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Deworming Horses

© Caryn A. Tate

Deworming (parasite/worm control) is a part of basic horse care that can absolutely not be ignored. It's vital to your horse's health and general well-being. Unlike a lot of diseases or illnesses, parasites can be infesting your horse from the inside while your horse looks perfectly healthy on the outside. The purpose of this article is to help you get on the right track to prevent and/or destroy equine parasites.

As I stated in the first paragraph, you may not think your horse has parasites because he's beautiful, shiny, and completely healthy-looking. He may have a normal appetite and have no obvious sign that he has parasites at all. But on the inside it could be a completely different story. Parasites can cause marginally smaller problems (but problems nonetheless), such as stealing nutrients from your horse's body, and can cause much larger problems, like irreparable tissue damage.

The most important first step is to not rush into the situation and try to address it alone. My suggestion is to take a fecal sample to your vet and have him give it an inspection for parasites. Your vet will be able to tell you exactly what types of parasites your horse has, the best remedy for the parasites, and the correct schedule for the dosage of the remedy. Think of it this way: your vet is making this a lot easier for you as the horse owner, eliminating all guess work as far as what types of worms you should deworm for, how much and how often you should administer the method, etc. It's important not to stop listening to your vet's advice regarding these dewormers, or to stop paying the vet a visit for updated information.

There are three methods of deworming: deworming paste, a supplement, and tubing. The third, tubing, is a procedure where a knowledgable professional-your vet-administers the dosage directly to your horse's stomach through a tube inserted through the horse's nose. Again, it's important that only a professional should perform this procedure.

The other two methods, the paste and the supplements, are fairly simple and can be administered by you or your vet.

There are many types and brands of the paste dewormers on the market now. An essential thing to remember about these paste dewormers is that no matter what the makers may say on the box, you should always rotate types of chemicals used (according to your vet's instruction). If you fail to rotate, the parasites can develop an immunity to the type of chemical being used and begin to prosper inside your horse again despite the dewormer being administered.

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