Worming a new foal

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TopDollar

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I've just put a deposit down on a four month old foal who is due to be delivered shortly. The current owners are going to worm the mare which he's feeding from, however they are also splitting them up in the next day or so.

I don't feel that he will have been wormed properly with that method and would like to make sure I worm him when he arrives, but of course I don't want to cause any harm. I'm always a bit worried about other people worming due to a pony I took in who came with a spreadsheet showing worming, but according to the vet when she died it was due to a worm burden!

Can I use a panacur five day or something when he arrives?

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
You might get a better response in the breeding section.
We buy our wormer from our vets because it is cheaper, but also we can then worm according to what their recommendation is at that time. You are doing the right thing by worming, but bearing in mind the ivermectin resistance often talked about now, your vet can also give you advice to how much and which will give you the best cover, ie tapeworm etc.
 
panacur wont cover all and is great for sever red worms. but best wormer for foal bimectin, you can change to another one round christmas. but thats what i would put in her. goodluck enjoy new foal
 
There are other issues when looking at foal worming. Has the foal been wormed at all and has he/she been on 'clean' pasture. I am preparing for next April and already have a small field on rest for two months.

Advice is that foals should be wormed 4-6 weeks during first six months - although vet at Laminitis Trust has written an article advising use of clean pasture rather that worming for foals.

Ring your vet or ask your normal supplier what wormer they would recommend for a foal this young. I will be worming soon for red-worm and bots but the wormer I use is not recommended for very young foals.

Out of interest, four months is quite young to be weaned, is there a reason?
 
My choice for your foal's first wormer would probably be single dose panacur. It's an old fashioned wormer which is difficult to overdose with.
Another good reason for not using ivermectin in this instance is that there is definitely some ascarid (roundworm) resistance to ivermectin. As ascarids are really the worm of foals then this could be important.

However, you could of course worm count your foal on arrival. Even if you still intend to worm him soon after that, it would give you an idea of what is going on there so you can proceed accordingly.

I would agree with the poster above in that when you get a new horse or pony the worming record often is economical with the truth. New horses arriving here have often had worm counts in the thousands even though we were told they had been recently wormed.

Good luck with your foal. It is a shame he is leaving mum so early.
 
I send samples to Westgate so I gues I'll send a sample off once the foal arrives.

To the poster asking about why the foal has been weaned early - he's a big foal and his Dam is in foal again and is loosing a bit of condition and so Vet advised he be weaned. He hasn't yet arrived here.
 
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