“ONE size doesn’t fit all when it
comes to planning a worming strategy,”
according to Wendy Talbot, veterinary
adviser at Pfizer Animal Health.
“All horses respond differently to
the same circumstances so it’s
imperative to assess every horse
independently as well as of a part of
the group in which it is kept, when
planning worming tactics,” she says.
The company has issued “six top
tips” for worming:
- Treat every horse as an individual
within the herd and assess their age,
health status and past history carefully. - Use faecal worm egg counts (FWEC)
properly – a single FWEC is only a
rough indication of a horse’s worm
burden at a specific point in time and
results may vary between consecutive
tests. - Dose accurately, according to the
horse’s weight, and always select the
wormer most appropriate for the
parasite being targeted. - Keep pasture clean to reduce overall
worm burdens and the need for
excessive use of wormers.
n Take advantage of the persistent
effect of some wormers. - Remember to strategically dose for
tapeworm in the spring and autumn
and for encysted small redworm and
bots during the winter (and do not rely
on FWECs for these parasites).
For more details see
www.wormingyourhorse.info
Worm egg count masterclass
MERIAL, in association with Professor
Jacqui Matthews and Dr Dave Bartley
(pictured) is to hold a worm egg count
masterclass at the Moredun Research
Institute, Edinburgh, on 14th March.
The event will include seminars on
equine parasites and drug resistance,
problem solving tutorials and a hands-
on learning and practising techniques
in the state-of-the-art lab.
The masterclass, says the firm, is
designed to equip veterinary nurses and SQPs with the expertise they need to
undertake WECs at their practices.
Big increase in liver fluke cases
THERE was a 10-fold increase in
acute liver fluke cases in sheep in the
last quarter of 2012 compared to the
same period in 2011, according to
AHVLA figures reported in the latest
NADIS (National Animal Disease
Information Service) Parasite Forecast.
It says that the very wet conditions
last summer will have resulted in heavy
pasture contamination, with significant risk to stock.
Even though the prolonged cold winter should have helped to reduce
risk to livestock posed by
contaminated pastures, the forecast,
sponsored by Merial, warns: “Many
cattle will have been exposed to high
levels of liver fluke challenge when at
grass. Chronic fluke disease leading to
weight loss, poor growth and poor
production can be found at any time
of year, but there is a peak of cases
over the winter.
“Faecal egg identification, blood
tests and bulk milk tests in dairy cows
can be used to monitor herds for
levels of infection but it’s worth
looking out for signs of disease and
anaemia, bottle jaw, poor fertility and
poor milk yield or metabolic disease in
dairy cows.”
