Planning Out Deworming Practices

After a snowy winter, temperatures in Central Kentucky are seasonably warm once again. Grass is green, birds are singing, and equine parasites are stirring back to life. This is the time of year when horse owners and farm managers become aware of worms and make plans to combat them.
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After a snowy winter, temperatures in Central Kentucky are seasonably warm once again. Grass is green, birds are singing, and equine parasites are stirring back to life. This is the time of year when horse owners and farm managers become aware of worms and make plans to combat them.

Many farms follow a calendar schedule dictating what type of deworming product to use and when, while others use a seasonal method and do not deworm at all during certain times of the year. According to the University of Kentucky’s Mary Rossano, MS, PhD, assistant professor in animal and food sciences, many people who practice seasonal deworming assume parasites die during winter and there is no need to administer dewormer in the colder months.

Actually, Rossano said, the reverse is true south of the Ohio River, where summer is often hot and dry enough to kill most parasite larvae before emergence or on grass blades before ingestion. In colder climates some types of worms can survive under several inches of snow, although they are less likely to be ingested.

Deworming practices depend on the age of the horse under consideration. Since there are several types of parasites, each with different means of action, transmission, and temperature tolerance, it is important for horse farm managers to know which types are targeting their herd. Ascarids, commonly called “roundworms,” hatch inside the horse and migrate through the liver and lungs to feed in the small intestine and primarily affect young horses until they are one to two years old. Small strongyles, on the other hand, are the major parasite of concern in adult horses and attack the large intestine. Most foals develop small strongyle infections in their year of life and gradually build immunity as they reach adulthood. Bots, pinworms, and tapeworms are rarer and seasonally affect adult horses. Each type of worm responds differently to the various types of dewormers and some (particularly small strongyles) are becoming highly resistant

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