In all it has been a pretty uneventful week for our two grumpy, old geldings. They have been dealing with the ice well and with the cooler temps Buddy and JD have been getting some extra hay. Remember that when the temperature drops below the critical temperature, 15 degrees for horses, the animal will require up to 15 to 20% more calories per day. However, the critical temperature can be increased if conditions such as rain, snow, ice, wind, ect are present. But critical temperature and the ice are not our focus this week...instead we are talking about WORMS!Worms are considered a parasite which is an organism that grows and feeds off of another organism, called the host, and the parasite provides no benefit to the host. In our case today the host is the horse! There are many, actually over 150, different internal parasites (worms) that can affect the horse but the major ones that we will concentrate on include:
- Roundworms (ascarids, Parascaris equorum)
- Pinworms (Oxyuris equi)
- Large Strongyles (Strongylus spp)
- Small Strongyles (cyathostomes)
- Tapeworms (Anoplocephala spp)
- Bots (Gasterophilus intestinalis)
- Threadworms (Strongyloides westeri)
Worms can cause various problems in the horse which can range from a poor, dull hair coat, diarrhea, perforation (holes and tearing) in the intestinal tract, and even colic. This is why its very important that horse owners maintain a regular deworming program. There are many different "programs" that horse owners use and at the "Kotz Hotel" we maintain a two - three month rotation of oral (paste) dewormers.What is a "dewormer"
A dewormer is a drug that is able to kill and/or evacuate the internal parasites. These drugs are also known as anthelmintics. Common anthelmintics include:
- Ivermectin - targets all parasites except tapeworms and is effective against some migrating strongyle larvae.
- Moxidectin - targets all parasites except tapeworms and is effective against encysted small strongyles.
- Fenbendazole - targets large and small strongyles, pinworms, and roundworms and it is effective against migrating strongyle larvae and encysted small strongyles when used at double the normal dose for five consecutive days.
- Oxibendazole - targets large and small strongyles, pinworms, roundworms, and threadworms.
- Pyrantel pamoate - targets large and small strongyles, pinworms, roundworms, and when used at a double dose it will also kill tapeworms.
- Praziquantel - targets tapeworms.
Part of the deworming program needs to include rotation on the different drug classes of dewormer otherwise the parasites can begin to build a resistance to it. For example, one time it would be of benefit to use an ivermectin and then at the next deworming use a fenbendazole. The last time our horses were dewormed they were given Ivercare (ivermectin), thus yesterday they were administered StrongyleCare (pyrantel pamoate). FYI: These dewormers can be purchased at Three Rivers Town & Country in Epworth!
I'm sure you are ready to hear about the deworming story of our grumpy old geldings
and I can assure you it is an interesting one! I had some good chuckles out of it when I heard it!On Thursday, Danyn contacted me and told me that she was going to be taking her daughter, Macey, out to see the horses and she also wanted to remind me to bring home the dewormer for the horses. I told her no problem and that I was actually running into Dubuque as it was
and I could drop off the dewormer if she would like to administer it to them. Danyn, in her usual delighted voice said, "Sure, no problem!" I grabbed the dewormer from the shelf in Epworth and before I dropped them off I wrote the names of the horses and their weights on the box. Both Buddy and JD weigh about 1,200 lbs. (Knowing the weight is important when deworming because the weight tells you how much paste the animal should get.) So I wrote down all the horses name's and their weights and when I got to Danyn's horse, Dixie, I thought I'd have a lil' fun...."Dixie....Weight: OFF THE CHARTS"
So I dropped of
f the product and later on that night Danyn stopped in to see me. She told me that everything went well except...and this is where you know the story is going to get good. First Danyn and Macey went down to the barn to get some stuff out, well Hank was not being a good boy and since she didn't latch the barn door behind her, guess who just got in...Hank and behind him came the other horses!! Danyn turned around and yelled at all the horses....really I don't know if they took her seriously, I'm sure they just looked at her and said, "Yea right, bring it on Lady." Well, the tone of her voice must hav
e gotten more stern and they all turned and ran right back out. Next it was time to start deworming. She went into the pen with Buddy and JD. Usually our horses are pretty good with deworming and she knew that so Danyn didn't take out a halter with her. This "horse whisper" technique worked real well with Buddy. He was a good boy and stood still and took the paste like a champ. Well, JD was obviously watching what was going on 
and when Danyn started to walk over to JD he took one look at her and though..."Oh NO WAY!" He got outta dodge real quick. Danyn said she tried going after him and the ice was not making the situation much better. She finally gave in and went and got the halter because she knew that he would not stand for her. Finally JD caved and he let Danyn grab him. However, just because he isn't running away from her doesn't mean that the fun and games are over! Oh, no the battle has just begun! JD is a tall horse and well Danyn is not so tall. This makes it slightly difficult when a horse is throwing his head and refusing to take the paste. Eventually Danyn, small yet mighty, won the war and JD was dewormed.Thanks for your persistence with deworming difficult horses and all your hard work that you do out at the "Kotz Hotel" Danyn!
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