Worm Count Vs Worming pastes - pros & cons please

[Ludi-doodi]

YO is thinking about moving to worm counts for yard rather than chemical wormers. Worm count would be done through a local vet, although not my vet they are used by a significant number of people on my yard. I've never used them it's not that I think they aren't good

Background- For the 10 years I've been on the yard a regular worming regime has been in operation with the YO providing womers and charging to our bills. Everyone (approx 50 horses) does it the same day and horses are kept in overnight on the evening of the worming. The fields are harrowed once a week over summer and majority of fields rested over the winter.

So apart from one of the 'pros' being no chemicals going into the horses what else is there? On the nuetral side, we'd still have to bring horses in for one night in the summer to make sure we get our own poo!

Do you think it might mean that Poo picking would have to be done instead of the weekly harrowing? A 'con' here would be that I can see some issues with some people not taking their fair share of this chore

I'm not against it at all I would just like to hear some views so I can ask the YO relevant questions.

Oh! And how long does it take to get the results back from a worm count?

 

[oscarwild]

I have always done wormers until I moved to my present yard where we do worm counts.

Our fields are massive at this yard and we harrow the fields instead of poo pick on the worm counts. And we still have 95% of the horses on a clean worm count. Always seems to be new horses on yard that need done.

Atached is a leaflet my vet has made up about worm counts that might give you more advice on it. http://www.equitait.com/page21.htm

When we put our worm counts to vet he checks them that day and we get results back following day.

 

[muff747]

Biggest advantage I found was, you find out if your wormers are working.
My boy has always been wormed at the correct time along with what ever program is in force at the yard. Three years ago my gelding had various health problems so I decided to try a herbal wormer but was advised to get a worm count done first as they don't clear a high worm burden. Confident it would be low, I duly sent off the sample to Westgate - it came back high!
Others then got theirs checked and found some didn't need worming at all, some were high like mine and some medium burden.
So another advantage is you could be saving money on wormers.
The other big advantage for all of us is you are reducing the problem of worms becoming resistant to the chemicals because you are targeting only where it is needed and by testing you make sure it has worked. If not you make sure to zap them by doing the 5 day Panacur.

 

[c2b]

In the early days you could be paying for both worm counts and still have to worm.

You still have to worm for tapeworm and encysted red worm. Equest and Panacur 5 day guard are the only products that affect encysted red worm.

It makes me feel really good knowing my mare isn't getting chemicals inside her that she DOESN'T NEED!
Sad fact.....I get very excited waiting for my result and feel really good to get a <50epg no eggs seen in sample message.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I do worm counts now no sence keep pumping chemicals in if they are not needed.

I phone up westgate laboritories http://www.westgatelabs.co.uk/ they ask me how many i need then send the sample pots and form on the morning i do it i go round take a little from each stable and put in pre named sample pots the sheet is also got each horses name next to the sample pot number . easy peasy

i then send this off to west gate and get my results next day

i worm with red worm on 5th nov an easy day to remember and end march april this way cheaper than keep pumping wormers in
and i do bots too
i dont see the point of harrowing poo in.looks messy i think its a lazy way to rid poo

if you have a big yard big fields you have to get http://www.paddockcleaner.co.uk/?gclid=CKedzt7d7qkCFQEa4Qod3BCvXA
if small area then then use wheely


http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_trkp...ock+cleaner&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_sop=7&_sc=1

 

[AFlapjack]

I'm still not confident using worm counts. I started them at the beginning of last year, Jack's results came back clear but he ended up with worms over the summer!

So this year they're all back on wormers and we'll possibly try again with counts next year.

 

[BigRed]

I think you have missed the point. You use worm counts to see whether your horses NEED to be wormed. It isn't a case of using worm counts instead of using a wormer. It is a sensible and economical thing to do. A worm count costs approx £10, half the cost of a wormer. As others have said, the worm count does not show things like tape worms, so you still need to worm for things like that.

It potentially saves money to do worm counts, because you can get a proper view of the condition of your horses worm burden. My new horse had a count of 1300 !

 

[Miss L Toe]

I have not read all the above, as far as I am concerned, my horse does not need to be poisoned unless he has a problem. I am happy with worm counts for spring and summer, and will give him Ivermectin etc if needed.
It has been known for years that there are only a few wormers and that eventually worms will become resistant, only in the last year have vets acknowledged this and adapted the routine accordingly

 

[FairyLights]

I use Abby Diagnostics http://www.abbeydiagnostics.co.uk/

 

[Escada2004]

ive been doing worm counts on my three for a couple of years now using westgate labs and they offer a great service. I send the poo first class and get the results next day byt email (they will text of call if if you prefer) they also email me a reminder when they are due. Mine have come back clean for as long as i can remember so not only has it saved me money, reduced the amount of toxins going in to my horses but also gives piece of mind that there is nothing going on inside. I worm twice a year for tape and encysted red worm with equest paramox but much better than worming 4-6 times a year. I poo pick my fields but they are only small paddock, its fine if you keep on top of it and your YO will just have to be strict and make sure everyone is doing their fair share. Its much much better for the horses this way

 

[CrazyMare]

We use Intellegent Worming, and have noticed a huge reduction in wormer usage, healthier horses (they all looked good anyway, but some had high counts) and its cheaper.

Plus I don't have to remember anything - they send it all to me, 5 days beforeI need to do anything!

 

[jm2k]

I started worm testing out of curiosity last year. had 4 horses on the same land for 7 years, always rotated between 3 fields regularly, rarely wormed (occasionally with 5day Oct/Nov).
The mare was High, geldings Med so i wormed with 5 day as usual. then re-tested in spring when we had the new gelding (first new horse into the land in all this time). My theory was if the geldings were lower than the mare before treating, test her, if she had reduced then presumably they had too.
Mare was medium, New gelding was ZERO. Wormed them all with Eraquell (Ivermectin).
I will do another test late summer on the mare and one of the old geldings to just check they are still lower than her, then give either 5 day or the new stronger 1 dose eqivelant.
I do now poo-pick as much as i can, and will be buying a small towable harrow soon.

For reference, the new gelding has recently turned 4, had been wormed in Jan before arriving with me. He is an ex-racer who last raced in Oct so i base his excellent count on his training programme.

 

[Theresa_F]

I use Abbey Diagnostics for my counts. Cheaper than the vet.

I do poo pick nearly every day in summer, and there are my two only in the paddock. In winter I do it once a week until January when it is too wet and muddy to get the barrow in and out the field, and by then, the grazing is more or less finished.

I now worm end of December for encysted red worm with Equest as this kills everything bar tape worm. I worm count mid April, and rarely need to worm. I then worm count end of September and worm for tape in October, again rarely need to use a combi-wormer.

This means I am not using a wormer when it is not needed, I know that my system is effective and I generally only buy two wormers and two counts per year so it is also good for the pocket as I have large horses which require more than one wormer.

In April they are in at night so it is easy to get a sample. In September, I bring them in during the day for a few hours to get one.