By Kenton Morgan, DVM, Senior Equine Technical Services Veterinarian for Zoetis

When did you last deworm your horse? What parasites did you target? If you’re not sure, it might be time to re-examine how you approach your equine deworming program.

Deworming every horse every couple of months was common practice for more than 40 years. However, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has revised their guidelines on parasite control. The guidelines now advocate for need-based deworming to avoid anthelmintic resistance in parasites by using a targeted treatment approach.

Some horses might need only two treatments per year in the spring and fall. However, horses at greater risk might need more frequent anthelmintic, or deworming, treatments. An individualized risk-based deworming approach begins with a fecal egg count (FEC) test. Your veterinarian evaluates FEC test results before and after deworming to help determine a baseline for parasite levels and efficacy of the treatment