Worm count results?!

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Milanesa

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Hey all, I had my horses tested for the first time using westgate Labs. However I was surprised with the results! 3 horses in the same paddock on same program tested with one at 50, one at 500, and one at 2350 for strongyles (Redworm).

So what have your horses counts been, and if you have had high counts how have you managed it?
 
Horses have different abilites to deal with worm infections - some will always have few worms, some will always need help in the form of good management. Ignore the one with the low count, worm the one with the massive count, and probably the one in the middle too. The accepted level to worm at is currently 200epg, but I've been reliably informed that this figure was plucked out of the air one day by persons unknown! New thinking is that the presence of a small number of worms is not a bad thing. Keep doing your worm counts and you will start to see patterns - you may never need to worm the low egg count horse except for tapeworm, unless you have a blood test done for that too.
 
My horse was always wormed along with the yard programme, where ever I was stabling at the time. Before that when on DIY, I wormed according to the current advice about how to avoid worm resistance.
So I was shocked to find out three years ago that my gelding had a high worm count. Other horses on the yard tested similar to your pattern, some low, some medium.

He was subsequently found to be PPID and would have had little resistance to worms. I did a five day Panacur programme and he has since then tested zero epg. I poo pick my own paddock and he has been zero ever since but I wormed last winter for tapes and bots.
 
Hi yes I thought to do the 5 day course with the one with the high count. I think I will thx for the advice. Yes now I have done an egg count I will definitely carry in and worm as needed rather than religiously every 3 months. Being able to get egg counts is a great step forward in worm control IMO!
 
Milanesa said:
Hi yes I thought to do the 5 day course with the one with the high count. I think I will thx for the advice. Yes now I have done an egg count I will definitely carry in and worm as needed rather than religiously every 3 months. Being able to get egg counts is a great step forward in worm control IMO!
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Remember worm counts do not show tapeworm and encysted red worm. So you still need to worm for tapeworm spring and autumn and ERW in depths of winter
 
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