If your horse appears to be in pain or discomfort, you may need to check to see if your horse has intestinal worms. Worms as internal parasites can cause colic, diarrhea, weight loss, ulcers, sore mouth, or distended stomach in horses. Fortunately, a variety of treatments are now available. If you suspect worms are causing disease in your horse, ask your veterinarian for proper treatment.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Prepare to Treat Worm Disease in Horses
Step 1. Determine whether eradication of horse worms is necessary or not
Since this treatment is highly dependent on the horse, you will need to submit a sample of your horse's feces to your veterinarian. The veterinarian will perform a fecal egg test in the feces to find out if the horse has intestinal worms and what type of worm it is. This test is useful so that the veterinarian can determine the most effective deworming medication to eradicate the parasite and how often treatment needs to be done.
Horses with severe intestinal worms may need to be medicated once a month. As for worm disease that is not too severe, treatment may be done four or two times a year
Step 2. Talk to your vet about deworming resistance
Giving horses deworming medicine can inadvertently increase worm resistance. For this reason, your vet will recommend several deworming medications (four to six different dewormers) in rotation before starting treatment. Some horses may already have such a good resistance to deworming that treatment is completely unnecessary. Therefore, a stool test is very important to do.
If the horse is burdened with severe deworming, daily deworming between regular treatments may prevent the worms from multiplying. However, daily deworming cannot be used as a comprehensive treatment for intestinal worms because its efficacy is limited to certain types of parasites. Handling deworming in total should also be done before using daily deworming medicine
Step 3. Discuss the types of drugs
Your veterinarian will discuss deworming treatment with you. The drugs used include fenbendazole, ivermectin, moxidectin, pyrantel, and praziquantel. Since each drug has a different spectrum of activity, your veterinarian will decide on the best medication for your horse. The following are drug classes to consider:
- Unlike other drug classes, benzimidazoles (such as fenbendazole) are capable of killing nematode eggs. The drug is available in the form of granules, pastes, and suspension formulations. Treatment is usually given for several days in a row.
- Macrocyclic lactones (such as ivermectin and moxidectin) are the most effective drugs and can also kill external parasites such as fleas and mites. This medicine takes 3 to 4 days to work.
- Isoquinoline-pyrazine (such as praziquantel) is only able to eradicate cestodes (in horses it is called Anoplocephala spp. otherwise known as tapeworms.) In the United States, this drug is only available in combination with macrocyclic lactones.
Step 4. Give the correct dose
You must know the horse's weight because the vet will prescribe medication in a dose adjusted to its weight. If the dose given is less, the treatment will be ineffective and can lead to drug resistance. Most deworming medications are safe to use, so it's a good idea to overstock the amount of medication as opposed to reducing it, especially if your horse doesn't like the medication and is prone to vomiting. Be prepared to give more doses in anticipation when the horse vomits some of the medicine that has been given.
- Keep in mind that most deworming syringes have an adequate dosage amount for a horse weighing about 545 kg. Two syringes may be needed if you have a large horse. Some veterinarians recommend increasing the dose (by one mark on the syringe) for every additional 114 kg regardless of horse size.
- To find out your horse's weight, buy a measuring tape from a fodder or horse supply store. Measure the horse's chest circumference and see how its weight fits on the measuring tape scale and, from this, you get an estimate of the horse's weight.
Method 2 of 3: Deworming with a Syringe
Step 1. Prepare the horse and deworming
The horse's mouth should be empty without lumps of grass or hay. The rest of the food can make it easier for the horse to vomit deworming medicine. Use a harness on the horse so you have a grip when deworming. Provide a syringe with an open cap and pull the piston until it reaches the required dose mark on the syringe tube.
Give your horse something to eat and drink before you start treatment because the taste of the deworming medicine will make the horse reluctant to eat or drink for a while. This is especially important if the horse has been previously trained or when the horse is feeling hotter and thirstier than usual
Step 2. Insert the syringe
Point the tip of the syringe at the horse's tongue by lifting the lips and then tilting the syringe to the back of the mouth. The best position to place the syringe is in the space between the incisors and canines at the front of the mouth and in the space between the molars at the back. Make sure the piston can be held in such a position and that you can squeeze it easily.
Don't worry too much about the proper placement of the syringe tip. As long as the tip of the syringe is in the horse's mouth, the deworming will most likely coat the tongue, teeth, or the inner lining of the cheek and most of the deworming will be swallowed
Step 3. Give deworming medicine
Press the piston to push the medicinal paste into the horse's mouth. Work quickly so the horse doesn't get distracted. After all deworming has been administered, remove the syringe and hold the horse's head up for a few seconds. Holding the horse's head will prevent it from regurgitating deworming.
If your horse is constantly vomiting deworming, try giving the horse a small amount of deworming or mixing the medicated paste into his food
Method 3 of 3: Giving Deworming in Pellets
Step 1. Buy deworming pellets
Deworming pellets will later be mixed with horse feed. Ask your veterinarian for recommendations on the brand and dosage of specific deworming pellets. The deworming package you choose should include information on how often to give the medicine according to the horse's weight.
Make a schedule for deworming according to the veterinarian's recommendations. Horses need to be given deworming pellets appropriately and regularly for the recommended time
Step 2. Measure the dose of deworming pellets
Use the food shovel that came in the package to measure the exact dose of deworming pellets. Mix deworming pellets with horse feed. Just mix the pellets at each meal, not for a full day's meal. Only mix deworming pellets with horse feed (grains) and not other types of feed.
All deworming pellets are sure to be eaten when mixed with grain, while other types of feed will make it easier for the horse to separate the pellets and even refuse to eat them altogether
Step 3. Give the horse deworming pellets
Offer horse feed mixed with deworming pellets to your horse. Make sure all the food is finished so you can be sure that all the deworming pellets have been eaten. If your horse refuses to eat a mixture of horse feed and deworming pellets, add a little molasses to encourage it to finish its food.
If you plan to give green hay to your horse, wait until all the horse feed mixture and deworming pellets have been eaten
Tips
- Deworming vaccines are also available, although they are not as common as deworming pastes and pellets. Only a veterinarian or experienced equestrian can administer the vaccine and inject it where it is directed.
- Be aware of the strong resistance reactions that horses usually make when confronted with movement or foreign material. Extremely strong traction can cause damage to the horse's equipment or even injure the horse itself, especially if the horse is in a tethered position.
