negative worm count

[mtj]

my guys are strategically wormed 4 times a year.

had a worm count done yesterday and the result is zero.

i'm wondering, do i need to continue with routine worming, or should i just be aiming at specifics such as tape worm and doing regular worm counts?

[KS1]

If your horses are kept with the same horses all year round with no changes then I see nothing stopping you from having worm counts during the year along with the recommended dose for tapeworm twice a year (followed by a worm count)

If however horses are coming and going, pasture is regulary changed, you go to shows etc then I'd be more carelful.

keep a weight record of your horse, watch your horses horses condition and well being. If in any doubt talk to your vet on the phone.

[spaniel]

I would now go onto 4 x yearly faecal egg counts plus once a year have a blood test for tapes. If there is no need to worm for tapes then I certainly wouldnt be doing that either.

I have used worm counts and poo picking for many many years and this is by far the best method I have found of keeping any horse parasite free (well as free as they can be) including competition horses who have gone out and about and hunt horses.

Worm with chemicals only when you actually need to and this should apply to tapes as well.

The only one I WOULD do routinely is encysted redworms.

[Donkeymad]

You can't actually get a 'zero' worm count, the best is <50epg

[mtj]

oh

probably muddled this . got a call from the vets who told me that both my horses had a negative worm count.

i asked what that meant, and was told that nothing found.

thank you for everyones advice. I'm going to have a chat with my vets to devise a worm management scheme specific to my horses, rather than standard worming.

i've got no problems giving horses medication, but it seems daft too give them stuff they don't need.

[Theresa_F]

I have used WC for several years now and mine are always clear or very low. I now do a worm count in early April, then again in mid September and depending on the September count, I either use a tape wormer in October or a combo one. I then worm end of December with equest for encysted worms.

I find that two worm counts and two wormers a year, one for tape and one for encysted worms, in my case works well, but mine are in their own paddock, I clear the field 5 days a week in summer and weekly in winter so they are kept in good conditions to prevent worm burdens.

[celiap]

My yard has used worm counts for 2 years now and wormed for tapeworm and bots and encysted red worm once a year but have now got a problem with pinworm. Wonder if anyone else has had this happen.

[Donkeymad]

I have been worm counting for 8 years now, worming for tape, bots, encysted. Haven't come across a problem with pinworms personally.

[Gillb]

Interesting that you mention pinworms. They seem to have been a real problem this year and I've had lots of conversations about them with worried owners.

They can still be a problem for those on a full worming programme as they re-infect so easily.

People often panic about them (they look like white beansprouts if you haven't seen them) but they are more of an irritation than anything else and of course look gross.

[Ravenwood]

[ QUOTE ]
You can't actually get a 'zero' worm count, the best is <50epg

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you sure? I use worm counts and lady rings me up before sending the paper result and she has often said they have found zero or in one instance - one egg. But as you rightly point out, the paper result only just shows under 50.

And to OP, I don't user a wormer either when the results are zero.