Worried about resistance? Concerned that your parasite control program isn’t working as well as it used to? With questions like these, it can pay to incorporate fecal egg count reduction tests (FECRT) into your deworming program this fall.

“While FECRTs aren’t a definitive test for resistance, it’s a good start for evaluating what parasite loads your horses are carrying and what deworming products you should be using,” said Hoyt Cheramie, DVM, MS, manager of Equine Veterinary Services for Merial. “Without basic knowledge about the parasites present, horse owners may be deworming in the dark–and perhaps wasting money on products that aren’t appropriate.”

A quantitative fecal egg count test examines the number of eggs in a small sample of manure to help indicate parasite levels within an individual horse or group of horses.1 When performed both before and after parasite control products are used, it can help horse owners and their veterinarians evaluate the product.

“For the best information possible, getting your veterinarian involved should be the first step,” Cheramie said. “FECRTs can be easily misinterpreted if samples are improperly collected, handled or analyzed. Work with your veterinarian to ensure FECRT analysis and additional tests are properly conducted by a veterinary clinic or by independent, reputable laboratories. Don’t rely on dewormer manufacturers’ labs to perform these diagnostics. Even in the cases where Merial needs to conduct an FECRT, we rely on independent, university-based parasitologists