Horse Dewormers: Critical Knowledge for Optimal Health

Deworm A Horse for Optimal Health: 3 Things You Need to Know

There are many types of internal parasites that can impact your horse’s health. In fact, parasitic infection is the most common disease for horses. Having a regular deworming schedule in place will help you prevent and eliminate worms and stomach bots.

The wide range of medication designed to control parasites are commonly called “wormers,” but technically, they’re known as “dewormers.”

1. Determining Needs

Even if you keep several horses in the same barn or pasture, chances are they have different deworming needs. When determining their deworming needs, it is important to consider the horse’s age, as young horses are more likely to get certain parasites. Individual horses of any age may be more or less susceptible to infection.

Also, certain parasites are more common in certain geological locations or thrive in particular climates, and others are seasonal. Giving your horse a fecal exam will determine what action you need to take to control their worms.

2. Strategies for Deworming

Common practice used to be to deworm every horse every two months, but experts question whether this has caused resistance to some dewormers. So deworm just enough to keep your horse free of parasites, but resist the urge to overdo it.

One strategy to control parasites is to deworm all your adult horses twice a year, in the spring and fall. Then during parasite season, deworm the horses that had the highest fecal egg counts when examined by your vet. As an alternative, you can use a daily dewormer, or a continuous dewormer, added to your horses’ feed.

3. Preventing Infection

Since infection can be spread through manure, it’s important to clean your stables regularly and break up piles of manure to expose the eggs. Also, be sure not to put too many horses in the same pasture, or rotate where you keep them. Elevated feeders will help you keep feed off the ground to avoid contamination.

Jeffers Equine carries a wide range of dewormers that specifically target certain parasites, different sizes of horses, and more. Check out our full catalog of equine dewormers to choose the one that’s best for you.

Some of our most popular equine deworming products include Jeffers® Ivermectin, Dechra Ivermection Paste, Quest® Gel, Quest® Plus Gel, Zimecterin® GOLD, and the Zimecterin® GOLD Barn Pack. Jeffers also carries a 3-Way Horse Deworming Kit, which includes a selection of products.

Conclusion:
Maintaining an optimal deworming schedule is vital for the overall health of horses, as parasitic infections are the most common equine diseases. Tailoring deworming practices based on factors such as age, susceptibility, and geographic location is crucial for effective parasite control. Jeffers Equine offers a variety of deworming products, including kits, enabling horse owners to implement informed and preventive measures against internal parasites.