control a wide range of worms in horses, including large and small strongyles and cyathostome larvae. Pinworms are also effectively eliminated with this drug.
The drug can be used on its own or together with other wormer medications. It can be part of a horse treatment as component of rotational deworming or in a strategic deworming program. The exact dosage will vary with the age of the horse and the exact parasite that you are targeting. It is important to consult your veterinarian for the exact dosage amounts. In horses, no adverse effects have been associated with this drug.
4. Moxidectin
This horse wormer also has a broad spectrum anti-arthropodal and anti-nematodal activity. It is, however, ineffective against flukes and tapeworms. Moxidectin can fit in as a substitute to Ivermentic and is even more efficient in the control of hypobiotic and encysted larval stages of cyathostomins. It is even better than Fenbendazole since parasites around the world have developed resistance against the latter.
The treatment of horses using Moxidectin should take place at intervals of 12 weeks. Also, the egg reappearance period (ERP) is between 15 and 24 weeks, which is quite long.
5. Pyrantel
Pyrantel is used in the control of many parasites and infections. It is actually very effective in the treatment of all worm parasites, except for bots. A double dose of this drug is required to get rid of tapeworms. Its brand names include Equi-Cide, Equi-Mintic SPR Paste, and PyrantelPamoate Paste.
This horse wormer works by loosening the hold of the parasites in the horse’s gut. It does this by making the intestines contract and relax suddenly. Once they are detached from the intestinal walls, the parasites can be passed naturally. Almost all worms will die once passed to the outside of the horse’s body.
The drug can be used together with praziquantal for complete worm control. Praziquantal is the most efficient drug in the control of tapeworms.
How to Use a Horse Wormer
There are several factors that can give you clues about what your parasites are likely to affect your horse.
- Most importantly, you need to consider the horse’s environment and age. It is also essential to give thought to the weight of your horse. Dewormer medications are prescribed with consideration to this aspect. A poor estimation of its weight will easily lead to an overdose, and this is likely to worsen the health of your horse.
- There are different methods of administering wormer treatments. Generally, you need to consider the preference of your horse. This is since some pets can be excessively uncomfortable with certain administration routes. Your choices include oral, pellets, and liquid treatments.
- If you have trouble figuring out what medication to go for, ask your vet. It is important to make the correct choice since the drugs affect the overall health of your horse.
Deworming by Seasons
How can you tell which horse wormer to use? As we mentioned before, the age and environment can point to the type of parasites that affect your horse. You can also administer the drugs depending on the seasons. Some parasites are prevalent in certain seasons, and should be targeted appropriately.
- In autumn and spring, you should use horse wormers for tapeworms. Ideally, this would be Praziquantal or a double dose of Pyrantel.
- During winter, you should target small red worms. Usually, they are in their encysted larval stages, and Moxidectin will efficiently get rid of them.
- In summer, you should carry out FEC.
How to Reduce the Number of Worms in Your Horse Environment
If you let your horses live in a poor environment, you should expect frequent infections. You can reduce the number of worms in the horse’s environment by carrying out certain routine practices.
First, you need to regularly remove the horse’s feces from the environment. Pasture for your horses should also not be overstocked. In addition, you will need to rotate the pastures.
In Summary
Just like most other animals, horses get frequent parasitic infections. Using horse wormer treatments can help reduce the number of parasites affecting your horse. This will go a long way in improving the animal’s overall health.
This guide should help you gain an understanding of the different wormer treatments on the market.
Images from pixabay.com.
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