Horse Deworming

What is on your fall and winter preparation list for your horse? Stockpiling hay? Establishing winter forages in your pastures? Getting blankets ready? What about deworming? Just because the temperature starts dropping, does not mean the parasites will drop off as well. 

With any deworming treatment, a fecal count needs to be done first to determine parasite load and type of parasite. A fecal count is an estimate of the number of parasite eggs in a horse. Once we know the count and the type of parasite, we can treat it with the most effective dewormer to insure we are reducing the parasite load. The important deworming season in North Carolina is September – April. During the summer months of May – August, parasite egg numbers in pastures are much lower due to the hot summer temperatures and deworming is less of a priority. 

Horses shed eggs differently, for example yearlings tend to shed small strongyles at higher amounts than adult horses.  It’s important to know how heavy of a shedder your horse is. A low shedder fecal count will be <200 EPG (eggs per gram of manure). Moderate shedder fecal counts will be 200-500 EPG, and high shedder fecal counts will be <500 EPG. 

Before starting any deworming regiment, consulting with your vet is important. They will recommend the best treatment course that will minimize parasite loads and avoid building a resistance to dewormers. 

Low shedders (<200 EPG) can be dewormed twice a year, in the spring and fall seasons. In the spring Ivermectin (Equell®, Zimectrin®, Rotectin®, IverCare®), Moxidectin (Quest®) can be used. In the fall Ivermectin w/Praziquantel (Equimax®, Zimectrin Gold®) or Moxidectin with Praziquantel (Quest Plus®) are dewormers that can be administered. 

Moderate shedders (200-500 EPG) may need to be dewormed frequently throughout the year. A spring deworming can be done using Ivermectin (Equell®, Zimectrin®, Rotectin®, IverCare, etc), moxidectin (Quest®) or double-dose Fenbendazole for 5 days (Panacur® PowerPak). In late summer, Pyrantel Pamoate (Strongid paste®, TapeCare Plus®, etc), fenbendazole (Panacur®, Safe-Guard®) can be given. In early winter, Ivermectin w/ Praziquantel (Equimax®, Zimectrin Gold®) or Moxidectin with Praziquantel (Quest Plus®) can be administered. 

High shedders (>500 EPG) may need to be dewormed with every season change. In spring again Ivermectin (Equell®, Zimectrin®, Rotectin®, IverCare®), Moxidectin (Quest®) or double-dose of fenbendazole for 5 days (Panacur® PowerPak) can be given. During the summer Pyrantel Pamoate (Strongid paste®, TapeCare Plus®), Fenbendazole (Panacur, SafeGuard®) or Oxibendazole (Anthelcide®) can be used. In fall Ivermectin w/ Praziquantel (Equimax®, Zimectrin Gold®) or Moxidectin with Praziquantel (Quest Plus®) will be effective. And during the winter season Pyrantel Pamoate (Strongid paste®, TapeCare Plus®), Fenbendazole (Panacur®, SafeGuard®) or Oxibendazole (Anthelcide®) can be administered. 

When it comes to pregnant mares and foals that are two months old, consulting with your vet is important for proper care so they can help determine the best treatment plan. 

There are other ways to lower parasite loads in horses in combination with deworming. One being rotational grazing. Rotating pastures is not only good for forage regrowth but parasite eggs that are shed in the manure are not ingested as quickly by a host and die out. Cross grazing pastures with ruminants such as cows, goats, and sheep is also effective. Parasites that are common in equine are not found in ruminants and vice-versa. In the summer months spreading or dragging manure is beneficial both for parasite reduction and spreading of nutrients found in manure over the pasture. This also keeps nutrients buildup down in high manure concentrated areas. In winter months the removal of manure is also helpful in decreasing parasite numbers. Doing these things with a parasite control program approved by your vet can keep your horse healthy all year long. 

The table below is a chart of active ingredients and the parasites they target. 

The use of brand names and any mention or listing of commercial products or services in this publication does not imply endorsement by North Carolina State University nor discrimination against similar products or services not mentioned. 

 

 

 

Nitrate Toxicity

 This blog has covered hay testing and analysis in past posts, but this week I wanted to talk specifically about nitrate toxicity. In my county, and surrounding counties, nitrates have been an issue for the past month. We've had hay samples come back high that normally are not, these growers are used to having safe hay and now must figure out what to do with this hay. Cattle and horses are susceptible to nitrate poisoning and if too high, like in some cases this year, animals will actually die. Ruminants are more susceptible to this problem, due to the way their stomachs work, but if severe enough, horses can suffer as well. 

