Twenty years ago few people had even heard about the problem of drug resistance and the technique of using worm counts with their horses for parasite control. That was until Westgate Labs’ founders David and Gillian Booth set out to change this from a laboratory they created on their farm in Northumberland.
Since then the company has grown to help thousands of horse owners and yard managers to move to test-based programmes using evidence-based techniques.
The latest innovation from the postal worm count specialists is the launch of Westgate Labs’ new subscription service to make following best practice parasite control even easier for busy horse owners!
The All Seasons service is a tailor-made programme designed to take the guess work out of managing this important aspect of horse’s health.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
For one simple monthly subscription payment, clients receive a bespoke plan for each horse they sign up and all the tests needed to target the right parasites at the right time of year direct to their door. In addition to a regular schedule of worm counts and EquiSal tests for redworm, roundworm and tapeworm, the subscription also covers any incidental tests that might be required for pinworm, lungworm or liverfluke, plus resistance tests to check for drug resistance.
Commenting on the development, Westgate Labs’ managing director David Booth said: “Since we first pioneered the idea of providing postal worm count services to horse owners, our aim has always been to make it as easy as possible for people to use targeted worming.
“The new service is our latest introduction, built in response to requests from our customers. Some tell us how worried they get about making the right choices for their horses, others describe how, even with the best intentions, the gaps between testing can slip when juggling all those other pressures of work and family life.
“Combine this with the ability to spread the cost of this care into small monthly payments – something we also recognise will benefit many customers – and we hope that the new All Seasons service will fill a real need. The goal is to bring the peace of mind that ensures our customers can get on with enjoying their horses.”
Consultant vet to Westgate Labs, Carolyn Cummins MVB Phd MRCVS commented: “The intervals for testing are recommended based on the worm life cycles, the relative risk of the individual horse and the parasite challenges they might meet in their environment. Unintentionally lengthening this time between testing or treating could allow a parasite burden to get out of hand and become a threat to horse health.
“It’s hard to tell whether a horse has a worm burden just by looking at it so it’s incredibly important to keep up regular testing. The All Seasons subscription service is a great cost-effective way for horse owners to ensure they have this covered and any potentially harmful parasite challenges can be identified and dealt with.”
Regular monitoring using worm counts and tapeworm tests is the cornerstone of a good worming programme to help keep horses healthy and happy, only adding wormers as they are needed. This helps to slow drug resistance as well as being better for the horse and the environment.
As with all Westgate’s services, free veterinary approved follow-up advice from their friendly experts is always available. With subscriptions starting from £6.50 per calendar month for a total test control programme, the All Seasons service is an affordable way to manage parasite control.
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