Worms

[121kelly121]

I think my boy may have worms.
I got him in October from the police; When i got him, i took a poo sample down to the vets, who said that he had a high count of red worms.
I wormed him for this, and then about 8 weeks after that we were due to worm for Tape worm on our yard. The YO said that i had to worm him for this too, even though there wasnt signs of tape worm in his poo count, but to be in line with all of the other horses on the yard, i had to worm him for tape worm.
However, i have noticed lately he has dropped quite a bit of weight, you can see his ribs. Hr does have a little pot belly. He hasnt got dirrhea or anything like that though.
But the problem is, we have not wormed at all since December when I wormed for Tape worm along with the other yard, and since i first got him, we have not changed fields.
We are due to worm this weekend, as then we can go out 24/7 summer grazing, and i am not sure whether we will be moving fields. The YO needs to section some of his other fields off before we can move. So not sure if he will do this before the weekend.
We are meant to be on a worming program with the vets, but it seems like the YO is not sticking to this, as we just seem to be worming at random times.
My questions are:
How often should we worm?
Do we need to change fields each time, or how often should we change fields?
Are certain horses prone to worms?
Would it benefit me (if we are not following a correct worming program) to have my own program and worm my horse more regular? Or would it not work, as all of the other horses arent on the same program?

Just a bit of background, my boy is 17h, 20 years old.
I am currently feeding him hi fi, and 16 plus and carrots twice a day. He gets quite big dinners, during the winter he was also on Alpha Beet.
I have since (1 and a half months ago) stopped the alpha beet and put him on haylege.
He gets 2 big haynets full of a mix of haylege and hay.
This is why i am thinking it could be worms, as he is eating a lot but not putting any weight on.
The grass in the field isnt plentyful, however it is not bare either.

What would you do if you were me??


Thanks

 

[milliepops]

Would it benefit me (if we are not following a correct worming program) to have my own program and worm my horse more regular? Or would it not work, as all of the other horses arent on the same program?

I'm supposed to be working so no time to answer all of your questions - sure someone else will do soon anyway
but just wanted to answer this one as I'm in a similar position. My yard's worming programme is a little sporadic

I would firstly have a word with your YO to say you are concerned that they do not appear to be following the programme recommended by your vets - see what the response is first. There may be a misunderstanding or perhaps they have plans that you don't know about yet - it's only fair to ask.

Then, do another worm count with your vet or another company to see whether he has a worm burden still - whoever does the count for you should then be able to provide advice about which wormers you need to use, if any. If your YO still shows no sign of implementing a proper programme, I'd continue to do this, so you at least know that your horse is OK, esp as he already has a history of worm problems

You will be swimming against the tide a bit if the other horses aren't being wormed too, but perhaps you can then get together with the other liveries to put a bit more pressure on the YO?

 

[Daisy11]

firstly ,i would get a worm count done to see whats going on ,but i must remind you worm counts can sometimes not pick up some worms .
if it does pick up any worms then i would worm with what they tell you to worm with
if not i would worm with a panacur equine guard or something along those lines
just to flush through and then get a worming program from either worming count people or vet .
i would start on my own worming program if the YO isnt correctly doing so
aleast you can guarette some hope .
i would also make sure that its not pain related thats causing the weight loss such as teeth , back etc

 

[brightmount]

You say your YO is worming at random times but from what you describe it sounds like they are worming to a set 4 times a year programme, which is usual for a commercial yard. The easiest programme to follow is Equest (green) winet and summer, and Equest Pramox (blue) spring and autumn. You may be able to skip the summer wormer if you have a worm count done that comes back negative.

Remember tape worm doesn't show up in a fecal egg count. You need a blood test to pick it up, so it's more usual to worm a horse on spec with Pramox or equivalent.

If your horse is looking poor it may just be the time of year, but I would get the vet to check him over before you worm with a strong wormer like Equest/Pramox or Equimax, or you could get an impaction if there are a lot of worms present. The vet could check him internally if he suspects this and do another fecal egg count, but tapeworm, which doesn't show up, can do a lot of damage, and now is a good time to dose for it. You may be advised to do a 5-day course of Panacur Guard followed by Equest/Pramox/Equimax a month later if a high worm burden is suspected.