Deworming Dilemma
If a horse is in good health and a fecal sample does not reveal any parasite eggs, there is simply no incentive to treat. | Photo: iStock
Q: I need advice about deworming our horse. He lives alone in a two-acre pasture, but he is hauled to a public barn for exercising. Our vet has advised us to cut back on the every-other-month deworming schedule after a manure sample showed he had no worms. How often should we deworm? Would you please recommend which medication we should use?

—Marty Ward, Medford, Ore.

A: Thank you for asking this highly relevant question. I fully agree with your veterinarian. To deworm a horse every other month is a serious overtreatment. In the best case it is not needed and is a waste of medicine and money and, at worst, such treatment regimens inevitably lead to resistant parasites.

You do not mention your horse’s age, but I assume he is an adult. Adult horses most often require only one or two treatments a year, and many may not need any treatments at all. If he is in good health and a fecal sample does not reveal any parasite eggs, there is simply no incentive to treat

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