Unexpected High Worm Count

[meleeka]

I’ve had a bit of a nightmare. I worm counted two of my ponies and the results are totally different to what I was expecting. Pony 1 was worm counted as low in May and now has a high count (1200). Pony 2 is new and just had the Panacur 5 day one and the count has come back low. I’m now wondering if I got them mixed up somehow! Ive been on my land for 25 years and have never had higher than a low count of any of them (often no worms seen). Pony 1 does have cushings, but I’m wondering how my pasture can suddenly have all these worms that haven’t been there before. There was a new arrival last year but he was wormed as he arrived and again 6 weeks later. WWYD? I’ve ordered more tests for my own curiosity.

 

[Melody Grey]

Not an expert, but I wonder whether the summer weather has had something to do with it- not had to worm my three on worm counts for quite some time, yet all 3 came back
Medium in early October.

 

[webble]

Yup I had a similar issue

 

[JackFrost]

1200 isn't exceptionally high, and cushings affects the immune system and that includes worms. I think the warm and wet summer didnt help.
I had two higher than expected counts yesterday .

 

[meleeka]

1200 isn't exceptionally high, and cushings affects the immune system and that includes worms. I think the warm and wet summer didnt help.
I had two higher than expected counts yesterday .

I just checked and it’s 1500, not 1200. I’m pretty horrified. Field is poo picked daily too, makes me wonder why I bother!

 

[SEL]

I've had positive worm counts and tapeworm all round this year. Nothing of note last year.

I poo pick daily too so I'm assuming it's something to do with the warm damp weather.

Will be retesting shortly to see if they need tapeworm again or just Equest.

 

[meleeka]

Update - I got another count done (used pony’s old name so it didn’t look odd ). The results came back medium (600). I’m not as horrified by that and will worm accordingly anyway. One of the other ponies also has a medium count, so it’s not quite as odd as it was. New pony was low so that’s a relief.

 

[UKa]

My pony has had moderate to high all year. I just did a retest after 2 months after worming and still the same. What are people doing just worming again? worried about resistance. I poo pick often - daily in the summer (24 he turnout) and at least twice a week in winter (6 hr turnout)

 

[Wishfilly]

Update - I got another count done (used pony’s old name so it didn’t look odd ). The results came back medium (600). I’m not as horrified by that and will worm accordingly anyway. One of the other ponies also has a medium count, so it’s not quite as odd as it was. New pony was low so that’s a relief.

How large are the samples you are sending off? I'm very much in favour of worm counting etc, but I do think some of the requested samples are very small, and may not actually be representative.

 

[SantaVera]

How large are the samples you are sending off? I'm very much in favour of worm counting etc, but I do think some of the requested samples are very small, and may not actually be representative.

Agree, also the horse can be wormy but if they are not shedding eggs then the horse will have a low count.

 

[Wishfilly]

Agree, also the horse can be wormy but if they are not shedding eggs then the horse will have a low count.

Yes, this is a very good point.

 

[meleeka]

How large are the samples you are sending off? I'm very much in favour of worm counting etc, but I do think some of the requested samples are very small, and may not actually be representative.

The little clear tubs they sent me, full with no air gaps. The most The recent one was actually bigger as they didn’t send me the tub, so I found a little hair gel tin and used that.

My vet said just worm them all anyway now. None of them look remotely wormy.

 

[Wishfilly]

The little clear tubs they sent me, full with no air gaps. The most The recent one was actually bigger as they didn’t send me the tub, so I found a little hair gel tin and used that.

My vet said just worm them all anyway now. None of them look remotely wormy.

Yes, I'm not fully convinced those tubs are large enough to get a truly representative sample, and worm counts do sometimes throw up odd/unexpected results. Anyway, I think the advice to worm them all is sensible, and I don't think as a one off is especially problematic.

