could worm burdens be hereditary?

crabbymare

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I have wormed as usual using pramox and have one weanling (that was wormed with pyrantel on arrival mid december and only a few roundworms seen while he was in isolation) who was then wormed with pramox along with the others in january and a lot of roundworms and this time some redworms came out again. now the dam used to be here and both she and her foals (2 of which are now adults and still here) always had middling to high worm counts whereas pretty much all the others are very low to nil found. is it possible that there is something within that line that makes them more susceptible to worms or could it just be coincidence?
 

Dry Rot

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I once asked a geneticist if a certain characteristic was likely to be genetic. His reply, "Everything is genetic".

Then he thought for a couple of minutes and added, "Of course, an endochrynologist would say that everything is hormonal".

:D
 

windand rain

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might be that some horse worms from certain families are more resistant to the wormer used than others. eg mum is resistant to a certain wormer so the worms are passed in milk to the babies so they are also resistant to that wormer. No science but sounds possible
 

Dry Rot

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...just to add, I am (personally) quite sure that there will be a genetic factor in the ability of some lines to resist worm infestations. I bred working gundogs for years and the puppies always needed worming. I now have a couple of German shepherd pups who have not exhibited 'wormy' symptoms, so I have not wormed them (shock! horror!). My policy has always been if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The GSDs are from working lines which will have been selected hard by previous owners (border guards in communist countries) so I am not surprised worms don't particularly bother them. There are other breeds of dogs that seem to have a natural resistance to disease, so, yes, definitely genetic. I know of one breeder (1930's era) who used to deliberately introduce disease into his very big commercial kennel (>500 dogs) so the vulnerable would die out and he'd be left with resistant strains. Incredible to believe in today's world but I can assure you that is true.
 

JanetGeorge

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...I know of one breeder (1930's era) who used to deliberately introduce disease into his very big commercial kennel (>500 dogs) so the vulnerable would die out and he'd be left with resistant strains. Incredible to believe in today's world but I can assure you that is true.

It's a horifying thought - but of course now we throw every medication and veterinary process at them to clear up their problems and THEN breed from them!

I confess I thought sarcoids to be an extreme thing for mares going for grading as Irish Draughts to fail the veterinary on - as something like 60% of horses in the world are 'prone' to them. And I was VERY annoyed when one was failed on cataracts (which she didn't have - so will be going back again.) But freedom from diseases tha might be hereditary - and things like thoroughpins (which in young horses are almost certainly due to poor conformation) IS sensible.
 

JillA

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I would think the genetic factor is susceptibility - some horses do seem more susceptible to worm infestation than others. But if their environment is clear, and any have been eradicated from their systems, susceptibility isn't going to be an issue surely
 

Shay

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My vet said that horses with low immune systems are more prone to heavy worm burdens (we have one on our yard who always has a massive worm burden no matter what is done where as pretty much all the rest count clear). So it is logical that if the dam has a low immune system her foals will too - at least until they are separated from her if not permanently.

Windandrain - worms are not passed from dam to foal in her milk. Nor is it the horse who is resistant to the wormer but the worms themselves. Although I suppose it is possible OP has a particular strain of emerging resistance on her land - it is more likely to be an immune issue with the horses.

But as dry rot says - everything is genetic!
 

Dry Rot

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Can't worms migrate from the dam to the unborn foetus across the placenta? I think they can in dogs. But as there are so many different species of intestinal worms, that probably isn't a generalisation. Genuine question as I really don't know.
 

windand rain

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worm eggs pass in milk and across the placenta not the actual worms so I suppose it depends on the method of development of the worm. It was the worms I said were resistant not the mare
Resistant worms can be passed from mother to offspring and so they are also resistant to the wormer.
 

crabbymare

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thanks a lot for all the answers. its good to know I am not being totally dim about it :) they are kept in consistant herds so logically to me if the worms/eggs are resistant then they should also be resistant and show in the others but the others are not as bad as this family? its a shame it takes so long to breed families with enough generations for a proper study as it would be interesting to see what the results were
 
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