Pinworm control advice please

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inthehills

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It turns out one of my ponies has pinworm :-(

I've been doing my internet research and am ready to tackle (with wipes, vaseline, disinfectant and wormer!), apart from a few queries that I can't find an answer to.

One of the bits of advice is to poo pick- which of course is sensible anyway- but is impossible in the field my ponies are kept in because of the size and terrain. In this situation, should I move them on to fresh ground after worming to try and prevent reinfection?

Does anyone know how long the pinworms/pinworm eggs survive outside the host?

Also, should I worm both ponies, even though only one is showing symptons?

Many thanks :-)
 
Moving ponies onto fresh pasture is the quick way to generate a resistant worm population so no don't do that ;)

Disinfect any rubbing points/ consider treating anally and in quicker succession than recommended if they are proving particularly stubborn. Which wormer do you have?
 
Sorry to hear about your pinworm problem. Poo picking won't help with this as the eggs are on the pasture having dropped off the horse and which you can't pick up. Poo picking for other worms is a very good thing to do as this does stop the pasture getting contaminated from the droppings. I have posted on this subject a couple of times and I have copied it here for you:

Quote:

The general consensus now is that Panacur Guard 5 day wormer is the best one to use followed four to six weeks later by another wormer with the right chemical in it - Pyrantel Embonate (found in Strongid P and Pyratape P). These pinworms are becoming more and more prevalent and vets are only now waking up as to how to deal with them.


The pinworms live inside 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 10 weeks.
Ingested eggs hatch in the small intestine releasing the L3 larvae that penetrate into the mucosa. About a week later they molt to L4-larvae that attach to the mucosa of the ventral colon. About 2 months later they complete development to adult worms. Sexual maturity is reached 3-4 months later.

The time between infection and first eggs shed (prepatent period) is 4-6 months, although there are reports suggesting that it may be shorter based on the observation of foals not older than 3.5 months that already carried Oxyuris egg masses in the perianal region.

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) tack 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.

Unquote.

Please don't waste your money on any other wormer product as pinworms need a specific chemical to eradicate them.

Hope this helps. But as you can see they are a s*d to get rid of!
 
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Now I've thought about it it does ring a bell, it's been a while since I went through it all for a friend!
 
huge thanks for the replies and especially to Zuzzie for that information.

Today I ordered Pyratape P and was going to treat with that- although now I've read the above I'm wondering if I should start with the panacur and then use the pyratape later. It was only the price that made me go for the pyratape- it was cheaper than the panacur and from what I had read both were suggested for use so I thought I might as well use the cheapest!

I'm glad that the poo picking wouldn't make a difference anyway and I don't need to move them straight away. Instead of poo picking the field gets harrowed when it is dry enough to get a tractor there, and then it won't have the ponies in again until the autumn.
 
Glad to help. Definitely get the Panacur Guard 5 day wormer. It is expensive but in the long run, if you don't hit them hard, you will be spending more money down the line. Good luck!
 
Bailey is my friends horse and he still has pinworm despite my friend spending in excess of 350 pounds on his treatment.She's waiting for warmer weather so partner and her can jet wash stables and wash rugs. Two wormers up bottom four down throat and three rounds of selenium suphate shampoo and pin worm wash have not rectified the problem.When he comes back from vets he is terribly itchy.Last time when I took them in my lorry he was in a different stable block and didn't itch on his return so I wonder if he's got it from the stable he is usualy put in and my mare never gets it transfer even though she on occasion uses the same transport although I do put a disinfectant wipe on.
 
ester said:
Where did the panacur info come from? I thought current advice was pyrantel?
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current advice is pyrantel anally rather than orally though.Friends horse had two anally.By the time its gone through the horse its diluted and ineffective at reaching the burden at the back of the colon. Hasn't worked but has stopped itching last four weeks or so.worm found and pulled out but plenty in its place.Also baby wipes over area works well or so she's been told.
 
I refer you to post 3 :rolleyes3:

Even as insufferable as I can be I'm glad I don't impart every small medical history of my own horse to my friends as yours seems to, I think they'd leave me.
 
ester said:
I refer you to post 3 :rolleyes3:

Even as insufferable as I can be I'm glad I don't impart every small medical history of my own horse to my friends as yours seems to, I think they'd leave me.
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sorry you have lost me there Ester.
 
hopscotch bandit said:
Bailey is my friends horse and he still has pinworm despite my friend spending in excess of 350 pounds on his treatment.She's waiting for warmer weather so partner and her can jet wash stables and wash rugs. Two wormers up bottom four down throat and three rounds of selenium suphate shampoo and pin worm wash have not rectified the problem.When he comes back from vets he is terribly itchy.Last time when I took them in my lorry he was in a different stable block and didn't itch on his return so I wonder if he's got it from the stable he is usualy put in and my mare never gets it transfer even though she on occasion uses the same transport although I do put a disinfectant wipe on.
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Your "friend" should get him tested for cushings. It can lower their immune system and cause problems like this
 
Leo Walker said:
Your "friend" should get him tested for cushings. It can lower their immune system and cause problems like this
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He has already been tested for cushings I think it came back 23 or something but I really cant remember what she said.Anyway the vet said as suspected he didn't have cushings.
 
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