Effective Long Term Protection against Equine Worms
Your horse is always under a constant threat of developing a serious worm infestation throughout their lives. Therefore it is imperative that you ensure that they are protected all year round. If a horse does develop a serious infestation, they are at risk of diarrhoea, weight loss and even colic so the matter should not be neglected. There are a number of equine worming products on the market, such as the equest horse wormer. All equine worming products fall under two main categories which are purge wormers and continuous wormers. Equine worming treatments also come in a variety of forms including pastes, gels, pellets and powders which can be administered orally with a syringe or mixed in with the horses feed.
Purge Wormers
Purge wormers are the more powerful of the two and are intended to kill the worms in just a few days. This is to be used in case of a heavy infestation as the worms are removed much quicker so the horse can begin to recover. Although purge wormers may be effective at dealing with an infestation quickly they can be very draining on a horse so they should be used as sparingly as possible and treatment should only be given every 2-3 months.
Continuous Wormers
Because your horse is under constant threat it is advisable to provide constant protection and continuous wormers do just that. Continuous wormers are less potent than purge wormers and are designed to prevent serious worm infestations from taking hold in the first place. Continuous wormers are included in the horses feed every day and the milder dose causes little or no damage to the horses health.
Different Strains and Resistance
There are a number of different types of worm and each worming drug will not kill all types of worm. This means it is important to alternate treatments occasionally to ensure that the horse is thoroughly protected. Occasional purge worming for other types of worm is recommended. One problem that faces horse owners is that as with all parasites, worms can begin to develop an immunity to treatment so horse owners should occasionally rotate between an equest horse wormer and other brands to help prevent resistance developing. Another way to help combat the problem of resistance is to use worming treatments as sparingly as possible and only when signs indicate that a certain level of infestation is present.
Another factor to bear in mind is that every horse is individual and treatment should be given on a per case basis. Some horses may be more or less susceptible to infestation than others while some will also react to certain drugs differently meaning that simply using a generic program is usually not advisable. For the horses safety and to achieve effective treatment a veterinarian should be consulted before administering any treatment for your horse.
There are several brands of horse wormer on the market and equest horse wormer is among the best known of all the brands.
Debbie Reade is a frequent contributor of articles for Wormers.co.uk and has written on many subjects pertaining to all animal needs including cats and dogs but mainly on the subject of Equine health.
