10/07/2024
🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫**Just Say No!**🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫
🐴🐴🐴🐴**Attention all horse owners!**🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴
We’re receiving an increasing number of orders for Equest and Equest Pramox this summer. It’s important to understand why these wormers are not appropriate for use at this time of year, and why I won’t be prescribing them at this time of year.
What You Need to Know:
- Equest and Equest Pramox contain Moxidectin, which treats encysted redworm—larvae that burrow and hibernate in the colon wall.
- The larvae encyst in the cold months (late autumn/winter) and emerge in spring. This mass emergence can cause severe damage to the gut wall, potentially leading to the horse’s death.
Current Treatment Options:
- Fenbendazole (Panacur)
- Moxidectin (Equest and Equest Pramox)
Unfortunately, worm resistance to Fenbendazole already exists, and resistance to Moxidectin is rapidly developing.
The Risks of Resistance:
If resistance to Moxidectin increases, we may lose the ability to treat acute cyathostomosis, resulting in more horse fatalities. Hence, it’s **ABSOLUTELY VITAL** to use Moxidectin only during the **WINTER/COLD MONTHS**.
Important Guidelines:
- **Do not use Equest or Equest Pramox** on a new horse without knowing its worming history. These wormers are not for ‘clearing out’ horses.
- **Follow these practices** to maintain your horse’s health:
Our Recommendations:
1. Perform regular worm egg counts from spring through autumn.
2. Conduct tapeworm testing alongside worm egg counts.
3. ONLY worm based on a positive worm egg count.
4. Poo pick your pasturestwice a week.
5. Cross graze with other species (e.g., sheep and cattle) to help control worm populations.
Preventing Anthelmintic Resistance:
Preventing resistance to Moxidectin is crucial. Without new wormers on the horizon, we must preserve the effectiveness of existing treatments. This requires a collective effort from all horse owners.
Together, we can protect our horses and ensure effective treatments remain available. In the absence of appropriate dispensing, it is up to horse owners to remain educated to help protect the health of horses in the long term.
If you’d like further information on equine worms, check out our blog
https://cura-pet.co.uk/spring-worming-for-horses/
Dr Nicola Endersby MRCVS
