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There are several situations where a worm count will help you monitor
the health of the horses in your charge:
Regular check. A worm count, taken at regular intervals throughout the
year, carried out just before a worming is due will give an indication
of how well your worming programme is working.
The same test can
be used for a representative sample (25%) from a grazing herd, when a
lot of animals are kept together.
A new horse joining
the yard could be contributing significantly to pasture contamination.
Having a worm count done will avoid this situation. All new arrivals should
be treated as if they are carrying a worm burden. Even horses described
as "previously well wormed" may not be so. A recent survey revealed
that 1 in 3 new arrivals were carrying a significant worm burden.
Young stock are particularly
vulnerable to worm damage, not having the natural resistance of the older
horse. After worming, worm eggs can reappear in the dung after a shorter
interval - compared to adult horses. A worm count will help you to monitor
the situation and to give additional treatment if necessary.
A faecal egg count reduction test is used to test the efficacy of a wormer
and any resistance that has been built up.
If
a high worm count is indicated then a sample should be taken on the day
of worming to be followed by a further test 10 - 14 days later. We offer
a substantial discount for this double test (a voucher is sent with the
first result). This is the only definitive way to check that the wormer
has been effective.
We provide laboratory results rapidly but offer our analysis principally
as a ‘Well Horse’ service. We are happy to discuss your results
and programme, just ask! However
if your horse has a veterinary problem please consult your vet.
Our aim is to carry out the faecal egg count on the day the sample arrives.
The results will be posted, faxed, phoned or e-mailed
as you request. If results are sent electronically a 'hard copy' will
follow along with your tax invoice. Note: all tests must be pre-paid.
It is important to realise the uses and limitations of a worm count before
taking the decision to reduce your worming programme.
An initial test will determine the level of adult, egg laying, parasites present at that time. It will not show immature or encysted worms so you should treat the result with caution. You will feel much more confident after a series of counts when a picture of your horses’ internal health begins to emerge.
Bear in mind the worming history and management of your horse. Are droppings cleared from the paddock? Is the horse kept in his own field with the same friends? Are all the horses wormed together? All these considerations must be taken into account to determine the level of threat from parasites.
If you then have consistently clear or low counts, you are probably in a good position to reduce your worming.
Please note that we will be happy to discuss your worming programme with you, but if you wish to follow a reduced schedule then you must take the decision to do so yourself. You may also want to have a chat with your vet.
All the wormer manufacturers can provide you with a standard worming programme, based on their own products, if this is what you need.
If you have decided to worm only as the count indicates, then normal practice is to worm when the count begins to rise towards 200 e.p.g.. This system can work very well.
If you find you have wormed very little during a year, then you may wish to include one worming for encysted worms in late autumn, as a safeguard.
Don’t forget about tapeworm! You will need to worm for tapeworm, preferably late in the year, unless a blood test, taken by your vet, shows that there are none present.
N.B.
We can never report a zero count. The method, used by all labs, is statistical
and we can only say with certainty that there are <50 e.p.g. (less
than fifty eggs per gram). So <50 is as low as it goes!
All worm eggs seen in the sample will be reported. These are most usually
strongyle eggs - both large and small redworm. We do not differentiate
between the two at the egg stage (we would have to cultivate them to the
larval stage) but as the treatment is the same we simply report them as
strongyles, a standard practice.
We also see ascarids -roundworm, although these are much less common.
Tapeworm eggs frequently appear in samples and are reported, but this is not a definitive test for tapeworm. It is possible for a horse to be carrying tapeworm and yet no eggs appear in the sample because of the way these eggs are expelled in "packets" or segments. A segment must burst and release the eggs for them to be seen under the microscope. You may see segments of tapeworm in the droppings.
Sometimes worm larvae are seen and these are reported.
A
faecal egg count will not indicate bots as the eggs are found sticking
to the horses' legs.
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