Pinworm Treatment

[DB Minis]

I have two yearling rescue minis and tonight one had soft manure loaded with live pinworms. I'll be calling the vet tomorrow to get a fecal done and see what they recommend but I'm very interested to hear from all you mini experts here. What does everyone recommend for treating pinworms in their minis? I'm worried about causing a mass die-off if they are loaded. I would love to hear your thoughts!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Oh dear, you are in for it. They are VERY difficult to get rid of. I have a pdf from our state veternarian on the topic I can send you, if you pm me. It is a complicated process. Do not let those cuties anywhere where your other horses can nibble or rub.

 

[DB Minis]

Oh boy! Thank you so much, I'll send you a message. Luckily no other horses around, but only the one has the problem, the other is perfect. I'm guessing I'll have to do treatment for both since they live together?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Have you had them to the vet yet? What does he recommend? You might also consider a PREbiotic supplement for them. You'll probably have to order it somewhere; most tack places only offer Probiotic. I had good luck with aloe vera from the pharmacy section of the Walmart to help with very soft manure.
It would be fun to see pictures of them. Poor babies.

 

[DB Minis]

I dropped off fecals a couple days ago and just called to see if the results were in, the assistant said both fecals were negative. She is going to have the vet follow up with any recommendations but that won't be until next week. I know pinworms don't show up with fecal testing but I wanted to see if there were any other concerns to determine the best treatment method. There has been no more soft manure or visible worms since Monday's incident, and no other symptoms like severe butt scratching, so I'm not sure what to think now! I haven't had a chance to watch for any live worms around his rear but I will try to do so this evening. I'm thinking I should proceed with worming anyways, possibly start with Ivermectin and follow up with Strongid for the pinworms, but I'll wait until I can discuss this with the vet too.

I would love to start a prebiotic, I've read such good things! They are currently getting aloe vera juice just to help aid any stomach issues from settling in. Below is a picture of my babies, I love them so dearly and want to do right by them!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

pyrantel pamoate is what you want for pinworms. The brand my vet gave me is Exodus.
Sounds as though you are a lot more knowledgeable and experienced than I was. I had never seen them before and showed them on this forum, where they were identified as pinworms. By then Dapper Dan had rubbed himself raw--I could not figure out what was going on with him.
Now I watch like a hawk for early signs.
Those little ones are cute as can be. Such sweet faces! You will have so much fun playing with them. It tempts me...

 

[DB Minis]

Wonderful, I see my vet has pyrantel pamoate suspension which can be mixed in to feed! These boys are not ready to take on the syringe just yet so that will be very helpful. I've done so much research to make sure I can do the best I can for these boys. I was just shocked to see dozens of live worms in his manure with not much else for indicators. They are itchy and rubbing their butts but they are shedding their baby winter coat and they aren't aggressively scratching. Hopefully I've caught it at an early stage!

They have the sweetest faces and kindest personalities, they are so brave and learning to adapt very well! I was looking for a couple older experienced minis and here I am with a couple young unhandled boys. Quite literally thrown to the (baby) sharks and I'm so excited for our future together.

 

[DB Minis]

Ugh I spoke too soon, there were several piles of soft manure with lots of pinworms tonight. I've got probios so I started that tonight and I'll order prebiotics now. I think I'll go ahead and order the pyrantel suspension online too instead of waiting to get it from the vet. Hopefully it'll get here fast!

 

[HersheyMint]

Sounds like you are on top of this and doing great.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Ugh I spoke too soon, there were several piles of soft manure with lots of pinworms tonight. I've got probios so I started that tonight and I'll order prebiotics now. I think I'll go ahead and order the pyrantel suspension online too instead of waiting to get it from the vet. Hopefully it'll get here fast!

Are you doing the vaseline? If they will let you, that is a good thing to do.
I don't know what pyrantel suspension is. I just know that ivermectin doesn't get them.
If they rub on the hay bag, the eggs will lodge there and be reingested. I got an old piece of carpet from the carpet store, turned it jute side up, and that is what I fed mine on for a week. They were rubbing on the hay bag. It was wasteful and messy, but I was desperate.
Pinworms are the parasite from hell.

