Warding Off Worms

Ward Off Worms

Summer officially arrived this week. With the warmer weather and the abundance of fresh green grass for grazing, deworming is more important than ever.

Did you know that June is National Pest Control Month in the United States? Deworming is one important way to minimize the effect of pasture pests on your horses.

Here’s a basic schedule for an eight-week deworming program, using equine anthelmintic pastes. (In some areas, particularly warmer regions, horse owners may need to deworm more frequently.)

January/February – Benzimidazole (Anthelcide EQ)
March/April - Pyrantel (Strongid)
May/June – Ivermectin (Agri-Mectin, Equi-Mectrin)
July/August - Benzimidazole
September/October – Pyrantel (double-dose)
November/December - Ivermectin

Ideally, a combination anthelmintic, such as Equimax (Ivermectin with Praziquantel), might be substituted for one of the summer doses.

By our own stalls, we keep track of deworming, farrier visits, immunizations, dentistry, sheath cleaning and other periodic requirements. As the farrier visits about every six weeks, we are reminded to deworm the herd.

For more information about equine parasite protection,we invite you to read these free online articles:

Equine Deworming

Evicting Equine Parasites

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