HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR HORSES’ WORMING? DO YOU ADMINISTER SEASONAL DOSES ON AN AD HOC BASIS, OR TAKE A MORE SCIENTIFIC APPROACH WITH A TARGETED PROGRAMME? BARBARA YOUNG REPORTS ON THE LATEST VETERINARY THINKING.
INDIVIDUAL TREATMENT
W
ith an array of wormers on offer, gaining a full understanding of worming your horse effectively can seem a daunting task and it’s easy to get confused. hile horse owners recognise that worms can seriously affect the health of their horse, the importance of informed worming should never be underestimated. xperts agree that to maintain effective control and prevent resistance, it’s important to target worming with a customised individual approach, rather than relying on interval dosing or blanket treatments. r sther awlinson, technical services manager at oehringer Ingelheim Animal ealth UK td, explains that wormers anthelmintics are licensed veterinary medicines that have been approved by the
regulatory authorities as being safe and effective, when used as directed, in killing different types and lifestages of worm. “Traditionally, horses were routinely wormed at set intervals. It is now recognised that resistance to wormers is becoming a significant problem, and we must take a sustainable approach to worming in order to preserve wormers for when they are really needed. “The aim of any worming programme is to prevent horses becoming ill due to worm burdens and to reduce pasture contamination with worm eggs, not to eliminate all worms.
ABOVE: WITH RESISTANCE TO WORMERS BECOMING A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM, IT’S ESSENTIAL TO ESTABLISH WHETHER YOUR HORSE REALLY NEEDS TREATING. INSET RIGHT: STRONGYLES AND ASCARID EGGS VIEWED UNDER THE MICROSCOPE FROM A DROPPING SAMPLE.
“It has been shown that just of horses carry of the worm burden . y only treating the horses that need it, we are leaving a population of worms untreated. These are in refugia’ and dilute the effect of any resistant worms that have survived treatment in the wormed horses. “Key in our worming programme is to identify the one in five horses that need worming so that we can target treatment and don’t worm any horses unnecessarily.” Dr Rawlinson says that in order to maintain horses’ health, it’s vital to ensure that “we administer the right wormer to the right horse at the right time” . “Although there are many brands, there are only five active ingredients available BRITISH DRESSAGE // Issue 4 2022 // 49
