Worm Watch

Worm Watch Equine Parasitology Consultancy. Test before you drench & use targeted treatment!
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Some of you have probably noticed I haven’t been very active on my page for the last several months (prior to the bereav...
03/11/2024

Some of you have probably noticed I haven’t been very active on my page for the last several months (prior to the bereavement).
I have still been performing FEC during this time.

I find that posting ends up with a massive influx of samples which sometimes is difficult to manage when working full time in my usual job - I love that people are reminded to perform FEC and do read my posts but it can get a bit overwhelming!

I do appreciate the work but the way I want to continue the business is time consuming (writing personal emails explaining the results), and it is why people like using the service so I am loathe to change the way I do things & ensuring numbers of FEC processed are manageable is important.

I wanted to fill you all in on what I have observed with the testing.
Remember these are from my own FEC testing through Worm Watch and resistance has to be confirmed with an official study - so I will clarify I have to state that it’s suspected in some
cases - but this is what ground zero looks like - and it’s no laughing matter Marmaduke!

Not every horse will have resistant worm populations present - but the genes that convey resistance to de-wormers are definitely present and do pose a threat to every horse that is exposed.

🪱Strongyles:
[Note that a larval cultures have confirmed resistant small strongyles for two of the post drench checks, and I would assume at this stage the resistant populations found so far are also small strongyles (as it is difficult to differentiate small versus large strongyle species with visual identification of eggs)
However I have heard about an isolated case of a large strongyle infection that was suspicious of resistant genes.]

🔺Panacur (fenbendazole) - I would go as far as to say it’s pretty much useless for controlling strongyles, even for 7 days at a higher dose rate.
This longer daily treatment can also cause laminitis due to an inflammatory reaction in the large bowel as larvae die off.
🔺Bomatak (oxfendazole)
🔺Feniverquantal (fenbendazole + ivermectin + praziquantel)
🔺 Equimax LV (ivermectin)
🔺Strategy T (pyrantel + oxfendazole)
🔺Combined double drench Strategy T (pyrantel + oxfendazole ) + McWorma (abamectin)
🔺Equitak Excel (oxfendazole + abamectin)
🔺Equest (moxidectin) The label claim of 16 weeks egg reappearance period no longer stands, the average egg reappearance period would be 8 to 10 weeks. Resistance has been confirmed.
🔺Ammo (morantel + abamectin)
🔺Dectomax (doramectin) This drench is off label for horses (meaning it’s not licenced for use in horses) and there are severe resistance issues present.

🪱Roundworms (Ascarids)
🔺Equitak Excel (oxfendazole + abamectin)
🔺Ivermectin - widely known that this has reduced efficacy in this species.

🪱Pinworms (Oxyuris)
This species is a bit complicated due to the long lifecycle but the following drenches don’t work well on the species.
🔺ivermectin
🔺abamectin
🔺moxidectin

I have worked closely with owners and have achieved success with management of a number of these cases, with input from Massey University and Holly Blue.

The other unusual results I have seen, is several adult horses (> 5 years of age) with ascarid (roundworm) infections. Usually individual horses/ponies get lifelong immunity when they are exposed as foals.
I assumed that those adult horses found to have a burden have not been exposed to the species as youngsters prior to ingesting eggs.
Recently a yearling was infected from a known source - a movable shed that was in contact with a foal with known ascarid burden four years before! This case just highlights how long the eggs remain viable in the environment.

I am frustrated with the continual bad advice given out on equine pages - we are standing on the precipice of a massive issue throughout the NZ equine population and really out of date and very much incorrect advice continues to plague the NZ horse world - to the horses detriment.

If you have any horses that are specifically difficult in regards to management of parasites or have concerns about de-worming feel free to contact me. I will be back to normal services from the 11th of November.

And as explained in previously posts, FEC do not always give us the full story, but it is the best we have at the moment.

Resistance is here to stay & it is up to each and every one of us to do our best in regards the management going forward.

I will officially fully back to doing the usual FEC numbers from the 11th of November. I have been doing a few here and ...
03/11/2024

I will officially fully back to doing the usual FEC numbers from the 11th of November.
I have been doing a few here and there but just being careful about not getting snowed under.
Thank you for you understanding! I do appreciate it ♥️

Sadly I have a bereavement in my close family and will not be accepting new samples over the next week or so. Apologies ...
12/10/2024

Sadly I have a bereavement in my close family and will not be accepting new samples over the next week or so. Apologies for this.
Thank you to my lovely clients for all your continued support, I appreciate you all ❣️

Where art thou, Romeo? I do have a Juliet here but that is not helpful! I have a sample “Romeo” that has no paperwork an...
07/10/2024

Where art thou, Romeo?

I do have a Juliet here but that is not helpful!

I have a sample “Romeo” that has no paperwork and I cannot for the life of me find a text message, FB messenger or email that is related to the sample!

Hopefully someone will see this post and get in touch!

Here’s Marmaduke keeping nice and toasty in his PJ’s the last week or so! It’s certainly become chilly as we get close t...
26/05/2024

Here’s Marmaduke keeping nice and toasty in his PJ’s the last week or so!
It’s certainly become chilly as we get close to the official start of Winter.

