Helping you manage the parasite control of your horse and other grazing animals

News

Westgate Labs launch new All Seasons subscription programme

Simplify best practice parasite control today!

We've launched a new subscription service to make following a best practice parasite control programme even easier for our busy customers! The All Seasons service is a tailor made testing programme designed to take the guess work out of managing this important aspect of horse’s health. For one simple monthly subscription payment, you receive a bespoke plan for each horse and all the tests needed to target the right parasites at the right time of year sent direct to your door.

News

Spring Parasite Control 2019

What to consider in your programme for the year ahead

The tantalising signs of spring in the air are a welcome sight for any horse owner. It’s enough to cheer the soul even if it does bring with it the joys of mass moulting and a rising risk of parasite infection. If you gave the suggested winter dose for the possibility of encysted redworm then now is the time to resume the regular testing programme. Don't delay your worm counts this Spring to make sure you're on top of any potential problems.

News

20th Anniversary for Westgate Labs and postal worm counts

and postal worm counts for horses

🎂🎉 2019 marks a very special year for Westgate Labs as we celebrate our 20th anniversary of business helping to improve the way that horses are wormed in the UK. Laboratory founders, David and Gillian Booth, placed their first advert in Horse & Hound, 11th February 1999, and when forward thinking horse owners responded the concept of postal worm counts was born!

News

Four winter worm counting myths busted

how and when to test in winter

There's a common misconception that worm egg counts shouldn’t be used over winter as ‘worms aren’t active’ and ‘small redworm are all encysted’ in the gut wall - therefore not egg laying to be counted in a test. Our response? Well, not quite… There are still a number of instances when a worm egg count can provide very useful information between the months of December and February.

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Job vacancy; we're seeking a telephone receptionist & clerical assistant

we're seeking a telephone receptionist & clerical assistant

Are you friendly, well organised and good on the phone? We’re seeking someone to join our super team to support us on the frontline of delivering animal health services from our busy postal laboratory in rural Northumberland. If you would like to join our team then we would love to hear from you. Applications close on Friday 18th January 2019.

News

Lab Opening Times Christmas 2018

🎄💩✉ Our lab and office will be operating a reduced hours service over the Christmas Holidays from Monday 24th December. If you are sending in samples then the lab will operate each day there is a post to ensure all testing is completed and results are returned. Any shop orders received will also be processed and sent out but the main office will remain closed for general enquiries. We'll be back to our normal hours from 2nd January.

News

Treat & Test this winter to check for drug resistance

This winter 2018/19

We are again offering our popular winter resistance test, available at a reduced price of £5.50 December - February inclusive, aiming to target the treatment of small redworm. The winter 2018/19 offer encourages horse owners to conduct a worm egg count, treat for the potentially fatal encysted stages of small redworm and to test any positive horses again to ensure that the treatment has been effective.

News

Winter Parasite Control 2018

Time to treat for encysted redworm and test for resistance

❄🐴 Winter parasite control ❄️ December - February ✅ treat for the possibility of encysted redworm ✅ test to ensure treatment has been effective Responsible horse owners aim to minimise the wormers they give their horses, basing their parasite control on the evidence of worms being present rather than treating routinely. There is however one dangerous parasitic stage of the small redworm that we can’t test for (yet!) that can have fatal consequences. Instead we need to treat proactively for this.

News

Is it time to worm for encysted redworm?

A targeted worming programme usually relies on worm egg counts through spring, summer and autumn with a proactive treatment for the possibility of encysted redworm in the winter. November to early December is that awkward time of year when deciding ‘is it winter enough or not yet?’ can make us question our own sanity. So how and why do we make this call? Let’s look at it objectively to help make an informed decision.