605 13th Street West • Glencoe, MN 55336
Phone: 320-864-3414 • Fax: 320-864-3616

Clinic Hours

Monday: 7:30am- 5pm
Tuesday: 7:30am – 5pm
Wednesday: 7:30am – 5pm

Thursday: 7:30am- 12pm; 1:15pm- 5pm
Friday: 7:30am - 5:00pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
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filtering by tag "equine"

New Guidelines for Deworming Horses

4/9/2015

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEAP) has developed new protocols for deworming horses because of the following factors:

  • The AAEP has determined that large strongyles are now rare and small strongyles are now the major parasite of concern in adult horses.
  • Roundworms are still considered the primary parasite infecting foals and weanlings.
  • Resistance to dewormers is highly prevalent in small strongyles and roundworms.
  • Horses younger than 3 years old are more susceptible to parasite infection and are at a greater risk to developing disease.

The AAEP found that frequent treatments are unnecessary and can lead to resistance in the parasites. For this reason, they recommend:

  • Doing fecal egg counts to determine what parasites are an issue for the individual farm, and the magnitude of the parasite burden.
  • Tailoring treatments to the parasites that are found on the farm.
  • Monitoring dewormer effectiveness by doing follow-up fecal tests.

They also have several suggestions for parasite control:

  • Keep pastures as free of manure as possible
  • Compost manure to kill the eggs and developing larvae
  • Time deworming treatments at times of the year most optimal for larval development (usually spring and fall)

In general, let us work with you to design a parasite control program within the needs of your farm. By using fecal tests and parasite-specific deworming plans, we can work together to keep your horses free from internal parasites! Call us today to begin a customized parasite plan for your farm.

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