Project WORMS aims to tackle anthelmintic resistance
Vets And Horse Owners Work Together To Tackle Anthelmintic Resistance
2 years ago 
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VETPARTNERS’ equine practices are calling on horse owners and stud managers to share information about their approach to worming in a bid to tackle anthelmintic resistance and safeguard equine health in the future.
To help find a solution to the rapidly growing problem of resistance to equine worming products, the UK veterinary group has launched Project WORMS, which stands for Working to Overcome Resistance and Make for a Sustainable future.
VetPartners has 37 of the UK’s most respected and trusted equine veterinary practices, which are committed to working with horse owners to promote responsible and correct use of wormers.
Horseowners and stud managers are being asked to complete surveys to find out how and when they worm, and which products they use. The data will be used to help vets work with horse owners to try and prevent serious disease, and even death, due to wormer resistance in the future.
Julia Shrubb, deputy chair of the VetPartners Equine Clinical Board and a vet at Ashbrook Equine Hospital, said in order to safeguard worming drugs in the future, vets need to understand how and when they are being purchased and administered.
She said: “Worming products can be purchased from a number of sources, and we are aware that many horse owners are getting outdated or no advice at all on when and how to worm.
“There are no new worming products in development, so we need to use the current drugs responsibly, or in the future there could be no effective wormers. This would put us at risk of losing horses to worm-damage related conditions such as severe diarrhoea and colic, which are currently preventable.
“Information from the surveys will help us to help horse owners and keepers improve worming practices in the future. This will improve the effectiveness of anthelmintics for as long as possible and ultimately benefit the health and welfare of our entire equine population.”
Camilla Scott, a member of the stud team at Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons, is urging owners and managers of stud farms to support the project.
She said: “Stud managers are faced with a number of challenges including maintaining appropriate stocking densities, dealing with an often transient horse population and managing multiple different age groups of horses on the same grazing.
“Foals and weanlings are particularly susceptible to parasites prior to developing immunity and the potential for clinical disease is a real concern. Add to this the increasing reports of anthelmintic resistance on stud farms, now is the time to act.”
Dr Rachel Dean, VetPartners’ director of clinical research and excellence in practice and chair of the VetPartners Clinical Board added: “Project WORMS is a great example of how we can work together across the veterinary industry and with our clients to make a difference to the health and welfare of horses.
“This reseach will deliver key information which will enable us to innovate our approach to worming practices.”
Project WORMS has been launched by the VetPartners Equine Clinical Board, in collaboration with other equine practices and organisations, and ethical approval was obtained from the RCVS.
Surveys are anonymous, and anyone taking part can enter a prize draw with the chance to win £100 of Love2Shop vouchers.
To find out more about the project and access the surveys, visit: https://bit.ly/33ElUUr
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