Pin worm

Roasted Chestnuts

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 July 2008
Messages
8,696
Location
Scotland
Visit site
So tell me about your experiences please?

A pony on our yard has been diagnosed with it and now the whole yard is being treated. Some people are saying on good flush with an appropriate wormer kills it off, and some are saying it lingers.

So please experienced please and what you did to get rid. A few horses have been scratchy this year but being honest with the wet summer we have had the flies, bots and midges have been in the mega hordes.
 
I'm copying a reply I wrote a while back about pinworms and treating with neem:

I got rid of mine just with neem oil. Applied it neat or mixed with vaseline all around the bottom, anus and just inside the anus every evening for a week, then every couple of days, then once a week for a few weeks then just monitored. Saw no more signs of worm eggs after 3 days and have had no sign since, nearly 2 years on.

Neem prevents them from breeding, repels them from laying and if they do lay as an oil it doesn't allow the eggs to stick. Do a search on here for neem oil and pinworms, several others have also treated them this way successfully and no need for massive amounts of chemicals.

Do a patch test first and don't use with breeding/pregnant mares.
 
Pinworm needs treating twice, 3 weeks apart to break the life cycle and what you have left in the tube each time, put in the anus. My vet advised this as that's where they live, it works!
 
Absolutely - only way to get the active ingredient to where the worms actually live - other types of worm live in the main digestive tract. Pin worm only in the rectum. They are - sadly - very hard to get rid of for that reason.
 
Hmmmmm I have to say as practical as it sounds I'm not sure. I've treated for pin worm before but this was years and years ago but I never stuck it in his bum, it all just went in the normal end. I may call the vet as we are working as s precaution because one horse on the yard has it.

Not being contrary :) just don't want to risk a potential boot by an indignant opinionated gelding if I don't have to ;)
 
Black Beastie, I wouldn't tell you to do it if it wasn't for the fact that my vet told me to do it, and it worked (and has worked for quite a few customers I've told too). And putting the tip of a syringe into the rectum is all you have to to, not insert the whole tube!!! Go on, you'll all be relieved and so will the horses!
 
I have done a lot of research on this subject - here on the forum and on lots of veterinary websites. Here is what I learned;
The pinworms live in the rear end of the horse. They come out when the horse is resting, normally at night, and lay their eggs around the anus. You might see a sticky substance containing the eggs deposited by them around the anus. The eggs drop off into the bedding and pasture or by being rubbed onto stable walls and fences. Horses carrying these worms will often scratch themselves to the point of making sores which can get infected. But not all horses scratch. They can be a complete nightmare to get rid of and can take up to 18 months to 2 years to eradicate. This is because you need to break the cycle of the horse ingesting the eggs and then breeding again. The eggs can remain viable outside the body for about 6 to 9 weeks.
It appears that normal wormers are ineffective because they are absorbed before they get to the worms in the hindgut. The only success most owners report is using 5 day panacur guard combined with the use of Neem Oil. You can buy organic Neem Oil cheaply on Ebay. You need to paint the Neem Oil on every day, preferable twice, but more importantly at night. This oil prevents the eggs from sticking and also is a powerful insecticide which harms the worms if they touch it. Some people say that it also interferes with the hormones of the worms - not sure about that though. Some owners have also used syringed wormers by inserting them in the anus but some vets say that this does not work.

It is advisable to disinfect the stable, (walls and destroy bedding) and the grooming kit.
Apart from being ugly and creepy they don't actually harm the horse unless, of course, the horse is causing sores from scratching.
Good luck with this!
 
Last edited:
My three have recently acquired these little nasties. Vet advice is to worm with ivermectin, five doses ten days apart. I'm also doing the neem thing. Only one horse had visible eggs, both him and one other passed a worm after dosing, and none of them have been seen to scratch. No idea at all where the bloody things came from!
 
I started a similar topic recently. I used panacur guard and neem oil. Vet told me today you can use injectable dectomax mixed up with propglycol and painted onto their rear. I'm a shepherd so have such things lying around. Probably more tricky if you don't!
 
I had a horse on loan last winter who had a recurring Pinworm issue.

Cleared it up using a double dose of Strongid P repeated 3 times at 2 week intervals.

I asked my Vet about using wormers in or around the Anus and he said there is no clinical evidence it works and he personally has not known it be successful.
 
Also under this section entitled 'horse with itchy quarters'.

My vet thinks my horse has this. I went to the vets last night and picked up two washes, and applied the first one, a sulphate wash followed around his anus and bottom areas which was washed off and dried and then another wash applied straight after but left on. Also started him off with his first day of Panacur Equine Guard (5 day) and three weeks later he needs a double dose of Strongid-P (enough for a 700KG).

Hopefully this should remedy the situation.

My vet has diagnosed this over the phone without seeing him but strongly believes this is what he has. He was itching after the application of the first shampoo, but after applying the second one, no itching was seen at all. This was only last night so early days but hoping this will really help him.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Interesting to hear that folks appear to be having more possible pinworm incidences - we bought a horse three months ago and the behaviour exhibited in past week or so seems to indicate pinworm but I haven't found any eggs on a tape so Im washing off and applying Vaseline around and in anus and my vet has access to a wormer for pinworm from the states which it is hoped our pinworm does not have resistance to and we are going to give that a go. Ive been advised to detergent clean stable surfaces/grooming kit. I hope your itchy pony is relieved and Im looking forward to stopping our horseys discomfort too.
 
My pony had this and I still don't know where she picked it up as we are on our own land and don't have any liveries. I rubbed neem oil mixed with Vaseline around her bum,treated with 5 day Panacur and that did the trick,they were gone. I had read how difficult they are to shift and had been prepared for the long haul,but it was surprisingly simple. Her field mate didn't get them either.
 
My boy has not been seen rubbing since the weekend now. He finished his five day Panacur course on Monday. Hopefully this and the shampoo I was given from the vets has sorted the problem out.
 
Top