Horse Care For Beginners

What is a parasite?                                                                                                                       

One definition is a living organism that lives on and off another creature.  A parasite typically feeds off food ingested by the host animal, or feeds from the animal itself, but gives no benefit in return.

Internal horse parasites have the potential to kill your horse.

While horse parasites may be out of sight, they do extensive damage internally.  Parasites can steal nutrients from your horse and cause gastrointestinal irritation.

What are the most common internal horse parasites?

 It’s a fact that there are more than 150 parasites that can infest your horse.  The most common are large strongylus (aka bloodworms), small strongylus, ascarids, pinworms, bots, tapeworms, threadworms and lungworms.  And I find it a rather frightening thought that some of these species can lay up to 200,000 eggs a day.  This number is staggering. And the  thing with all these parasites is that they may all be present in your horse at the same time, just in different lifecycle stages.  So yes, while your horse may look healthy and happy, you don’t know what is going on inside.  These silent killers can damage tissues and vital organs, major blood vessels, cause obstructions and ulcerations in the digestive tract.  Pinworms can really irritate horses and cause intense anal itching.

Signs of infestation to look out for.

Bear in mind that signs of horse parasite infestation are not always seen, however the signs you should be aware of include:

•  dull, rough coat
• apparent weight loss
• tail rubbing (hair loss)
• colic (see post – Colic in Horses)
• depression
• coughing and/or nasal discharge
• loss of appetite

If you see any of these signs, play it safe and call in your Vet.

BUGS ABD GERMS

You may ask,   “Won’t I see them worms in the manure ?”  The answer is ” no, you won’t”,  but the eggs will be visible to the Veterinarian under a microscope. Your Vet will probably do a fecal examination.  By counting the types and number of eggs, your Vet can then tell you which de-worming program will best work for you.  This test in combination with a good worming program will keep your horse protected from the ravages of  horse parasites.

How to use wormers.

You can give wormer four ways, oral paste syringe, oral liquid syringe, nasogastric tube and as a feed additive.  In many cases horses will not eat something they smell in their feed, so if you can work with the other two methods, you’d accomplish worming effectively.  Nasogastric tubes are best left for your Vet to administer wormer.  Make sure you give the proper dose and at the proper time – usually every 6 to 8 weeks. (foals will differ, so check your wormer labels)

All three methods are effective. The key is that the deworming product must be given in the proper dose (given by weight) at the proper time, and that your horse actually swallows the wormer.   To make sure he does, you can do one of two things – insert your thumbs into either side of your horse’s mouth to make him open his mouth and swallow the paste or liquid he was holding in his mouth, or put your hand under his chin and tip his head up so that he has to swallow.

To plan the best worming schedule, talk to your Veterinarian.  Your horse is too precious for you to lose to horse parasites.

Recommended reading:   Vaccination and Worming of Horses: What You Need to Know (Cadmos Horse Guides) by Anke Rüsbüldt

Related posts:

1. Prevent Parasites from Attacking Your Horse.

Tags: easy horse care, easy horse care for beginners, equine parasites, horse care for beginners, Horse health, parasites, worms in horses

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