During the spring and summer it is important to deworm your horse every 6-8 weeks.

It is advantageous to have the entire herd on the same rotating schedule.

Mares that have just foaled should be dewormed with ivermectin when the foal is one day of age, because the dewormer is passed through the milk and will deworm the foal.

Foals should be dewormed every month for the first year of their life. Panacur should be given once monthly for the first 6 months at a double dose by weight (ie- for a 200 lb foal give a 400 lb dose) and then either a panacur and/or ivermectin (dosed by weight, ie- for a 200 lb foal give a 200 lb dose) monthly after this point until one year of age.

The daily dewormer (Strongid C) is a nice product for prevention of colic. It is also very worthwhile to prevent new infestations in horses that ingest larvae while grazing. While using the daily dewormer your horse must still be dewormed twice yearly, ideally four times yearly with an ivermectin/praziquantel product. Horses on Strongid C can apply to be on the “Preventicare Program”. This program will give you $5,000.00 towards colic surgery. Please ask us about this program if you are interested.

Panacur Powerpac: Is a dewormer that is given once daily for 5 days. This is useful in horses that have chronic issues such as: weight loss, loose manure, and/ or mild bouts of colic. This is the only de-wormer that effectively kills encysted stronglyes (strongyles that are in the wall of the intestine). Using this de-wormer once every two to three years is beneficial.

In Vermont, tapeworms have been found in horses that have gone to colic surgery. Therefore, it is important to use either a double dose of strongid or ivermectin containing praziquantel (ie- Equimax or Ivermectin Gold) at least twice yearly and ideally four times yearly to help control tape worms in your horse.

Doing a fecal examination once yearly in healthy adult horses is a way to determine the effectiveness of your deworming schedule. Fecals can be done more regulary on young animal (less than 2 years of age), geriatric horses (>18 years of age), and/or any horses with signs that suggest parasitism. Fecal test can be done through our clinic. All you need is two to three fecal balls in a ziplock bag that should be collected on the day of submission. Fecals will be read as having a light, moderate, or heavy parasite load based on the number of eggs seen per gram of fecal material.