Worming
All equines can be affected by several different types of worms, some of which can cause colic: either when present in large numbers or because of the damage they have caused to the gut wall and surrounding blood vessels. A well-structured worming programme is essential to control worm levels within your horse, and on the pasture, as well as to avoid inducing drug resistance by the worms targeted.
There is a vast range of brand names for wormers available, but only a few drug types. We have put the drug names on a planner (available from the practice on request), so always check what drug is in the wormer you buy. An accurate estimate of the weight of your horse is essential to avoid under dosing.
Other management systems such as collecting droppings from the pasture, harrowing, pasture rotation (with or without other livestock), worming all horses at the same time and keeping horses in for 24-36 hours post worming can greatly help and will improve the efficiency of any worm control protocols.
We can monitor the effectiveness of your worming schedule by routine faecal egg counts and blood samples.
Worm Control For Horses & Ponies
Click here to view a Worm Control For Horses & Ponies Diagram Guide
Worm Control
No single protocol is effective for all horses - these vary with age group of horses, management procedures and the type of yard.
Drug |
Effective Against |
Brand Names |
| Ivermectin | Large and small redworm, lungworm, pinworm, roundworm, bots, threadworm | Eqvalan, Vectin, Eraquell |
| Moxidectin | Large and small redworm [adult and larvae], roundworm, pinworm, botfly larvae. | Equest |
| Praziquantel | Tapeworm | Equitape |
| Pyrantel single dose | Large and small redworm [adult], roundworm, pinworm. | Strongid-P, Pyrantape-P |
| Pyrantel double dose | Large and small redworm, roundworm, pinworm and tapeworm. | Strongid-P, Pyrantape-P |
| Fenbendazole (5 day course) | Large and small redworm [adults, larvae and encysted larvae], roundworm, pinworm. | Panacur, Equine Guard |
| Ivermectin/praziquantel combo | Large and small redworm, lungworm, pinworm, roundworm, bots, threadworm and tapeworm. | Equimax, Eqvalan Duo |