Anything I should know about using wormer in minis?

[OneSmartCookie]

How does everybody run their worming program with minis? I'm getting ready to worm my little guy for the first time and I know minis are sometimes different from big horses - is there anything I should know? I don't have a scale to weigh him, but I did figure his weight with the "mini formula".

Do you run a fecal first every time? Just rotate wormers on a schedule? How often do you worm and where are you located? Any wormers I should avoid - I've heard Quest/moxidectin is not safe? If you don't use the entire tube, can you save it for the next deworming, possibly six months later?

Also, is there any problem with putting him on a pyrantel tartrate daily wormer?

My full size mare gets a fecal every six months and wormed every three (she's a high shedder), rotated between ivermectin, Safeguard (fenbendazole), and Quest Plus (moxidectin/praziquantel). They are on pasture but it is picked clean daily. I'm in southwest Georgia so it basically never gets cold.

Thanks for any tips!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Wow, lots of questions! Rotating products is always a good idea.
The products keep very well for a long time in the house. They have a shelf life beyond their "expiration date".
They only parasite I've had trouble eradicating is pin worms. They are the very devil. The others seems to respond well to a normal worming cycle. I think it's always a good idea to do a fecal.
I know Georgia is different than where I am in Oklahoma.

 

[HersheyMint]

I like to do a fecal test before worming. Then go by Vet's recommendation. I'm in the desert and mine are on a dry lot all the time. Totally different than your area.

 

[Standards Equine]

Regarding dosing, because ideally you're dosing for weight, I accidentally gave our mini mare a full tube. I can't remember if it was Quest or Ivermectin but one or the other. Anyways, she was just fine. Probably clean as a whistle!
Daily-dose dewormer isn't a thing in practice up here in Alberta, Canada. Fecal analysis, as you know, is the most effective method, but we also deworm for what would be seasonal. Typically twice a year is a good enough prevention for a healthy heard. We always do a good clean out after hard frost is in the ground, and then another into spring. Outside of that depends on what the concern is.

 

[chandab]

I'd at least start with a fecal and determine if your mini is a high-shedder or not; if not, he may only need twice a year deworming, typically ivermectin is most often used in adult minis. If you can weigh on a scale and dose properly, Quest (moxidectin) can be used in healthy minis, but it has a lower safety threshold, so it's important not to overdose (so transfer dose to a separate syringe or wrap the plunger with a rubberband to ensure you don't give more than the proper dose). Most just don't try Quest to avoid the possibility of overdose, due to inability to get a true weight (rather than estimate). Rotating dewormers is no longer recommended, as it leads to resistance, as does not giving enough for the size of the equine.
I have multiple minis, so rarely have any left-overs in a tube for next time; but as long as the date is still good on the tube, and it's stored properly, you should be able to keep the left-overs until next time.

 

[Abby P]

I just do Zimectrin Gold twice a year, once in the fall right after the first couple of hard frosts, and again in the spring. His fecals have always been clean and he lives by himself in a mostly-dry lot so it's a different situation than a horse that's out in a mixed herd.