Fecal Egg Counts – perform on all horses prior to deworming in Spring and Fall. The specific medication used will be determined by what type of parasitacide resistance we see on the farm. This will take some time to determine and may change over time, hence the importance of bi-annual FEC.
Adult Horses
Low shedders (<200 EPG –eggs per gram of manure)
- Spring (March)- Ivermectin or Moxidectin
- Fall (October)- Ivermectin/Praziquantel or Moxidectin/Praziquantel
Moderates shedders (200-500 EPG)
- Spring (March)- Ivermectin, Moxidectin, or double dose Fenbendazole for 5 days
- Late Summer (July)- Pyrantel Pamoate or Fenbendazole
- Early Winter (November)- Ivermectin/Praziquantel or Moxidectin/Praziquantel
High shedders (>500 EPG)
- Spring (March)- Ivermectin, Moxidectin, or double dose Fenbendazole for 5 days
- Summer(June) – Pyrantel Pamoate, Fenbendazole, or Oxibendazole
- Fall (September) – Ivermectin/Praziquantel, or Moxidectin/Praziquantel
- Winter (December) – Pyrantel Pamoate, Fenbendazole, or Oxibendazole
Pregnant Mares
- Deworm according to shedding level
- At 4-6 weeks prior to foaling give Ivemectin/Praziquantel or Moxidectin/Praziquantel
Foals
FEC at 6 months and 1 year of age
- 2 months- Ivermectin
- 4 months – Oxibendazole
- 6 months- Moxidectin/Praziquantel
- 8 months- Pyrantel Pamoate
- 10 months- Ivemectin
- 12 months- Fenbendazole
Yearlings/2 year olds
- Same schedule as High Shedders despite results of FEC.
Pasture Management
- Rotate pastures in use
- Cross graze pastures with goats
- Remove manure frequently
- Harrow/drag pastures in hot/dry weather and keep horses out for 2 months
- Avoid overstocking pastures
- Don’t use the same pastures for mares and foals every year (ascarid build up)
One response
I have been dosing my donkeys with Ivermectin every 8 weeks for years. Since Ivermectin is in short supply right now, I started reading about de-worming and this type of regime of worming is “old school”.
What should I be doing with my donkeys? There are only 3 on a 15 acre, dry scrub “pasture”. No other animals except the natives (deer, bobcat, coyote, rabbits, etc) come here. It is not irrigated.
Should I just dose them in Spring and Fall only? Should I bring in fecal samples for egg counts?