How long can tapeworms survive in an ungrazed field?

[indie999]

Ok after worming yesterday and the tapeworm that has appeared in his poos, gross!

How long will they live in the ground, soil etc? I have plenty of rested grazing but am now wondering are the tapeworms dead/alive etc in the ground????

They were dead in his poos. If it hadnt been raining I would have taken some poo pics! Very interesting.

 

[Puzzles]

Sorry, no advice but I'd like to know this too as one of the horses recently had a severe tapeworm burden and colic...

 

[Borderreiver]

First, might be a silly question, but are you sure it was a tapeworm?

As to the eggs, the tapeworm is carried by an intermediate host, the orabatid mite. This mite lives in the soil and is active in grass and in other forage so they are always about I'm afraid.

 

[Gracie21]

I think i was told recently that worm eggs can survive commonly for two years but in extreme cases can last up to ten?

this maybe totally wrong...and am prepared to be promptly corrected haha!

 

[cptrayes]

Can survive in hay so it doesn't matter how long you rest your ground for if you buy in hay from an unknown source. I was told that dogs are an intermediate host so any land used by dogs (including hayfields of course) can be infected, with no horses ever on it.

 

[indie999]

http://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/evr_dg_intestinal_worms_in_dogs

This is exactly what it looked like.There were segment ones that were quite flat and looked about 3/4 inch like fat. Then longer ones that had lots of little segment bodies all along its length. The longest was about 4-6inches. But most were segment just like in this photo. They were quite white looking. I thought tapeworm did come in segments as well as being ultral long ie in feet etc.

Will have a read now to see....If I can take a pic tomorrow I will if he has anymore come out.

 

[CMMB]

Dogs are not intermediate hosts for the equine tapeworm. The only eggs that can survive for a long time on pasture - possibly up to 7 years - are the Ascarid (big roundworm) eggs. All other nematode worms (ie. small and large redworms) are larvae on pasture after hatching out from eggs and may overwinter from autumn to spring but if not picked up as the weather warms up die quite quickly. The intermediate host of the equine tapeworm is only active once soil temperature reaches 10 C. Not many survive over winter and not many survive in dried forage.

 

[indie999]

http://www.rvc.ac.uk/supervets/documents/equine/24_266686.pdf

This seems a good article about the mites etc Now I am learning. Definitely was tapeworms.

At least the med worked for him.

 

[PeterNatt]

As above but strongly recomend that poos are picked up each day.

 

[indie999]

As above but strongly recomend that poos are picked up each day.

Hi Petter
I poo pick twice a day in the morning and evening so this is probably why I was suprised to find so many, as perhaps I was lulled into a false sense of security? And the field he is in hasnt been used for over a year. He now lives alone.

But I do usually only worm spring and Autumn and alternate the regime of wormers.
But I will ring my vet to see if this is enough and will get advice on what I should be using as I dont think my wormers are in right order.

I suppose the good thing is I know the strongid P did its job. I have sometimes wondered if wormers are working but after what I saw today they certainly have. I did read that 50% of horses have tapeworm too?

Just the dog to sort out now as he had been eating the manure!

Thanks for the responses.

 

[cptrayes]

Dogs are not intermediate hosts for the equine tapeworm..

Horses are the intermediate hosts in this case, but nasty. I was warned about it by a vet because I hunt.

"E.granulosus strain 1 The small tapeworm lives in the intestines of dogs and eggs are passed in the dogs faeces. Horses eat the eggs and a cyst develops, usually in the liver. Dogs are infected when they are fed raw horsemeat. This makes it common in packs of foxhounds and beagles. Fields over which the hounds hunt can become contaminated.
"

From

http://www.intelligentworming.co.uk/doyouknow-aboutworms-tapeworms.asp