Testing nitrates is a free test from the NCDA & CS lab in Raleigh, so if nothing else, you definitely should test your hay for nitrates. Even if it is not a field where animal waste is applied, fertilizer is applied a some point, the plant goes through drought or stress, so it's important to know what your hay contains. Some nitrate levels are safe for all animals, some should not be fed to pregnant animals, and some levels are too high for any stage of animals to consume. Horses can consume higher levels than those listed and not be affected, make sure you speak to your extension agent or veterinarian on feeding hay that may be considered "high" in nitrates!

Those levels can be seen here:

https://www.noble.org/news/publications/ag-news-and-views/2015/may/feeding-nitrate-containing-forage-requires-caution/ 

In terms of symptoms, nitrate toxicity can present itself by diarrhea, colic, weakness, muscle tremors, abnormal gait, blue or brown discoloration of the gums, and in extreme cases, death. Blood in affected animals may be a more chocolate brown than deep red color, due to the activity of nitrates/nitrites on hemoglobin. 

Be cautious of what you feed your horses, and when in doubt--test it!

Managing Winter Mud: Sacrifice Pasture Design

Temperatures have started dropping and already the bane of all winter pastures in the South is upon us - mud.  Constantly trekking through mud is not only physically exhausting for horses (and us!), but it also can cause several hoof issues - such as thrush and laminitis - as well as injuries to muscles and/or bones.  For the most part, mud is unavoidable.  The soft footing that leads to mud will likely kill any vegetation growing in high traffic areas.  To keep the damage minimal, it is highly recommended to designate a sacrifice pasture.

A sacrifice pasture is a small paddock (a MINIMUM of 200 square feet per horse, but 1,000 square feet per horse is recommended) where horses are confined during winter when the forages are not actively growing and the ground is wet to prevent overgrazing and trampling.  A good sacrifice pasture should be located on higher ground - away from any wetlands or any other area that regularly floods after rain - and should be surrounded by grasses or any other type of vegetation to filter out potential runoff.  To avoid the build-up of manure, and to help control parasites and odors, the sacrifice pasture will need to be cleaned frequently.

Even with frequent cleaning, a sacrifice pasture can become muddy, so good footing material in sacrifice pastures becomes essential.  Below are a few options to consider:

Photo from Life among the Tall Pine

Photo from Equiery

Photo from Tualatin Soil and Water

One thing to consider regardless of which footing you choose for your sacrifice pasture, adding a layer of Geotextile Fabric underneath greatly reduces the number of times footing needs to be replaced.

For more information about mud management contact your local Extension Office or check out some of the following articles:

• Mud Management
• Why Install an Equine Dry Lot?

Upcoming Webinars

 Following last week's post concerning Equine Metabolic Syndrome, there will be a webinar covering this topic on October 28, 2020 at 7 pm via Zoom.  Dr. Shannon Pratt Phillips, NC State University Equine Specialist will present information about both PPID and IR.  To register, go to  https://go.ncsu.edu/equinemetabolicdisorders Once you have registered, you will receive a Zoom link to the webinar a couple of days before the event. 

Fire Ant Webinar

There will also be a webinar related to fire ants.  These critters continue to march across North Carolina and are now in the northern piedmont of the state.  Many people are concerned about these pests and are interested in learning how to control them in both yards and pasture.  Join us on October 15, 2020 at 7 pm via Zoom to gain more information about fire ants.  Dr. Wes Watson, NC State University Veterinary Entomologist will present the information.   Register at https://go.ncsu.edu/personcountyfireants   Once you have registered, you will receive a link to the Zoom webinar a couple of days before the event.

Understanding Equine Metabolic Sydrome

 This year, we've had an abundance of rain and grass in many pastures.  Because of this, some horse owners could or may be experiencing overweight horses, and possibly concerns with EMS, or Equine Metabolic Syndrome.  The following MSU Fact Sheet is outstanding at explaining this condition and how it could affect our horses, and tips for how we can manage through this condition. Remember to always consult your veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment of any health condition. 

 

 

Hay Analysis: Unless you test, it's just a guess!

 

Hay Analysis: Unless you test, it's just a guess!

How often do you have your hay analyzed?  Do you base your judgment of hay quality on look and smell alone?  Although look and smell are both good indicators that a hay may be old, stem-y or contaminated with weeds, you cannot tell hay quality based on appearance alone.  As a matter of fact, when I hold workshops involving forage analysis, I always have the participants judge multiple samples of hay by how they look, smell and feel and they are always surprised when they see the analysis results.  Hay that looks and smells great may not necessarily be that high in total digestible nutrients (TDN) or crude protein (CP) and the hay that is high in CP and TDN may not be the best looking hay.  Unless you test, it's just a guess!

