Roundworms in foals-HELP!!

[prancingpony]

Please help!!

I wormed CC with Pyrantel when she was 3.5 months old and she and her dam had roundworms. Her dam didn't have them as bad as CC. CC's poo after the worming was part poo, part spagetti looking for the first couple of days. So I wormed her again yesterday (6 weeks after initial worming) with Pyrental (CC at 5 months) and I have found small round worms in her feces!! UGH!!

HOW do I break this cycle--I have cleaned up her manure out of the paddock for the week following the wormings. Should I worm her again in a week or so to break the cycle??? HELP!! I have never had this problem before!

[prancingpony]

bump

[LulasMom]

I was considering buying a foal and the research I did said you should de-worm a horse under a year every month. They should be de-wormed as early as a week according to some sites.

[qtrhorse1993]

if she is in good health, power pack her

[prancingpony]

Originally Posted by qtrhorse1993

if she is in good health, power pack her

Please explain power pack? Thanks!!

[merleliz]

I don't have any good advice to offer, you probably know far more than I do...but prayers for my CC baby and hugs for you, PP!

[prancingpony]

Thanks you guys!! I just got off the phone with the Vet, She said I am doing just fine with CC and that in 6 weeks I should worm again with Ivermectin Gold. I am just a big worry wart!! LOL

[kanoo32]

To break that cycle you are going to have to deworm sooner than 6 weeks....a.re you sure that you didn't misunderstand your veterinarian??

[beth55051]

My vet usually recommends deworming with Ivermectrin, Pyrantel Pamoate, or Panacur every 30 days until they're a year old, then putting them on the same rotational program as the big horses.

[horselady]

I deworm with ivermectin, every month and rotate with panacure or other
It just seems that she is just loaded with them,
Is there a possibility to rotate her to a different area and lyme the one she is in?

[prancingpony]

I am rotating to Ivermectin Gold next month and I would think the frost and snow would kill anything in the pasture/paddock--no????

[Clippity-Clop]

My vet says Strongid once per month until 6 to 8 months old. Reason is to target roundworms that babies often get a load of. Standard foal dose is 150 pounds. Sounds like they had them very bad. Never had a foal SHOW worms in their poop before. I'd definitely NOT wait 6 weeks. Be careful and best wishes.

[singing tree]

It does seem like a few doses closer together would break the cycle. With pups, I do it every two weeks, 3 times and that knocks them out. Isn't a horse roundworm the same as a dog's??? It is my understanding that the pyrantel is pretty safe also, as it essentially paralyzes the worm rather than poisoning it.

[sj2004]

in the past I've wormed my foals every 4 weeks unless there seemed to be a problem, then I wormed every two weeks.

[Ryle]

You need to take into account that parasites have become resistant to the commonly used deworming drugs in certain areas of the country/world and to differing extents so you have to design your deworming program appropriately.
You also need to understand the exact properties of each chemical in order to use them at the appropriate times.

Ascarids (roundworms) are showing resistance to pyrantel and ivermectin but not fenbendazole so far. Strongyles are showing extensive resistance to fenbendazole (90+% of areas tested around the world) and moderate resistance to pyrantel and in one test to ivermectin (on a specific farm).

For a foal who is having issues with ascarids, you should target those parasites by using fenbendazole or pyrantel. Pyrantel can be safely used at double the normal dose and that will help improve it's efficacy against ascarids. Fenbendazole at double the normal dose is no more effective at treating ascarids than at the single normal dose and it does come with an increased risk of causing GI inflammation and ulceration so I wouldn't recommend it in a 3.5 mo. old. However understand that neither of these products are likely to be effective against strongyles so you will need to treat for those with another product. Your other option is to use Ivermectin but be very very sure that you are dosing appropriate because underdosing is a huge issue in foals and it's one of the factors that plays a big role in the development of parasite resistance.

For the dam, a dose of moxidectin will kill both ascarids and strongyles.

Then be sure to collect feces out of their paddock daily as ascarid eggs can remain viable in the environment for 10 years or more.

Talk to your vet about an appropriate program for your foal. Many vets recommend deworming every 30 days due to the risk posed by ascarids. For your mare, you shouldn't need to deworm again until spring because you are in the time of year when reinfection rates are going to be lowest for adult horses. But after you deworm in the spring, you should have a fecal egg count done on a sample 3 months later if you used ivermectin for your spring deworming and 4 months later if you used moxidectin for spring just so you can see if your mare is one of those who tends to carry a high parasite load and so needs to be dewormed 3-4 times a year or generally just twice a year.

[knpaints]

Foals should be wormed monthly. I rotate wormers and depending on the foal size i usually give a full tube or atleast double their weight.(with the acception of quest. I dont use that stuff)