Thank you so much for all my clients continued support - this autumn has been the busiest period for Worm Watch yet!

Winter is a time where you really have to think about whether or not drenching is appropriate - as parasites become less reproductively active when the environment is colder (very true in cold Canterbury winters) & drenching when it isn’t so necessary in some individuals can lead to increased selection pressure for drench resistance in parasite populations.

As always, there are so many things to take into account - shedder status, recent drench treatments, what drench families have been used, age of the horses, management of the paddocks … all that background information is really important in making decisions for drenching your horses.

Worm Watch is there to guide you in decision making.

☑️ Use Faecal Egg Counts
☑️ Identify Individual Shedder Status
☑️ Plan Targeted Drench Treatments

🟰 SLOW DRENCH RESISTANCE

I have continued to see suspected and confirmed resistance in a number of horses in Canterbury - probably not unsurprisingly this has most frequently been seen in ex-racehorses (Tbs and SBs).

It is several months away now, but if you haven’t thought about confirming shedder status and adding routine FEC to management of your horses - spring will be the time to do so! Plenty of time to plan ahead 🙂

Get in contact with me, Emily, if you have any questions or require the submission form to include with samples.

This little welsh cob cutie Mirabelle is already showing her woolly coat as we move further into autumn 🍂. Autumn is a p...
23/04/2024

This little welsh cob cutie Mirabelle is already showing her woolly coat as we move further into autumn 🍂.

Autumn is a pivotal time for drenching your horses and ponies.
As I always state, it is essential moving forward that you as owners, know the shedder status of each individual.

It provides the information on how many treatments they require every year - we don’t want to be over drenching the low shedders as they have great natural immunity!

Worm Watch is committed to giving you information, along with your FEC results, to help you make decisions moving forward. I do not just give you the numbers and constantly refer to past results, history, and any new changes that may be significant in how you manage your horses.

Mirabelle here is automatically classed as a high shedder due to her age (7 months) and will be treated appropriately. She will NOT require a moxidectin drench going into her first winter - these babies should not be treated with that drench family! Please be mindful that it can be toxic if they are overdosed or have low body fat, and this is far more probable in foals!

This autumn I have had several adults and older youngstock (3yo) have ascarid or round worm infections - this is quite unusual and definitely makes the FEC worth it to plan treatment!

Please in contact for a submission form if necessary and remember there is a pinned post at the top of the page with most of the details!

🦄 If people share grazing, and have the same management, I am happy to pool the cost of the samples and offer the 20% discount for over three samples being submitted!

*Start of the New Financial Year Resolution* Another autumn is here and it makes it the fourth one since starting Worm W...
02/04/2024

*Start of the New Financial Year Resolution*

Another autumn is here and it makes it the fourth one since starting Worm Watch.

The introduction of the Parasight System in Spring has improved the sensitivity of the faecal egg counts and especially the faecal egg count reduction tests (FECRT) (which means checking for drench resistance). Since implementing the new system I have seen some severe resistance issues to singular and double drench families. One horse in particular had to be treated with two tubes that contained three drench families to get good kill rate - but it wasn’t 100%!

Unfortunately the improvement in sensitivity and state of the art FEC machine comes at a much greater cost.
I cannot compete with corporate vet companies with buying power of the consumables and therefore to become viable I have made the decision to increase prices.

The time I spend on reporting results and ensuring there is continuity of care in regards to a parasite management for your horses is beginning to take a toll, with no benefits for me apart from educating people.

I either needed to stop Worm Watch or increase prices - I have chosen the latter in the hope that I can make this business more viable so it can continue long term.

Thank you for the continued support to the clients that have had unwavering support for me and I hope you all remain dedicated to mindful drench use and better parasite management. The future of horse health will be counting on it!

So from the 15th of April 2024 the prices will be as follows -

Singular faecal egg count $40
Singular post drench count $25 ( to encourage monitoring).
Singular foal parasite species check

Drenching should always be thought of as a medical treatment - not unlike having a course of antibiotics for a bacterial...
09/03/2024

Drenching should always be thought of as a medical treatment - not unlike having a course of antibiotics for a bacterial infection.
The drench treatment needs to be specific for the internal parasites you are treating and also the time of the year and the age of the horse/pony.
Shedder status is also extremely important to know for each individual.

I’m not going to lie, some of the comments regarding drenching recently frustrate me, there have been so many changes to the understanding of Parasitology & drench treatments in the last several years.
This has been highlighted with extensive drench resistance observed in ruminants in NZ and the appearance in horse parasite populations too.

It is also a case of the more you delve into the subject, the less you realise you know.

It is true that FEC do not tell the entire picture, but making informed decisions based on specific drench histories, ages and clinical picture is a way to ensure the right decisions are made.

Let’s be clear - there are no other drenches available for treatment of internal parasites in horses than what we have now.
We are continually having supply issues of some major drench families essential for parasite management, which is making the horse owners decisions more difficult.