To get a full breakdown of a hays' nutritive value, you will want to have a complete analysis done on a composite of the hay.  There are several labs that can do this for you.  The NCDA will do a complete analysis for $10 a sample.  This test will give you the basic nutritional information about your hay: dry matter, crude protein, NDF, ADF, TDN as well as some mineral amounts.

There are several private labs that offer a similar service.  Some labs can even add on tests for things like non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) for an additional fee.  Here are several labs that do forage testing:

NCDA&CS-https://www.ncagr.gov/fooddrug/forms/documents/Forage Analysis Form.pdf

Dairyland Labs-https://www.dairylandlabs.com/

Equi-Analytical-https://equi-analytical.com/

Cumberland Valley Analytical Services-https://www.foragelab.com/

Weld Labs-https://weldlabs.com/feedforage/

DairyOne-https://dairyone.com/services/forage-laboratory-services/about-the-forage-laboratory/

Noble Labs-https://www.noble.org/ag/services/testing/forage-sampling/

For more information on how to test your forage or how to interpret the results, contact your local Extension Agent.

Biosecurity During COVID-19 for Horse Owners

The horse industry in all fashions have taken a hit because of Covid-19. Many horseshows cancelled, trail locations closed, and boarding facilities under stricter regulations have horse owners “biting at the bit” (pun intended) to get back in the saddle. However, horse owners should take precautions to protect themselves and their horses. Below are some tips for practicing biosecurity during a pandemic at either horse shows, trail riding locations, barns, etc.

 

According to the CDC, there has been no report of horses being infected with the SARS-coV-2, virus that causes Covid-19. However, biosecurity measures should be in place to prevent the spread of other potential equine diseases.

·       Horses should not be co-mingled. One carrier animal can potentially infect not only the other horses at the event, but those pathogens can be taken home and shared with the rest of the horses at the home farm if precautions are not taken.  

·       Be sure that the trailer used to haul the horses is clean, as well as equipment and tack.

·       Talk to your veterinarian about any concerns of horse health, make sure the vaccinations are up to date, discuss any disease concerns in the area(s) to be travelled through, and any other health concerns.  

·       Don’t share tack, grooming supplies, feed pans, or water buckets. Most equine diseases are spread by direct contact. Direct contact not only includes nose-to-nose contact, but contact with surfaces that may have gotten saliva, respiratory secretions, or manure contamination from an infected horse.  

·       Keep the area clean around your horses.  Fully clean and disinfect any stalls to be used before putting your horses in.  Do this even if the event host has already promised that the stalls were cleaned and disinfected.

·       Keep an eye on your horses for any sign of illness.  Check for fever, and keep track of feed and water intake while away from home.  

·       When returning from an equine event, isolate the horse that has traveled for at least a week. Monitor for any symptoms, like fever, off-feed, etc. If symptoms are seen, veterinary care can be given. 

·       Clean and disinfect the trailer, tack, and equipment when returning from events.

·       Keep your horse’s stress level as low as possible. Stress can cause the
horse’s immune system to become compromised. Continue a familiar feeding regimen to keep your horse on schedule to avoid stress and colic. If your horse is not used to being in a stall and gets stressed when they are in one, taking them out frequently and hand-walking them can help decrease their stress level.  

 

The CDC recommends these tips below for persons organizing livestock shows:

·       Split classes to limit the number of animals in the show ring.

·       Limit the number of people and/or animals in a ring to ensure that at least 6 feet is kept between an animal and its handler and other people and animals including judges. The number of exhibitors and animals that can safely fit in a show ring or exhibit area may limit the number of animals that can be shown at one time.

·       Provide separate entry and exit points for visitors so they do not need to pass close together while coming into and going out of the ring.

·       Stagger activities in washing and grooming areas, or other shared spaces, so that animals from different farms or households do not interact unnecessarily.

·       Stagger animal move-in/move-out times to reduce contact between people and animals.

·       Consider a “show-and-go” with animals stalled at a trailer and leaving immediately after the show if this will not compromise animal welfare, for example, because of weather conditions such as high temperature and humidity.

 

Lastly, horse owners should take precautions to protect not only their horses, but themselves. The CDC recommends that persons should

·      Wash their hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water

·      Use a hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol

·      Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands

·      Avoid close contact with other persons

·      Maintain at least 6 feet

·      Cover your nose and mouth with a mask

·      Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces

·      Monitor your health daily for symptoms

 

If you have any questions about biosecurity for horses, please contact your local extension agent. Happy riding!!

Article written by Taylor Chavis, Livestock Agent in Robeson County.