Changes in the way we approach parasite control in horses have become necessary for a number of reasons.

    - protocols based on regular intervals of deworming and rotation of products are based on information developed in the 1960's; the parasites we are currently most concerned about have changed

    - there are only three types of dewormers available for use in horses; lots of different brand names but only three different types

    - evidence of resistance in the worm populations is increasing

    - we have become so accustomed to the convenience of the deworming products available that we have neglected to check to see if our programs are still working

So what does this mean for my deworming plans?

    Basically less deworming, less use of medication, and more checking to see what the horses really need or what they will benefit from.

How does it work?

    There are three steps:

       1)  Find out what works.  Check your horses, using a fecal egg per gram count, to determine whether the product(s) you are currently using are still effective.

       2)  Find out which of your horses are more or less susceptible to parasites, again using a fecal egg per gram count.

       3)  Use the information from the above two steps to formulate a specific plan and schedule for each of your horses' deworming.

For more information, or to find out the exact procedures to go about this, please call us at 540-955-9115.