High Worm Count

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins

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Oct 10, 2004
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When the vet came last week I gave him a worm count sample for Eoin. It has come back as 850. Obviously this means that I will need to worm him. So I have some questions:

1. How best to worm a head shy horse that doesn't like you to have things in your hand? I asked the vet if I could get him to eat it instead and he suggested putting the wormer inside an apple. Has anyone got any foolproof methods of getting wormer inside a horse who doesn't want to be wormed?

2. 850 sounds very high to me. I wonder what impact this may have on him? Can a worm high count cause any pain or discomfort?

Any advice welcome.
 
First of all don't panic, 850epg is only a medium count and certainly not high enough to be causing pain or discomfort. It's also not high enough to cause potential problems when you do worm.

Luka is still too difficult to worm by myself, I put the wormer in a small damp feed of something he isn't normally allowed such as a handful of a friend's youngstock or conditioning mix. While the feed has to be big enough to hide it you don't want a big feed as it's harder to be sure they've eaten it. Trying to hide it in an apple was a waste of wormer and apple!
 
Conditioning mix is very palatable, but I have used a Marmite sandwich successfully.

ETA you could spend some enjoyable time with Eoin finding out what is his favourite thing. Bananas? Pears? Peanut butter? ;)
 
I had a headshy syringe averse horse. So every day, I went with empty wormer syringe and spend ages just getting it near her mouth (and carrot piece and walk away), and touching her mouth (and carrot piece and walk away) and in her mouth (and carrot piece and walk away) until she expected the syringe to appear every day. Slowly, little steps. It might take a month, possibly longer but who cares, but you will win in the long run. Don’t make it into a big deal.
 
Billy is head shy but i manage him by putting on the headcollar.
Slightly different but when hes needed jabs or sedating for teeth i put a big dollop of pure mollases on a bucket lid then add on some mix. It has never failed us yet. Hes so keep for the mollases with the food added it slows him down enough the vet can slip the needle in without him even noticing.
So as suggested give something hes not nomally allowed like thick sticky yummy molasses. Then maybe try adding the wormer to that a mouthful at a time.
 
What product has the vet suggested or have you got to worm him with?

I only ask because he could also have a high/ moderate burden of encysted red worm or tapeworm which will not show on the FEC. So if the wormer doesn't cover these then I'd probably want to test for them also, or bare in mind to worm for them November onwards.

FEC are not entirely accurate so I would always be cautious that they could show some colic or other symptoms after being wormed if they have a higher score and that's something you should keep an eye out for and discuss with your vet.

I used clicker training to teach ale to accept a wormer in his mouth and he was also very headshy, he hates anyone touching his lips or opening his mouth. Took about a week using an empty wormer tube and building up to the real one, then you just have to be very quick administering it. Some other great suggestions for food to try it in
 
Jess still doesn’t accept a syringe, I’ve tried and failed at getting her to, I’ve got close this year but she spat half of it out and probably won’t let me anywhere near her with one for another 5 years now!
She will eat damn near anything in some Alfa chaff, so that’s been my go to method for years. Occasionally she’ll refuse, but if I leave her with it, without anything else it’s gone in half an hour, she’s too greedy not to eat it.
 
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Ale said:
What product has the vet suggested or have you got to worm him with?

I only ask because he could also have a high/ moderate burden of encysted red worm or tapeworm which will not show on the FEC. So if the wormer doesn't cover these then I'd probably want to test for them also, or bare in mind to worm for them November onwards.

FEC are not entirely accurate so I would always be cautious that they could show some colic or other symptoms after being wormed if they have a higher score and that's something you should keep an eye out for and discuss with your vet.

I used clicker training to teach ale to accept a wormer in his mouth and he was also very headshy, he hates anyone touching his lips or opening his mouth. Took about a week using an empty wormer tube and building up to the real one, then you just have to be very quick administering it. Some other great suggestions for food to try it in
Click to expand...
I have been recommended to use a Moxidectin wormer. It’s the green Equest wormer.

As part of his worming programme I will work him in late Autumn for the encysted red worm. I have no idea if he has ever been wormed in the past at all. I don’t actually know he won’t take the wormer, but I suspect not. It will be simpler to put it in his feed I think.
 
Frances144 said:
I had a headshy syringe averse horse. So every day, I went with empty wormer syringe and spend ages just getting it near her mouth (and carrot piece and walk away), and touching her mouth (and carrot piece and walk away) and in her mouth (and carrot piece and walk away) until she expected the syringe to appear every day. Slowly, little steps. It might take a month, possibly longer but who cares, but you will win in the long run. Don’t make it into a big deal.
Click to expand...

This. There's loads you can do with desensitisation in the long term.

But in the short term, P will eat anything in his recovery mash.
 
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Mary Poppins said:
When the vet came last week I gave him a worm count sample for Eoin. It has come back as 850. Obviously this means that I will need to worm him. So I have some questions:

1. How best to worm a head shy horse that doesn't like you to have things in your hand? I asked the vet if I could get him to eat it instead and he suggested putting the wormer inside an apple. Has anyone got any foolproof methods of getting wormer inside a horse who doesn't want to be wormed?

2. 850 sounds very high to me. I wonder what impact this may have on him? Can a worm high count cause any pain or discomfort?

Any advice welcome.
Click to expand...
I have had them much higher than that, and only one out of them all and the others zero. And it can be a different one each time. Fleur was once 1800 and Buddy 1300 and Suze 1500. And the rest clear. Buddy is the only one we do resistance testing on when he has been high. Tintin swears by fresh mint sandwiches, made to order, cut small, takes about half an hour to administer. Have tried most things with him, beer, apple juice, mixed in mash but brown bread spread with mint seems to be his preferred method. There is no way you can worm him direct in mouth, ditto Buddy, but Buddy is a glutton so he will eat it laced in his food. Posted this then saw the little so and so wormed himself. You couldn't make it up
 
A long time ago I rehomed a horse from a bad situation. She had been untouched for 6 years. I did a worm count but wormed before I got the result as I knew she wound need done anyway. Her result was 3600epg which was very scarey. Not sure how I didn’t kill her but she was absolutely fine!
 
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