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Let's talk about worming minis!

13K views 30 replies 12 participants last post by  HollyBubbles 
#1 ·
Hi there! I have been giving Ivermectin every 6-8 weeks, and then I was told replace once yearly with Quest, and then once yearly with Equimax.
so...
Jan-I
March-I
May-I
July-Q
Sept-I
Nov-I
Jan-E

Does that look right? Anyway, I don't want to do Quest anymore, heard too many negative things. What can I sub? Also, is this how you worm your minis? Is there an even simpler schedule or formula I can use?

I know I can call my vet, but #1 I am afarid he will try to talk me into using Quest and also, I just enjoy hearing all the opinions here. Thanks!
 
#2 ·
you know you don't HAVE to worm your horse that often. There is a new study shown that 2-3 times a year is good enough that way the parasites don't build up a tolerance for the wormer. I know some people might disagree with me but I have my vet books from my classes and it does say that. You could probably read up on it too.
 
#3 ·
Yeah, I am glad you said that. I am one of those people that like to do things with the least amount of meds. My minis do not leave my property and don't have contact with other horses except the occasional horse riding by that might stop to say hello. Not sure if that has anything to do with them catching or not catching worms.

So, do you think I could use the same amount of Ivermectin twice a year? and then maybe one time Equimax, and one time a year a sub for Quest? Can I just quit the Quest/sub for Quest?

I will admit, I am a little confused and when I google, not sure exactly what I am googling for.
 
#4 ·
I agree with gidget my birtish shetlands get wormed this time of year as in I was worming them this weekend and easter at the same time they get foot trimmed and deloosed (evan though they don't have lice) and they only nead there feet down that often as they are really slow growing being native and everything.
 
#5 ·
I would use the same amount...I would use ivermectin gold during the fall...kills possible tapeworms and a regular ivermectin during spring and if you want to worm twice I would use safeguard..I use it and haven't had any bad side effects...do the paste not the pellets because sometimes horses might drop a bit and you want to make sure they get all the wormer in as possible
 
#6 ·
You can't plan in advance what to de-worm with...you SHOULD have a fecal done everytime it's time to de-worm to find out exactly what worms your horse has then chose the best dewormer to use against it. You can use as many rotation schedules as you want but they probably won't be covering what you need them to.
 
#7 ·
Thats what I was going to say. the BEST way to worm is to have a fecal done (not that I do, but it is the best way)
Every horse , and every place is different. It all depends, on how many horses are there, how wormy they were to start, how often poop is picked up, ect.
 
#8 ·
when you say to get a fecal done everytime...you mean 6 times a year get a fecal? The vet comes out and you pay for a farm call plus lab work 6 times a year? Or is there another way to check the poo for worms? Or are you saying you only worm once or twice a year?
 
#11 ·
I imagine either or can do it. It's just checking to see if your animal is wormy.
The best way is to do a fecal exam but most people I know don't...I don't. My horses are perfectly fine.I have to worm Bambi one more time with a different type of wormer and she will be good till spring time.
 
#14 ·
If they don't get the fecal, how do they know what wormer to get? There is no way to know without a fecal, therefore no way to PROPERLY deworm without getting one done. I'll admit I haven't done it yet, I just powerpaked my girls (though not the best time in the year, but I could finally afford it so I wanted to) but from now on I plan on getting fecals done.
 
#17 ·
They have sets you can purchase that include a year's rotation of wormer and a schedule for it. Might be something you'd be interested in.
I use the Safeguard program (Google safeguard barn chart)
Those are not accurate, if you think about it - how could they possibly be? They can't detect what worms your horses will get and when and then when you put climate into consideration...I wonder if they sell the same sets everywhere regardless of the year round climates? Hmmm. They can do their best but you can never be sure. It's pretty much a marketing strategy IMO not a good worming plan nor one I would ever consider using.
 
#16 ·
I use the Safeguard program (Google safeguard barn chart)

And yes, Quest can be bad if the minis get a large over dose. Which happened once with mine, the thing slipped and he ended up getting a 1250 pound dose of Zimectrin Gold. "Supposedly" had that been Quest, which gives less room for error, he might have had issues.
 
#18 ·
I didn't ask if you thought it was accurate or if you'd use it. I answered the question, but thankyou.

To the OP... I have my horses fecal tested by our vetternarian two-three times yearly, this schedule keeps on top of everything and has worked great on my in-coming rescue horses as well. The three days double dose of Safeguard seems to boot any and everything, all newbies get this then go on the schedule.
 
