Faecal Worm Egg Counts Are A Cost-effective Way To Keep Worms Under Control During Summer

Faecal worm egg counts (FWECs) are one of the most useful and cost-effective ways to keep worms under control during the summer, advise the veterinary experts at Zoetis (formerly Pfizer Animal Health). Conducting an FWEC every six to eight weeks throughout the grazing season is the best way to identify the horses that need worming and those that don’t. This saves the cost of worming horses unnecessarily, while protecting the health of those that do and the efficacy of the wormers that we use. An egg count does not correlate precisely to the total worm burden in your horse but it will give an indication of how many eggs each horse is contributing to the contamination of the pasture. This means you can target your worming treatments accordingly. The test can also help you check that your wormer is working, if you take an FWEC before and after administering a wormer. “Dosing correctly and as infrequently as possible, with the help of FWECs, will not only save money but also, importantly, will help to manage the issue of resistance in our horses,” explains Wendy Talbot, equine veterinary manager at Zoetis. “This, coupled with meticulous pasture management, will help you to keep your grazing as clean and worm-free as possible and your horses healthy.” However it’s important to remember that a single FWEC will only give a rough indication of your horse’s worm burden at a specific point and results may vary between consecutive tests. Neither will a standard FWEC give a clear indication of tapeworm, encysted small redworm or bots. For these you will need to use a licensed wormer on a strategic basis – usually in the autumn and spring for tapeworm and late autumn/early winter for encysted small redworm. Stable Mate is a new App from Zoetis that makes it easy to manage your daily equine healthcare regime, including worming, as well as have maximum fun with your horse. Stable Mate is available from the iPhone App Store and Google Play Store: text Stable Mate to 80800 to download. To find out more visit www.wormingyourhorse.info

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