Worming
We offer a full worming advisory service, including faecal egg counts, tapeworm and redworm testing and worm risk assessment. This allows us to advise the most appropriate treatment plan for your horse, balancing the risk of clinical disease with the need to prevent development of wormer resistance and minimise contamination of the environment with wormer residue in horse dung. We don’t only look at worm egg count results; your individual horse’s age, history and husbandry i.e. whether they are turned out in a big field with other horses or stabled, is considered in our risk-based, diagnostic-led worming programme.
Four worm egg counts, a tapeworm saliva test, a worm risk assessment are included with our Horse Health Programme benefits, with the addition of one wormer (if clinically required).
Why is a risk-based, diagnostic-led worming programme important?
- It provides ensures targeted parasite control reducing unnecessary use of wormers which as a result reduces the development of wormer resistance in our equine patients.
- Implementing this approach will enable us to use our wormers in the equine population more effectively and for longer.
- Routine worming without prior risk assessment also impacts the environment as wormer residue in horse dung can reach our waterways.
What is wormer resistance?
- Similarly to antibiotic resistance, overusing wormers when they aren’t required has led them be less effective at killing worms.
- This is a growing problem and may mean that wormers won’t work in the future and there may be an increase in parasite-related diseases such as colitis.
- There are no new wormers currently available.
Our friendly team of SQPs and vets are available today to discuss your individual situation and advise you and your yard.
