Parisite Control

Internal Parasites are the plaque of the equine intestine. In the past, they have been one of the major causes of colic, weight loss, and poor doing animals. With high levels of internal parasites there can be permanent damage to the intestinal wall that absorbs nutrients, thus causing diarrhea and malabsorbtion syndrome later in life. The days of deworming every eight weeks are now a thing of the past due to the problems with parasite resistance to the most common de-worming medications.
At the present time, we prefer instead to obtain fecal samples and perform parasite counts in the lab. Many animals are found to be free of internal parasites and do not need to be de-wormed on a routine basis. While others tend to be chronically infested with parasites and need to be on specific medication to rid the animal of the infestation. Fecal counts not only tell us the type of parasite within the animal's intestines but it also tells us the degree of infestation. One fecal ball that is less than six hours old is all that is needed to determine the need for de-worming your animal.

Parasites are the most common cause of colic in horses. The four most common parasites are Bots, Strongyles, Ascarids (Roundworm), Tapeworms and Pinworms.

Strongyles in manure

Bot fly larvae in the stomachs of two horses

Pinworm Larvae

Roundworms in small intestine

Tapeworms in manure