February 2006

It’s Time To Rethink Your Current Deworming Strategy

Routine deworming schedules and common products aren’t appropriate for all situations and may actually cause problems.

The last time we talked schedules, praziquantal wasn’t even available in the United States.

Problems in our horses with recurrent colic, gut and arterial damage related to blood worms (those are the large strongyles) have all but been eliminated thanks to today’s effective, affordable deworming products. Paste dewormers are simple to use, easy to obtain and relatively inexpensive to purchase.

Most deworming packages have manufacturer-recommended schedules to follow, making it seem a no-brainer project. However, unless you’re keeping up with the most-recent veterinary literature regarding current deworming problems or working closely with your veterinarians on your own barn’s deworming program, you may be headed for trouble using these old methods. …