Worming

[Tikki]

Yep, I've used it!

We have 7 cuddies here altogether and they were all wormed with equest last month. They hated it!! It is a gel which is supposed to liquify once it's in the horse's mouth, so you are suposed to tip the head up as you apply it but they absolutely hate the taste. My lot are all OK to worm and will tuck into a bucket of feed afterwards but several of them turned their noses up at the bucket after the equest. I just wonder if it is so horrible that it might eventually make the horse quite awkward to worm. As for its efficacy I don't know yet. I hasn't done them any harm. I think you still need the double dose of pyrantel in the autumn for tapeworms though?

[Sarah]

hello!

Does anyone have any experience in using the new type of wormer that has recently been launched in the UK. I think it is called Equest (or something similar) and it contains a new drug which means that it is only necessary to worm 4 times a year as opposed to every 8ish weeks.

I have read the manufacturers info on it, but was wondering if any had any practical experience of it.

bye!

[CLAUDIA]

I have been told that it's a good idea to alternate the type of worm medicine you use, meaning the active ingredient in the wormer, not the brand. This is to prevent the parasite from building up a resistance to the wormer used most often. Keep in mind most of these medicines do the same thing, and all can be toxic to the horse in amounts larger than necessary.

[neilr]

Hello,

I've just used equest for the second time on my six-year-old mare without any problems. She certainly doesn't seem to mind the taste

[Sarah]

hello!

i used the new wormer a souple of weeks ago and had no problems with it at all. it was easier to squirt down Tango's throat that usual syringe type wormers and certainly didn't put her off her dinner - mind you, i haven't found anything that will yet!

bye!

[highland]

The advantages of this wormer are that it is cheaper in the long run, (although you do need to use some of the others still) and that it dissolves in the horses mouth. However, you should chandge your active ingredient every year.

[summer]

Hello
I used Equest on my horse for the first time last month, and I found it easy to use, and my mare didn't mind at all. In fact, none of the forty plus horses on our yard presented any problems. You can only try it for yourself. As to its effectiveness, time will tell.

[Alison.C]

Yes used Equest. I assume its the same product we get here in Australia. I found that the more difficult horses were easier with it. But 2 warnings. 1 - I wouldn't believe the 14-16 week bit as worm lifecycles
are much shorter. 2 - be very careful not
to overdose, especially youngsters, one person here nearly lost a weanling as the locking mechanism failed & it got the whole lot.

[Sarah]

hello!

More on the Equest theme.

A friend from a yard where i used to keep my horse has been not very well lately and the owner got the vet up. A blood sample and a poo sample were taken to be analysed and the verdict is that the horse is riddled with small strongyles. This horse is on a regular wroming schedule, and the last two wormers were doses on Equest at the recommended intervals.

Equest is meant to kill small redworm at all stages of their development, and as it is meant to be fat soluble, it is meant to stay in the body for the 12 week period between doses.

None of the other horses at this yard have got worm troubles, so it sounds to me like this horse's worms have already developed resistance to the active ingredient. The vet is very worried, and the horse has been wormed again with Equest and a worm count will be done in 4 weeks time to see if the wormer has worked at all.

Has anyone else come across this at all? i will let you know what the verdict is in 4 weeks.

bye!

[Allie]

Sarah- just curious what the active ingredient is in equest. In the US we have a wormer called quest that sounds like the same thing under a different name- active ingredient is moxidectrin. It has been here for quite some time, and I rotate it with Zimectrin- they are actually in the same family of chemicals, so rotate is not as beneficial as it could be, but it gives me peace of mind, and my horses don't have worms.

If you really want rotation to be beneficial, you have to switch betwen different chemical families. Moxidectrin and Ivermectin are both in the same family, so when you rotate it, you would need to switch to a different group, such as Strongid-P or Panacur(there are many others you can use, those are just two I can think of now). Hope that helps!

Allie

[Sarah]

Allie, the active ingredient in Equest is moxidectrin, and it is exactly the same as Quest (just he UK version).

My friend's horse was on a rotation system - this summers wormer was moxidectrin.

bye!