Are you concerned about worms in your horses? If you’re not, you should be! Researchers report that decades of frequent deworming of all horses without regard for season or individual horses’ needs has put us on a destructive path, with worms becoming increasingly resistant to deworming drugs and no quick or easy solutions in sight. We have to change the way we manage parasite loads in our horses, and to help you do this TheHorse.com will be presenting a cutting-edge webinar on parasite control in horses on October 25, 8-9 p.m. EST (brought to you by Merck Animal Health). In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• Why we can’t and shouldn’t kill all the worms (much as we might like to!);
• How to find out if your current deworming program is working;
• How you can save money on dewormers while reducing your contribution to dewormer resistance; and
• Farm management practices you can use to improve your parasite control.

Presenter: Martin Nielsen, DVM, PhD, assistant professor in equine parasitology at the M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky. In his research he works on developing new and improved diagnostic methods, studying mechanisms of anthelmintic (dewormer) resistance, and developing sustainable strategies for equine parasite control. Nielsen will answer questions online via live text chat during this event, assisted by:

Ray Kaplan, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECPC, ACVM, professor of parasitology at the University of Georgia and director of the Athens Parasitology Diagnostic Laboratory. In his current position he teaches and performs research in veterinary parasitology, focusing on measuring, understanding, and solving the problem of drug resistance in helminth parasites.

Wendy E. Vaala, VMD, Dipl. ACVIM, Sr. Equine Technical Services Specialist at Merck Animal Health. She specializes in internal medicine and equine neonatology and perinatology. She has been an invited lecturer at seminars and symposiums for horse owners and breeders in the United States, Canada, Australia, South America, and Europe. She also has authored articles for the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association, Equine Veterinary Journal, and Compendium