Resistance is here in our horses and getting worse. When I get told by an expert parasitologist that I will likely not have any other options for internal parasite treatment in a horse with obvious severe resistance - that’s when I get very nervous for the future.

I have so many wonderful clients that continually learn and make great decisions and are managing their horses exceptionally well.
That is the way forward for parasite management - making mindful decisions on drench treatments.

Please don’t just keep blanket drenching, ensure you know your horses shedder status and understand the science behind the drench treatment decisions!

Short and sweet post! I blimmin’ love this side hustle! I have had lots of positive feedback recently which makes my he...
27/02/2024

Short and sweet post!
I blimmin’ love this side hustle!
I have had lots of positive feedback recently which makes my heart sing.
Thank you for all your continued support - it means so much.
There have been times when it’s been a little on the crazy side keeping up and also working my other job & I have considered packing it in, but the loveliness from you all keeps me going
❤️ ❤️❤️

Purebred welsh cobs ~ Mirabelle 🧡and her sire Marmaduke 🧡

🪱 Worm Watch has been back to work processing poo for the last week. 🪱 Waiting times will remain a little longer than us...
10/02/2024

🪱 Worm Watch has been back to work processing poo for the last week.

🪱 Waiting times will remain a little longer than usual, but I am committed to providing the same service in regards to the information given.

🪱 If you or your vet has an urgent sample, I am happy to try and do these ones ASAP, but there may be an extra charge depending on circumstances.
Just ensure you text me or write on the sample/ submission form that it is urgent.

🪱 Ensuring you have knowledge in parasite control in your horses is starting to become far more important - I am concerned that I have possibly found the first horse with parasites very obviously resistant to THREE drench families. Hopefully I can share the information with time.

🪱 If you think you know everything there is to know about internal parasites - don’t be fooled - the more you look, the more you realise you don’t know! I am here to help with any questions or concerns you may have and remember I am finding that things don’t always appear as the literature states.

Happy poo picking and ensure you look into sorting your horses shedder status’s- it really does help with managing your equine friends!

Hey guys, I’m a bit slammed and need to catch up on all aspects of the Worm Watch service. FEC will resume the week of W...
27/01/2024

Hey guys, I’m a bit slammed and need to catch up on all aspects of the Worm Watch service.
FEC will resume the week of Waitangi Day.
Apologies for any inconvenience.

** DRENCHING TIP TIME ** Recently it was time for my foals worming. I don’t officially halter & tie them until they’re a...
24/01/2024

** DRENCHING TIP TIME **

Recently it was time for my foals worming.
I don’t officially halter & tie them until they’re a little older but I do ensure they’re trusting and will let me do most things without any worries, so this was a solution to get the treatment done in a manner as stress free as possible.
Obviously it wouldn’t work on wild or nervous foals, but the tip about transferring the dose below may help you administer it more easily in those foals.

So this drench I primed my filly with a tasty little syringe of honey (you could use molasses) every day for a few days.
I then calculated the correct dose for her drench treatment and took the drench out of the dosing syringe it comes in, into a smaller normal syringe. I used a low volume drench so it was a small amount I needed to give her.

So I did the usual daily honey 🍯 hit, then gave her the drench dose (with no issue) and then chased it with the honey again.
She was very happy and it was low stress.

The same process of changing the drench to a a smaller syringe would be useful for miniature, as I’m always nervous that the syringe could be faulty or slip (which I have had happen before 🫣- luckily an adult horse!).

It avoids any potential overdosage and the small syringe is more comfortable for smaller mouths too.

Remember I do have Panacur (fenbendazole) available for sale in small volumes if anyone needs to use it in their foals due to roundworm infection.
A faecal egg count around 10 to 12 weeks of age in foals will provide information as to whether you have this parasite present in your youngstock (not useful for the actual counts though).

PM if you have any queries etc.

Marmaduke is making an announcement : Waiting times are longer! I have had difficulty getting samples done in the usual ...
18/01/2024

Marmaduke is making an announcement : Waiting times are longer!
I have had difficulty getting samples done in the usual time frame recently - but rest assured the samples are safe and stored correctly, and I process them as soon as I can.
However with those “frequent flier” FEC - the time it takes to write the email and send results can be longer as I refer back to all the previous emails & try and provide as comprehensive service as possible, which is always individualised.
I may have to make some changes on what people request in regards to service - but most clients seem to really appreciate the extra information.
Remember that I work full time in my usual job too 🙂
Will keep you all posted! Any feedback gratefully received.
Thank you for the continued support!

My phone is playing up - hopefully will have it fixed tomorrow. Please use the email address to contact me if needed ☺️ ...
15/01/2024

My phone is playing up - hopefully will have it fixed tomorrow. Please use the email address to contact me if needed ☺️ thank you!

Worm Watch is open between Christmas and New Year! Remember there is a pinned post at the top of the page with instructi...
26/12/2023

Worm Watch is open between Christmas and New Year!

Remember there is a pinned post at the top of the page with instructions and as always, feel free to message me too.

I am expecting to see higher than normal counts this summer due to to rain & heat so keep that in mind in regards to parasite management.

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