Autumn is traditionally a time for proactive parasite control in horses. We are told it's tapeworm time and have also traditionally given a dose for encysted redworm at this time. But wait!
Being able to accurately assess the weight of an animal is important for many reasons, particularly for calculating medication quantities such as wormers and in aiding dietary management. But unless you have ready access to a weighbridge this is sometimes easier said than done especially as research shows weight estimates by eye can vary as much as 30%.
Help, it all looks different! Here at Westgate Labs we’ve been really busy updating our systems to enable us to bring you the very best service for your animals’ worm control.
The end of 2016 heralded great news for us here at Westgate Labs! We were overjoyed to open the January issue of Your Horse Magazine to find that their lovely readers had voted our worm egg count kit into the top ten products of the year in their 2016 gear guide.
work is now underway to validate a laboratory test for the detection of encysted small redworm, with the anticipation that it will be commercially available in the next 1-2 years.
Horses itch for many reasons including sweetitch and fly irritation but repeated tail rubbing could also be a sign of pinworm (Oxyuris Equi), a pesky little parasite that has been on the increase in horses over the last few years.
For the third installment of our 'ask the expert' series we go to Carolyn Cummins MVB Phd MRCVS, consultant vet to Westgate Laboratories to get a veterinary view on the importance of good parasite control:
Treating your horse for worms is important but worming drugs can cause imbalances in the gut bacteria which in turn can create its own problems. To help you protect your horse when giving this medication we talked to veterinary surgeon Liam Gamble MA VetMB MRCVS from Protexin Equine Premium about using probiotics help to restore the balance by promoting the growth of good bacteria.
Publication in a peer reviewed journal means that subject specialists have fully reviewed, or refereed, the research paper. The publication of the EquiSal Tapeworm validation paper therefore demonstrates quality of science, reliability of the findings and that the research is of an accepted standard.
Here are Westgate we’re delighted to be supporting the charity of the year at the 2016 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials 2016, World Horse Welfare. They have chosen this high profile event to raise awareness of ‘The Invisible Horse’ and will be creating a stunning sculpture trail with the help of world renowned artists. 14 painted horses will help to shine a spotlight on the world’s unseen horses, the artworks inspired by the stories of horses and ponies from WHW Rescue and Rehoming Centres.