 

[PurBee]

I wonder if the exceedingly wet summer the uk had this year has a bearing? Im used to high rainfall, and certainly the poops ‘laid’ overnight if there has been rain all night long, have been washed throughly by the rain causing a long ‘streak’ of brown liquid to flow 8-10 feet from the poop, which may also contain any worm eggs far away from the poop.
On my dry-lot i see this happen, but similarly on the fields, during high overnight rainfall the poops have a washed appearance potentially causing eggs to travel via rainfall.
During dry weather the eggs cant move by themselves until they mature - daily poo-picking interrupts that cycle keeping field worm counts low, but potentially heavy overnight rain washes the surface off the poops before they get picked-up dispersing more eggs.

 

[meleeka]

I wonder if the exceedingly wet summer the uk had this year has a bearing? Im used to high rainfall, and certainly the poops ‘laid’ overnight if there has been rain all night long, have been washed throughly by the rain causing a long ‘streak’ of brown liquid to flow 8-10 feet from the poop, which may also contain any worm eggs far away from the poop.
On my dry-lot i see this happen, but similarly on the fields, during high overnight rainfall the poops have a washed appearance potentially causing eggs to travel via rainfall.
During dry weather the eggs cant move by themselves until they mature - daily poo-picking interrupts that cycle keeping field worm counts low, but potentially heavy overnight rain washes the surface off the poops before they get picked-up dispersing more eggs.

That makes perfect sense when you put it like that.

 

[Ali27]

I poo pick religiously and my 21 year old has had medium to high worm counts for last couple of years. She is being treated for cushings!

 

[tristars]

I wonder if the exceedingly wet summer the uk had this year has a bearing? Im used to high rainfall, and certainly the poops ‘laid’ overnight if there has been rain all night long, have been washed throughly by the rain causing a long ‘streak’ of brown liquid to flow 8-10 feet from the poop, which may also contain any worm eggs far away from the poop.
On my dry-lot i see this happen, but similarly on the fields, during high overnight rainfall the poops have a washed appearance potentially causing eggs to travel via rainfall.
During dry weather the eggs cant move by themselves until they mature - daily poo-picking interrupts that cycle keeping field worm counts low, but potentially heavy overnight rain washes the surface off the poops before they get picked-up dispersing more eggs.

i was thinking the same, has this year been a perfect storm, for worms

on of ours had worms in july, despite previously counting low early in the year and `no need to worm`

 

[Bobthecob15]

This has just happened to me! Medium for Redworm Yard doesn’t poo pick the fields in winter so it’s no wonder…I’m hoping this might persuade them that they need to!!

 

[ElectricChampagne]

I was speaking to my vet recently and he says they're experiencing a lot of worm related issues in a range of animals and have called it down to the exceptionally wet weather. I'm in Ireland and we've been having a lot of flash flooding and very wet fields here.

 

[WestCoaster]

I’ve had a bit of a nightmare. I worm counted two of my ponies and the results are totally different to what I was expecting. Pony 1 was worm counted as low in May and now has a high count (1200). Pony 2 is new and just had the Panacur 5 day one and the count has come back low. I’m now wondering if I got them mixed up somehow! Ive been on my land for 25 years and have never had higher than a low count of any of them (often no worms seen). Pony 1 does have cushings, but I’m wondering how my pasture can suddenly have all these worms that haven’t been there before. There was a new arrival last year but he was wormed as he arrived and again 6 weeks later. WWYD? I’ve ordered more tests for my own curiosity.

This is interesting. Our yard has typically had low egg count results for the last number of years. We do not have winter turnout at all. So they are in from November time. All were tested in November and all were low circa 0 to 150.

They have been tested and almost all are in the 900 to 1800 range. Yet they have not been near pasture at all.

Therefore the cause/source of the worm burden is curious. They have been fed a combination of hay and hayledge over that time.

I am fairly confident that worm lavae will not survive the drying process for hay. But can the same be said for hayledge. Its moist, slightly warm. Could the hayledge be the source of a high worm burden out of nowhere? I can think of no other source. All horses to be similarly affected?

Any thoughts much appreciated.

 

[criso]

This is interesting. Our yard has typically had low egg count results for the last number of years. We do not have winter turnout at all. So they are in from November time. All were tested in November and all were low circa 0 to 150.

They have been tested and almost all are in the 900 to 1800 range. Yet they have not been near pasture at all.

