Deworming is an important element of Equine Health & preventive care from foals to adult horses.
Adult Horse Deworming
After performing a fecal exam, we will determine if your horse is a “low”, “moderate” or “high” fecal shedder and recommend a deworming schedule as well as corresponding deworming products.
As a general rule, horses are categorized into the following classifications based on the number of parasite eggs that they are shedding:
- “Low Shedder”: has 200 eggs per gram or less and typically only needs to be dewormed twice a year in the spring and fall.
- “Moderate Shedder”: has between 200-500 eggs per gram and typically needs to be dewormed 4 times a year.
- “High Shedder”: has greater than 500 eggs per gram and typically needs to be dewormed every 2 months.
Low Fecal Shedder
For low fecal shedders, we recommend to deworm twice yearly as shedding can be intermittent. Deworming protocol should be as follows:
- Spring- Ivermectin or moxidectin
- Late Fall – Ivermectin w/ praziquantal or moxidectin w/praziquantal
Products that we recommend are:
- Quest or Quest Plus
- Zimectrin or Zimectrin Gold
- Equimax or Equimax Plus
Note regarding product efficacy: To test the efficacy of a particular deworming product you must test prior to deworming, and then again 14 days after deworming. The reduction in egg count should be at least 90%. If less than 90% reduction, there is evidence of parasite resistance to that dewormer and that class of dewormer should no longer be used.
It is important to deworm your horse accurately according to weight. Please let us know if you prefer us to deworm your horse and contact us today to schedule your horse’s fecal egg count.
