If you own horses, it is very important that you have them dewormed on a regular schedule. Most of the time, a veterinarian can come to your home, ranch, or stable and administer the deworming medications orally or through an injection. Horses are prone to a variety of internal parasites which can ravage their digestive system and eventually become fatal. Horses do not have the ability to vomit, so if they have a parasite it may stay lodged into their system for years. Deworming your horse is a practical way to protect your animal from the dangers of parasitic illness. Parasitism is the most common equine disease, but a regular deworming schedule can target and eliminate worms and stomach bots in no time.

You will want to talk to your local equine veterinarian to help work out an effective deworming schedule. Admittedly, no horse is the same and an equine’s age, location, pasture load, and more will affect which medications he or she needs to take. First of all, you will want to evaluate your horse’s age when working out a schedule. Foals are susceptible to parasites that older equines are not and vice-versa. As well, you will need particular vaccinations and medications depending on where you live. Some states have common parasites that don’t exist in other locations. Depending on what season it is, your horse may need different wormers. Sometimes certain worms emerge in the autumn or some bots surface in the spring. You will want to be prepared against seasonal parasites, which means getting your horse dewormed when the weather changes.

You will also want to discuss the risk of parasites related to travel with your veterinarian. If you take your horse to shows or races on a frequent schedule, then you may want to get him or her vaccinated for worms and parasites common in other locations. As well, horses that travel to shows may be exposed to other horses that have been affected by parasites. The worms can be contagious, travelling from one horse to another on frequent occasions. You will also want to evaluate what kind of pasture your horse grazes in. If your animal is constantly eating wild grasses, the risk of parasites is higher than a horse that only eats alfalfa from a stable. Researchers have also discovered that not all horses are affected to the same degree. In fact, in a herd 20 percent of the horses normally account for 80 percent of the parasite problem in that location.

To best determine your horse’s deworming needs, you should ask a veterinarian to perform a fecal exam. The vet can then tell you which parasites your horse is most likely to contract and give you the wormers that eliminate these pests. Typically, you will want to deworm your horse with the medications prescribed every two months. Typically, dewormers can be ordered through a veterinarian or purchased at a feed store for less than $10 each. In addition to deworming your horses frequently, you can eliminate the possibility or parasites by cleaning out your horse’s stalls or pasture frequently.

Most parasites are spread through manure, so keeping your horse’s living area clean will help to diminish the possibility of certain parasites. By feeding your horse in an elevated feeder, you will also be able to diminish the possibility that dangerous bugs will crawl into the animal’s meal. You can also purchase a supplement for your horse’s food if he or she is extremely susceptible to worms and parasites. This is called continues deworming and is a feed additive that is placed in the horse’s food every day. Contact a local veterinarian if you have more questions about deworming your horse!