Wormer for minis

[Marilyn Leiterman]

I have a mini mule and pony. I think they need wormed. I could use advice on brands and amounts.

 

[Taz]

I really like the liquid ivermectin. It's 1cc/100lbs so really easy to get the right amount. I add water to their 'grain' (hay extender pellets) and put that in with the water and leave it to turn into a mush, they eat it no problem(you need about a cup of feed ) so no need to syringe it into them, just make sure they only get theirs, no sharing. If you can't get it at a store near you you can order on line from greenhawk or pleasant ridge. Do you know how much they weigh?

 

[Maryann at MiniV]

Taz and I do things very much the same. We use liquid ivermectin too. Some horses are okay with a syringe of liquid being squirted into their mouths, but I always give them a handful of grain immediately after to help get rid of the nasty taste. For the ones who bolt over the syringe, we put a cup or two of grain in a feeder pan and dribble the wormer over the top. We've never had to add water.
Ivermectin is our main wormer. And Strongid is the other wormer to rotate with a couple times a year. It comes in a paste, so I put it on my finger and slide it up inside the side of their mouth.

 

[Taz]

Haha, I don't know that the water's really needed for wormer, I'm used to doing it that way to get other things into them so I just add it, putting it on top would probably work fine

 

[Maryann at MiniV]

One thing I forgot to add that's VERY IMPORTANT. And I'm sure others will agree.............

******** NEVER GIVE THE WORMER - QUEST - TO MINIATURE HORSES/DONKEYS OR PONIES. **********

 

[MerMaeve]

One thing I forgot to add that's VERY IMPORTANT. And I'm sure others will agree.............

******** NEVER GIVE THE WORMER - QUEST - TO MINIATURE HORSES/DONKEYS OR PONIES. **********

Why?

 

[Maryann at MiniV]

All Wormers are basically a poison, as you know. Different types are more intense or potent than others. Quest's active ingredient is Moxidectin and is extremely powerful. It goes into a horse's fatty tissue. The problem is that minis and ponies have less fatty tissue than full sized horses and it can go into their blood stream and brain. The end result can often result in seizures and even death. I personally have a friend who lost a colt this way......when Quest first came out. I believe the box now has a small typed warning about giving it to minis and ponies.........Haven't looked recently.

 

[MerMaeve]

All Wormers are basically a poison, as you know. Different types are more intense or potent than others. Quest's active ingredient is Moxidectin and is extremely powerful. It goes into a horse's fatty tissue. The problem is that minis and ponies have less fatty tissue than full sized horses and it can go into their blood stream and brain. The end result can often result in seizures and even death. I personally have a friend who lost a colt this way......when Quest first came out. I believe the box now has a small typed warning about giving it to minis and ponies.........Haven't looked recently.

Very good to know. Thank you, Maryann!

 

[Pitter Patter]

Very good to know. Thank you, Maryann!

I never knew that either! Glad I've never used Quest! Another warning I learned the hard way, if you have cats or barn cats and you are giving your horses or other animals Ivermectin, make sure you quickly clean up ANY that may have falled out of the animal's mouth or don't leave any of the tubes or syringes around AT ALL. I had a cat who was very attracted to the apple flavored Ivermectin and took a couple laps of a small bit that fell to the ground due to horse suddenly jerking away. I hadn't noticed the cat taking any but about an hour later she started following me and walking awkwardly (very independent kitty who never followed anyone). Upon picking her up I realized she couldn't see. Immediately took her to the vet and she said it was Ivermectin poisoning. She rallied but scared us to death.

 

[Maryann at MiniV]

Thank you for that, Pitter Patter........Glad to know your kitty survived!

 

[MerMaeve]

I never knew that either! Glad I've never used Quest! Another warning I learned the hard way, if you have cats or barn cats and you are giving your horses or other animals Ivermectin, make sure you quickly clean up ANY that may have falled out of the animal's mouth or don't leave any of the tubes or syringes around AT ALL. I had a cat who was very attracted to the apple flavored Ivermectin and took a couple laps of a small bit that fell to the ground due to horse suddenly jerking away. I hadn't noticed the cat taking any but about an hour later she started following me and walking awkwardly (very independent kitty who never followed anyone). Upon picking her up I realized she couldn't see. Immediately took her to the vet and she said it was Ivermectin poisoning. She rallied but scared us to death.

Good to know, as we have a barn kitty.

 

[Pitter Patter]

Good to know, as we have a barn kitty.

It's very sad to watch. Much like a stroke. She staggered everywhere and could not see a single thing. Small animal vet recognized it right away, thank goodness. Took 2 days to get her vision back and still staggered about. Another day or so and she could walk normally.

 

[Pitter Patter]

I have always used paste wormer because that's all I've ever seen around here. Never even heard of liquid wormer but will look now. I have thought about putting it on my finger for my Welsh Cobb but haven't tried it yet. I don't know why, I think it would work better than his seeing the syringe. It takes two very strong people to get him to take it. He can smell it a mile away, I swear! He won't touch any food if he smells evidence of "tampering", He does like his nostrils, mouth and chin rubbed so I could just slide it right in. (I know it's weird, but he actually loves having right inside his nostrils massaged-puts him in almost a trance. I have no clue why either. Is that how twitches work?) It's probably that we are both just weirdos! (if you wonder how I discovered this I didn't really go looking for it...One days just putting my hands all over his face and loving him up a big and he kept putting his nose near my fingers and then I slipped a little with my fingers and OOPS! He kept bugging me when I would stop).Can't ride the bugger, but apparently he thinks I'm good enough to pick his nose!LOL)

 

[Taz]

You could try giving him a syringe of apple sauce regularly, when you switch to wormer every now and then her will be easier if he's expecting the applesauce. You can even mix the two together. Start by just letting him lick it off the outside till he figures it out so you don't have to fight him. Or molasses or anything else he likes.

 

[Dragon Hill]

My mini mare will mug you for wormer. She loves it. My last mini donkey would let you worm him and then steal the syringe if you weren't careful.

 

[Abby P]

Liquid ivermectin is sold as sheep drench. It's WAY cheaper than paste. I use it for my dog - you just have to be careful with the dosing on smaller animals, it's pretty concentrated. I use a 1 cc syringe to measure it out because the volume for my 50 pound dog is small. A little easier for a mini but definitely get a syringe since kitchen measuring spoons are not that accurate. I haven't tasted it myself but my dog doesn't mind it, it doesn't seem to have a strong taste, I imagine it would hide easily in some soaked hay pellets or whatever.

I only looked into the proper dose for dogs, I extrapolated it based on the dose in Heartguard for my dog's weight. I haven't figured it out for a horse and not sure if it's the same dosing per pound of body weight as for dogs; it may be worth asking your vet or if you're feeling lucky there is always Dr. Google.

 

[Maryann at MiniV]

Never used the sheep drench. We always have bought the plain cattle version.......NOT the type that has additives in it.

 

[Abby P]

Right, you have to be really careful because a lot of things that are OK for ruminants are not OK for horses and vice versa.

 

[Taz]

I use the sheep drench for my dogs as an affordable hearworm preventative. It's diluted down (0.08% solution) here, yes, I use a 1cc syringe too . Haven't tried it for the minis.

 

[Maryann at MiniV]

The plain old cattle version is just pure ivermectin..... nothing else, so it's the same as the horse ivermectin, just with a different label. 1cc per 100 lbs.