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Manage Internal Parasites – Don’t let them manage you.

 

Good worm control in horses is vital for health, growth and performance. Unfortunately the bulk of the industry simply drench/paste their horses at regular intervals. Whilst this seems an effective approach, for a host of reasons this practice develops many complications.

 

In the Lab we see the results of ineffective drenching programs on a regular basis.

 

The most powerful tool a horse owner can have is information. That is the actual worm status of your horses, what level of worm burden they are carrying. It doesn't make sense to make health decisions without the right information... the wrong product or wrong timing can be very costly.

 

The horse industry has been slower than other livestock industries to adopt worm testing as the norm because it is just easier to pick up a paste from the local supplier for under $20 and paste the horse. The packet tells you it controls a huge range of worms and you feel good knowing you have done the right thing for your animal.

Unfortunately it’s not that simple. Resistance has become a big issue. This can be caused by under dosing, not rotating drench families, introducing new horses without a quarantine period and effective drench bringing in a problem from outside and the list goes on. As horse owners it is most important to know your drenching program is working. Evidence from the lab shows that the same drench product can be highly effective on one farm but useless on another. So it is important to know drench history and check to see if the drench used still works on your property. An ideal and simple way to check this is in two steps. First send a sample to the Lab to know the worm levels present. Then by sending a second sample, collected 10 to 14 days after drenching we see the effectiveness of the drench used. The timing is very important as we want to check for possible resistance as opposed to reinfection.

 

Taking a wider approach to worm control will extend the effective life of the drench products you use. Simple things make the difference. Think paddock rotations and stocking rates with the view to minimising stress, both nutritional and physical.

Monitor stock for signs of worms but more importantly get into a habit of routine testing to stay on top of the issue because by the time the visual signs are present the production losses have already taken place.

 

Ideally worm tests should be performed around 4 times a year. It’s a simple process. Collect a small amount of dung from the horse/horses you wish to test place in a ziplock bag (like a sandwich bag). Seal up well and post to the lab. Request forms and further details on sample collection are available on our website. www.stockwatchlab.com.au Drench because you know they need it... not because you think they might.