The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) has added new guidance to its ProtectMEtoo Toolkit to give veterinarians and horse owners practical guidance on detecting and managing anthelmintic resistance. This new addition was officially launched at BEVA Congress during the sessions on parasite management on Thursday and Saturday.

Developed by BEVA’s Anthelmintic Working Group, led by Nicky Housby-Skeggs, BVetMed, FHEA, MRCVS, the new anthelmintic resistance section of the ProtectMEtoo Toolkit provides practical, step-by-step guidance on monitoring for resistance, interpreting results, and managing confirmed cases.

Anthelmintic resistance is becoming an increasingly common and challenging issue for vets and horse owners. The environmental impact of anthelmintic use, and the wider One Health implications and potential risks to human health, are also serious and growing concerns.

“While preventing resistance from developing in the first place is always the best approach, we also need to be equipped to manage it when it is already present, said Housby-Skeggs. 

“Monitoring the effectiveness of wormers at herd level is an essential component of sustainable parasite control and should be undertaken at least annually. This new guidance is designed to give vets and owners the practical tools they need to manage, monitor and reduce resistance risk.”

Why Monitor for Anthelmintic Resistance? 

Although established resistance can be difficult, and potentially impossible to reverse, identifying it early allows changes to parasite-control strategies that can:

• Protect horse health and welfare.
• Slow the development and spread of further resistance.
• Preserve the effectiveness of the anthelmintic treatments that remain available.

Identifying Resistance 

A Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT) is the most reliable method for determining whether an anthelmintic is working effectively within a group of horses.

The new section of the ProtectMEtoo Toolkit explains how to conduct and interpret FECRTs and provides guidance on the steps to take when resistance is confirmed.

Managing Confirmed Resistance 

Once resistance has been identified, parasite control should focus on reducing further selection for resistance rather than simply switching from one wormer to another.

The ProtectMEtoo Toolkit provides practical guidance on improving pasture management, increasing monitoring, and maintaining refugia (the population of parasites that remains unexposed to treatment) to help slow the development of further resistance.

Importantly, resistance does not need to be confirmed before improvements to parasite management are made.

Effective parasite control should be based on:

• Targeted treatment
• Regular monitoring
• Effective pasture and stable hygiene
• Appropriate grazing management

“Together, these measures can reduce selection pressure for resistance and help preserve the effectiveness of available anthelmintics for the future,” said Housby-Skeggs.

The new ProtectMEtoo Toolkit resource was officially launched at BEVA Congress this week.

The new anthelmintic resistance section of the ProtectMEtoo Toolkit can be found online here. A podcast on anthelmintic resistance will be coming soon.