#20 ·
I didn't ask if you thought it was accurate or if you'd use it. I answered the question, but thankyou.
Well golly gee I'll make sure to never give my opinion again!

Kmdstar...I am not trying to say fecal testing isn't a good idea. But there is no need for you to come on here and start firing off at everyone who suggests something that does not involve testing.

When you have multiple horses, it can become expensive to test every single time you worm. IMHO, the programs (like the one New_image mentioned is a great example), in combination with a couple of tests or so a year is just fine.
I'm sorry if everyone here thinks I am 'firing off' at everyone when I'm only trying to explain that the dewormer sets can not be accurate so shouldn't be counted on. BUT I can see my opinion is CLEARLY not wanted, so I'll just leave this thread - I wouldn't want to 'fire off' at anyone else. Have a wonderful day! :)
 
#19 ·
Kmdstar...I am not trying to say fecal testing isn't a good idea. But there is no need for you to come on here and start firing off at everyone who suggests something that does not involve testing.

When you have multiple horses, it can become expensive to test every single time you worm. IMHO, the programs (like the one New_image mentioned is a great example), in combination with a couple of tests or so a year is just fine.
 
#22 ·
Your opinion is wanted..opinions are good but I do agree that if you have a lot of horses it can become expensive to get them all tested for fecal. I might get her tested in spring and I might not...it doesn't mean you are a bad owner(not saying you said that just letting others know what i think). I bet that a lot of horse owners never have done a fecal...now if you got in a rescue I would get the horse tested. I wormed Gidget,Bambi,and autumn..I'm worming bambi and autumn one more time in a few weeks and I am calling it good untill the spring.
 
#23 ·
Yes, I think what the answer is, in a perfect world, where money and time are no issue, then fecal tests on a regular basis would be great. I think most people are telling me what they themselves have been doing and are successful so far with.

I appreciate this forum because there are so many things I am rusty on (grew up riding horses, but my parents took care of all the vetting and feed issues) and I want to be a good horse owner. That said, these (my minis) are not expensive show horses, horses being bred, or even horses with a "job." They are my pets that I am trying to give good care to, but also be reasonable and realistic with all the bells and whistles.

NewImage-That's what I heard...that is you accidentally give too much Quest, it can really be bad! It just kind of freaks me out, because even if given the proper dose, I worry it makes them feel bad and they have no way of telling us. I worry about that with a lot of vaccines and medicines.

Anyway, I am going to look into the rotation sets you guys mentioned, too. Thanks so much!
 
#24 · (Edited)
My vet does not suggest a fecal in place of every deworming. That would be cumbersome and expensive.

The theories on deworming are changing quite a bit from what has been the generally understood deworming program for the last few decades.

Per my vet there is an increased amount of resistance to dewormers (like the issue we (general we) are having with antibiotics). They are no longer suggesting we deworm willy nilly every six to eight weeks for things that we do not know are there.

The new system has you doing a fecal count four times the first year, then two or three times the second year, and if you have a low/no shedder you can go to one fecal count per year after that.

Since both my horses are none shedders and they are in a closed herd I only deworm 2x per year. This has actually saved me money in the long run. I also look at it this way, I do not want to contribute to dewormer resistence issues because treating a resistant worm infestation will cost a small fortune.

OP, you might want to check with your vet to see if they have instituted such a deworming program.

Another note - everything I have read (including the paper work from the vet) says that miniature horses should not be given moxidectin (which is the drug in Quest).
 
#26 ·
I was told NEVER to use Quest on my Mini's. The risk of death is just to high. I have even heard of some big horses being killed when using this product. Now, I am not flaming Quest, I'm just telling you what I have been told. Some people us this and have no problems, but, it does scare me with the minis
 
#27 ·
absolutely...I keep hearing this over and over again. I don't think I would use Quest even on a big horse, after all the negatives I have heard. It is too easy to overdose and even if it did not *kill* a big horse...I dunno, can't be good for them if you give them a little too much.
 
#29 ·
You should be worming them on the same schedule you're worming the horses on. What you need to do however is find what their weights are. Most past dewormers have a lock mechanism on them allowing you to deworm them according to their weight, therefor a specific amount of paster. I used to be able to do 3 miniatures to one dewormer based on their weight.

On average mine were done 3 times a year and I did get a different brand of de-wormer every time.
 
#30 ·
Moxidectin shouldn't be used in minis, older horses, horses with compromised immune systems, or even young horses. It has a much lower poisonous dosage than the other chemicals used in dewormers, so it can be very dangerous for some animals. I never ever used it in my geriactric Cushings mare, but have used it with success in both Soda and Lily.
 
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