Post by Sunny Acres Ranch on Jun 7, 2012 7:52:57 GMT -8
I have never prescribed to the theory that the dewormer manufacturer companies recommend - deworming every horse every 8 weeks. When I have done fecal egg counts on my own horses, I had some that were heavily infested, and I had some that had completely clean fecals, or virtually no eggs at all.
In my Vet Tech parasitology class, I learned that the industry opinion on the 8-week deworming practice is now changing. The idea behind the change is that if you deworm every 8 weeks, there will be some worms that survive the deworming drug and then develop resistance to the drug. Those surviving worms will breed, and you will have new worms that also carry resistance to the drug. So, then what do you do to kill the worms?
The opinion in the veterinarian world that is now shifting is that we should do fecal egg counts, and only deworm those horses that are heavy shedders, and only at specific times. In Spring and Fall, parasite reproduction is usually at its peak. In the middle of winter and middle of summer, there is less activity with internal parasites, so the thought is that if you deworm during those times, you won't get as good of a kill rate.
I have to admit that it is gratifying to see this pardigm shift towards giving our pets LESS toxic chemicals. It is important to consider each individual horse and how well they can tolerate a dewormer drug. In the past, it was recommended to just deworm every horse in the pasture without considering whether that horse really NEEDED it or could tolerate it. I believe this change in opinion is a huge step in the direction of doing what is best for our horses.
In my Vet Tech parasitology class, I learned that the industry opinion on the 8-week deworming practice is now changing. The idea behind the change is that if you deworm every 8 weeks, there will be some worms that survive the deworming drug and then develop resistance to the drug. Those surviving worms will breed, and you will have new worms that also carry resistance to the drug. So, then what do you do to kill the worms?
The opinion in the veterinarian world that is now shifting is that we should do fecal egg counts, and only deworm those horses that are heavy shedders, and only at specific times. In Spring and Fall, parasite reproduction is usually at its peak. In the middle of winter and middle of summer, there is less activity with internal parasites, so the thought is that if you deworm during those times, you won't get as good of a kill rate.
I have to admit that it is gratifying to see this pardigm shift towards giving our pets LESS toxic chemicals. It is important to consider each individual horse and how well they can tolerate a dewormer drug. In the past, it was recommended to just deworm every horse in the pasture without considering whether that horse really NEEDED it or could tolerate it. I believe this change in opinion is a huge step in the direction of doing what is best for our horses.