The Worms That Can Strike Your Horse and How to Prevent Infestation
If you own a horse or pony, it is important to invest in a product or long-term treatment to reduce the burden of pastureparasites. Many owners are aware that they must put a worm-reducing programme into place, as every horse can suffer witha parasite problem. Many worms may be present in low numbers and pose no problems for the horse, but if the worms reach a specific level, the unpleasant symptoms of weight loss and diarrhoea could strike. Using cheap wormers may not be the most effective way to treat worm infestation in your horse, but one product that works well over 13 weeks is the equesthorse wormer.
The Worms That Cause Life-Threatening Conditions
Some species of worm can cause potentially life-threatening conditions for horses. The horse may swallow the worm larvae that have already laid its eggs in the pasture and it takes time for the larvae to grow inside the horse before it reaches adulthood in the large intestine. The worms then create eggs, which are transported into the dung on the pasture. In warm conditions, the eggs hatch once again into the infected larvae. The exact number of worms that a horse is carrying can be estimated by the faecal worm egg count (the eggs found in the droppings). Tapeworms and small round worms are the exception to this rule, as they cannot be detected by a routine faecal egg count.
Types of Worms
If a large redworm strikes your horse then it can be concerning, since this worm’s life cycle involves the movement of larvae from the large intestine into the abdomen, before it returns to the bowel as an adult worm. One species of worm,strongylus vulgaris, can obstruct blood flow and result in a dangerous form of colic that may require surgery. Equest worming programmes can effectively kill these species.
Small redworms are the next common infestation that can strike a horse internally. They have a short cycle life and because of this, they can become resistant to modern wormers. They tend to lie dormant in the lining of the large intestine. When ahorse ingests larvae in the pasture, the larvae take time to grow in the large intestine and then resurface as adults. A proportion of the worm can remain and during this time, the worm can develop resistance to modern worming products. The larvae resurface toward the end of the winter, together with a greater number and the result can be devastating to the horse’s bowel, which could even prove fatal.
There are many types of wormers online, including pramox horse wormer, equest gel, pramoxequest, and herbal horse wormers. The large variety of online retailers can help you discover the cheapest horse wormers, dependent on the type of worm that has infected your animal.
If your horse experiences an infestation, try looking online for wormers to start an effective worming programme.