 

[DB Minis]

I'll hopefully get some vaseline on them tonight, one might be more difficult than the other (the one shedding the worms of course). The suspension is a concentrated liquid version of pyrantel pamoate so a small amount is used and can be mixed in with feed, I believe it's sweetened as well to make it palatable. Luckily no hay bags hanging, so far they are only rubbing on the fencing, and manure is picked twice daily so I'm hoping reinfection is kept to a minimum. I really appreciate your tips and advice, your experience with this is invaluable!

 

[DB Minis]

Finally got the suspension and dosed them this morning. Based on the pinworm information Marsha provided I'm thinking I will dose again in 6 weeks and repeat several more times. I've been able to clean and vaseline their rears and I've diligently looked for any trace of live worms or eggs and so far haven't seen anything. Hoping for the best!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Finally got the suspension and dosed them this morning. Based on the pinworm information Marsha provided I'm thinking I will dose again in 6 weeks and repeat several more times. I've been able to clean and vaseline their rears and I've diligently looked for any trace of live worms or eggs and so far haven't seen anything. Hoping for the best!

You will probably see some shed now. Disgusting creatures. But your horses are going to be a lot more comfortable.

 

[DB Minis]

I'm thinking I may have miscalculated my numbers and way underdosed this stuff! Anyone good with numbers? The pyrantel pamoate suspension has 50mg/mL and vet recommends 3mg per pound of body weight - I measured my boys at ~200lbs so that would be 600mg of suspension. Since it has 50mg/mL they would need 12mL (12cc), or 24mL if I were to do the double dose. Does that sound correct? I've gotten a little worried about the numbers and don't trust myself now!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

my Exodus box says 900 mg up to 300 lb. Each milliliter contains 171 milligrams pyrantel base as pyrantel pamoate. Mine got 1/4 syringe, which was 900 mg. I cannot remember if I did a double dose the first time.
3 milligrams per pound of body weight.
Does that help?
I found a little whiteish seed-looking thing about the size of a large pinhead. I was so paranoid, that it looked suspicious. I showed it to two vets and they said it looked like a seed. Another vet looked at it under the microscope and it was indeed eggs. So glad he took me seriously. You can read my whole saga on the Forum. How many people do you know who carry around a baggie of fecal sample?

 

[DB Minis]

That does help, thank you! Looks like the paste and suspension are given in about the same amount. My miscalculation gave them less than 50mg so I'll be giving them a proper dose now.

I've been scrutinizing every suspicious looking piece of undigested hay in their manure since I first saw the pinworms. When I took fecals to the vet I had to wait in the office and their dogs really wanted to check out my samples. It was quite an eventful drop off!

 

[betwys1]

I'm thinking I may have miscalculated my numbers and way underdosed this stuff! Anyone good with numbers? The pyrantel pamoate suspension has 50mg/mL and vet recommends 3mg per pound of body weight - I measured my boys at ~200lbs so that would be 600mg of suspension. Since it has 50mg/mL they would need 12mL (12cc), or 24mL if I were to do the double dose. Does that sound correct? I've gotten a little worried about the numbers and don't trust myself now!

The CDC recommends similar doses for pinworm in humans but notes 'Do not exceed 1 g per dose of the suspension'. Doubling your dose of 12 cc to 24 cc might be a little high. Here's the cite: https://reference.medscape.com/drug/pin-rid-pin-x-pyrantel-pamoate-342667

 

[DB Minis]

Thank you! I'm sure the 1g max dose is only for human concern, a full size horse would need around 60mL just for a single dose. I've done a single dose for now and will probably do a double dose on the second go-around since it is recommended for pinworms.

 

[betwys1]

Thank you! I'm sure the 1g max dose is only for human concern, a full size horse would need around 60mL just for a single dose. I've done a single dose for now and will probably do a double dose on the second go-around since it is recommended for pinworms.

Cautions like this one can be from concern for high concentrations on mucous membranes, throat or stomach. Regardless, I would consider splitting a dose containing more than the recommended max between two or more applications, spaced a few minutes apart. Probably excessive caution but who needs stomach ulcers or whatever?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

How's it going with your rescues?