Parasite Problems in Horses

Articles on Horses | Topics: horses, horse, equestrian

by Payton Fleming

Parasite Problems in Horses

Parasites problems in horses have been addressed for years. Parasites can cause a horse to colic or have breathing and performance issues.

The most common of these nasty little invaders are ascarids, strongyles, and pinworms. They are the silent killers of the horse industry, and they are often preventable.

The first thing you need to do is to identify parasite problems in horses. Some signs are easy to see, a horse that rubs his tail on the fence likely has pinworm. The horse that is thin and has the scraggly coat likely has strongyles or tapeworm. If you notice little yellow eggs attached to his front legs, then he has both.

The good news here is that all of these are treatable, provided they have been caught at an early enough stage in your horse's life. If any one of the 150 internal parasites has been attacking your horse over a course of years, then there is the possibility that the damage has been done and is not reversible.

Bit of History

The Volga flows into the Caspian Sea.... Horses eat oats and hay....

—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)

Establishing and following an effective parasite control program for your horse is as important as fresh water and good feed and hay. Most people don't realize the importance of de-worming their horses. They will understand when their horse takes that turn for the worse, and sometimes it's too late at that point. On the other hand, some horses can be parasite infested, and never show any signs that he has internal parasites. He may have the shiniest coat you have ever seen, and may not show any of the other signs, such as lack of stamina, weight loss, loss of appetite and a dull, scraggly coat. In the meantime, he may have a system full of parasites that are destroying his intestines, organs and blood vessels.

Your best defense against a parasite problem in horses is to take a sample of his fecal matter to your local vet for lab analysis. Parasites and their eggs are not always visible to the naked eye, unless your horse is infected with, and pooping out roundworms. You will know these parasites if and when you see them. Dependent on which parasites your vet finds in your horses fecal matter, he can then recommend the most effective de-wormer, and schedule to rid your horse of these nasty infiltrators. After your vet gives you his recommendations, it is imperative to follow up approximately two weeks later to have the fecal matter checked again for parasites and eggs.

Parasite problems in horses never fully go away. As long as you have horses, you will have parasites. The good news is that their numbers can be greatly reduced with good horse management practices. With this in mind, it been proven that parasites also build resistance to the chemicals we use to kill them. When you've recognized parasite problems in horses in your barn, you will need to rotate which chemicals you use to eliminate those parasites. Many different products contain the same chemicals, so it is important to read the ingredients lists to make sure you are indeed switching back and forth between, or amongst chemicals.

There are three ways to deworm your horse. You can choose whichever one will work best for you and your horse. The first method is stomach de-worming, commonly referred to at tube worming. In this case, a vet comes to your farm, inserts a tube through your horses nose, down into his stomach, and administers the chemicals to his stomach. Most horses do not necessarily prefer this method, so you can try to deworm him with a paste wormer that you can purchase from any feed store. This involves inserting the end of the paste tube into the corner of your horse's mouth, and depositing the paste onto the back of his tongue for him to swallow. When you worm my horse this way, try to have a pail of feed handy to allow your horse a mouthful of feed to wash the paste down. The other option to treat parasite problems in horses is to add the dewormer to his feed. There are flavored dewormers, which most horses will eat without a second thought. Some horses will not touch their feed if you add something foreign to it. You will need to determine which works best in your situation and use that method. If you have any further parasite issues, you should consult your vet.

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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Parasite Problems in Horses" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by DogsPetsCats.com.

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