What kind of wormer?

[Jessica H]

I'm still trying to learn what wormers are safe for mini's and what aren't. I know Quest isn't...is that the only one? What's the main ingridient in Quest?

We're ordering wormer from Valley Vet Supply TODAY and I need to know what to get. We wormed with Ivermectin in late July and they are due for wormer now.

So...should I get Ivermectin again, Tapeworm Control, Benzimidazole (Quest is under this category so I'm guessing I should stay away from it?) or Pyrantel Pamoate.

Another thing Valley Vet has for sale is a 1 year wormer pack. I might be interested in this because it's a really good price. The Standard 1-year Womer Pack has this:

Jan/Feb - 1 tube Generic Pyrantel Pamoate

Mar/April - 1 tube Anthelcide EQ

May/June - 1 tube Generic 1.87% Ivermectin

July/Aug - 1 tube Generic Pyrantel Pamoate

Sept/Oct - 1 tube Anthelcide EQ

Nov/Dec - 1 tube Generic 1.87% Ivermectin

That pack is $26.34

They also have the Premium 1-year Wormer pack which has the same thing except instead of Ivermectin for Nov/Dec it has Equimax. This pack is $33.50.

Do you think one of those packs could work? It'd be for my mini and my TB (there's enough for both of them in one tube of wormer because it's enough for a 1200 lb horse. Darby (TB) weighs around 950 (he's very fine boned and naturally skinny) and Champ is around 280 or so. I mix it in their feeds anyways so it wouldn't matter.

 

[chandab]

Moxidectin is the active ingredient in Quest, which is what you want to stay away from.

As far as I know, Moxidectin is the only wormer not safe for minis. It is not in the same category as Benzimidazole, it may just be the way Valley Vet has them listed in the catalog.

Equimax should be a safe way to get tapeworms for both your horses; as it is ivermectin and Praziquantel.

Ivermectin is usually recommended for after the first hard freeze in fall to take care of bots, so if you've had a hard freeze already, you may wish to go with ivermectin again. Your vet would be the best to help you with a good worming program for your area, as it varies a little from region to region.

I do not rotate wormers, I stick with ivermectin year-round; except to add praziquantel for tapes and the occasional 5 day purge, when necessary.

 

[Orkie]

Be careful with the wormers that end in MECTIN for foals. In a slight overdose can cause blindness for a couple of days.

 

[Jessica H]

I do not rotate wormers, I stick with ivermectin year-round; except to add praziquantel for tapes and the occasional 5 day purge, when necessary.

Easy enough for me! Don't they become immune to it though?

 

[chandab]

I do not rotate wormers, I stick with ivermectin year-round; except to add praziquantel for tapes and the occasional 5 day purge, when necessary.

Easy enough for me! Don't they become immune to it though?

To date, there is no known resistance to ivermectin, but I suppose that could change, someday.

 

[Minimor]

Be careful with the wormers that end in MECTIN for foals. In a slight overdose can cause blindness for a couple of days.

??Not ivermectin--Eqvalan, for instance, is labelled as safe for horses of all ages, with treatment of foals beginning at 6 to 8 weeks of age. We've been using it (Eqvalan, then Panomec, now the ordinary liquid that isn't labelled specifically for horses) on our foals for years & years, usually at a slight overdose (as per vet's instructions initially) and have never had an issue with blindness. No issue at all actually.

Vets now say there may be some roundworm resistance to ivermectin in foals and if so Strongid is the thing to use. However, we've seen no such resistance in our foals & have had much more success with ivermectin than strongid. Tried strongid one summer, didn't like the results & have since gone back to ivermectin.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

MM is that an UTD survey- the only one I could find was ten years old and was not a cross section- it was way to vague for me.

I can see no reason not to use Ivermectin on foals but I do not nor will I ever worm more often than eight weeks- that appears to be the simplest way of causing resistance- constantly shoving the chemical throught the animals.

Of course another good way of causing potential resistance is constantly under estimating the weight of the horse and thus under dosing.

I will do a quick Google tomorrow to see if I can come up with anything new.

I do not rotate wormers either, Ivermectin all year , Fenbendazole and Praziquantel twice a year.