Worming Advice Needed re Red Worm

[Lexter]

Hi, a horse in my current yard has got red worm. The YO is treating all the horses with a 5 day course of Panacur. I am worried that if she is not treating the fields and letting them rest then despite giving them the Panacur they can still get redworm. The horse that has it is pretty poorly with it and it is not known how long she has had them.

Can anyone advise of the best course of treatment/and field management to prevent him getting redworm. Your help is much appreciated. Thanks

[Gill]

What a worry for you.
How do you know this horse has redworm, and what sort of level of problem is it? If the horse has grazed with others then they may all have the problem though not show symptoms.

Is the vet involved? Have all the horses had a worm count? That would be a first step to determine the scale of the problem. 5 day guard may treat the redworm, if they don't have resistant worms. It may treat part of the problem if you have only some resistant worms. It may not treat the problem if you have a high population of resistant worms. Will you be doing a follow up worm count 10-14 days after the end of the worming course? This is essential to make sure the treatment has worked.

How much grazing do you have? It should be rested in rotation for about 6 months if you can do it, or cross grazed with sheep. You need to clear droppings at least twice a week. If the pasture is very wormy there is no magic cure to treat it unfortunately.

Are the horses on a proper worming programme? If so then something is wrong with it to allow this to happen. There are a lot of people who think they are correctly worming their horses until they check up with a worm count and get a nasty shock.

I hope you get it sorted. If you need help please ask, and have a look at the link below.

[Lexter]

The horse was checked by a Vet yesterday. The horse has not put weight on since she has been there and was checked by the vet yesterday and found to have redworm which have apparently burrowed into her bowel. There are apparently 30 acres of grazing. It is very boggy pasture and has not really been rested for more than 4 weeks. The horse is a mare and has been in a separate pasture to my boy, but the YO has simply swapped pastures around for the winter. She telephoned yesterday to advise of the problem and said that the horses were all going to be kept in for 5 days and then allowed out. My fear is that the pasture is going to be unclean for want of a better word and that despite having the Panacur he is going to pick up the worms. As far as I can telll, the fields do not really get poopicked on a regular basis, especially now as it is pretty boggy. My boy has been wormed on a regular basis (or so I am advised as he is on full livery and is included in the price).

[Gill]

Mm, that sounds a bit worrying to me.
If this horse has not put weight on since being there, then how long is that and was she not properly wormed when she arrived?

Is the same person in charge of worming your horse? I would be asking some questions to see what she has been doing. Can you check on what and when you have been charged for worming? Has it been done? If you don't get satisfactory answers then the best treatment would be to take your horse elsewhere.

I would also be unhappy at keeping my horse in for five days. What is the point? If they have worms they will have been dropping eggs on the pasture up to now. After treatment the eggs will not be viable so they might as well be out, unless you want to inspect the droppings.

[Lexter]

Thanks Gill. I am moving him next week anyway. The new yard is much better managed although it has not got an indoor school. Do the worms thrive in muddy/damp conditions as my YO advises hence her reason for keeping them in.

[Gill]

What? Your YO is making an excuse I think. The eggs and larvae are out there now, not after worming.

What has your new yard asked you to do about worming when you arrive? You should be checking to make sure this 5 day guard has done its job.

[Lexter]

New YO is aware of the problem. He is on a 5 day treatment of Panacur today and he will get a double dose of pyratape when he arrives next Saturday. I advised her once I was aware of the problem just in case she wanted to leave it for a couple of weeks.

Current YO is only keeping them in for the 5 days of their Panacur Treatment. She then says that they can go out in the field, mares one day geldings the next. My worry is that the worms are still out there lurking in the field and despite them being treated they can get reinfested once they are out grazing again. I am sorry for being so thick but have not had this sort of problem before.

Current YO seems to believe that they thrive in the current damp/muddy conditions hence her reason for keeping em in during the 5 day Panacur course.