Therefore the cause/source of the worm burden is curious. They have been fed a combination of hay and hayledge over that time.

I am fairly confident that worm lavae will not survive the drying process for hay. But can the same be said for hayledge. Its moist, slightly warm. Could the hayledge be the source of a high worm burden out of nowhere? I can think of no other source. All horses to be similarly affected?

Any thoughts much appreciated.

Depending on when and what you wormed with, could there have been encysted redworm who are now emerging and causing the high count. This wouldn't be picked up on a normal worm count so could have been sitting there since November.

 

[tristars]

all ours test 0 for F E C and low for encysted red worm via blood test

as far as i know the only way to know if you have encysted is the blood test, the F E C is for live worms shedding eggs

meaning there is a possibility you think negative count means no red worms yet there are encysted

now maybe i have it not quite right but that is the impression i got

also it has been suggested that encysted red can stay in that state for years

the change in the climate ie., warmer may be a factor, would love to know more

 

[HopOnTrot]

Just following up on this. What results have people had this year?

My mare is currently at the vets for scoping and to see if her hocks need medicating again, I asked them to do an egg count (she was in overnight so they would have a large fresh sample) and the vet has just called me to say she has come back as high (1000), she is in a closed herd of two, I poo pick every single day and they are strip grazed, I usually worm in Spring and after we have had a few frosts so she hasn't been wormed since spring. Vet will send her home with a recommended wormer (x2 so I can do her field mate at the same time).

But why is it so high? We are struggling with lethargy, worms could be the cause but also if something else is causing the lethargy that could cause worm counts to be high, should I move to a traditional worming schedule? I always give her a full syringe (for 700kg I think) even though she is just under 400kg.

I feel terrible that she has a high worm count, I thought I had good management but clearly something has gone wrong.

 

[Tiddlypom]

When did you last get a worm count done?

 

[HopOnTrot]

I probably haven't done one for a couple of years as they were normal and I just assumed that my schedule of twice a year, closed herd and poo picking daily was good management (**spoiler alert** I was wrong)

 

[IrishMilo]

We do worm counts every season and it's typically always the same horses with a high count. I do think some are just more susceptible than others, depending on what's going on with their immune system, as every single horse at the yard is poo picked daily.

 

[SEL]

Just following up on this. What results have people had this year?

My mare is currently at the vets for scoping and to see if her hocks need medicating again, I asked them to do an egg count (she was in overnight so they would have a large fresh sample) and the vet has just called me to say she has come back as high (1000), she is in a closed herd of two, I poo pick every single day and they are strip grazed, I usually worm in Spring and after we have had a few frosts so she hasn't been wormed since spring. Vet will send her home with a recommended wormer (x2 so I can do her field mate at the same time).

But why is it so high? We are struggling with lethargy, worms could be the cause but also if something else is causing the lethargy that could cause worm counts to be high, should I move to a traditional worming schedule? I always give her a full syringe (for 700kg I think) even though she is just under 400kg.

I feel terrible that she has a high worm count, I thought I had good management but clearly something has gone wrong.

I've had <50epg for the FEC for all 3 horses but two of them keeping coming up positive on the equisal test for tapeworm.

I spoke to the vets who said because we didn't get a really cold snap last winter (or at least in my area) plus its been very damp then a lot of people are seeing higher than expected counts. Westgate also told me that rabbits and deer don't help with tapeworm because of the intermediary host. A friend moved out of the area earlier this year and finally has her mare's tapeworm results down to zero so I'm wondering if I'm stuck with it.

My smallest cob shows absolutely no sign of worm infestation but the youngest gets very stroppy around his gut when he needs worming. I heard a few years back a vet say that tapeworm can make them very uncomfortable.

I wouldn't start drugging more often than you are - that's might cause you other issues - but I'd run FEC more regularly to see what is going on. (plus equisal twice a year)

 

[Surbie]

I worm count every quarter and this year I had one astronomical count (for him) in July at 1350epg. It's totally out of his normal pattern and others on the yard had massive counts then too. Back down to less than 50epg for the post-worming FEC and the one just done.