[pittmd]

Originally Posted by Acantha

I'm asking because I've seen people say the rotation you should use depends on your location.

There are many factors that go into choosing what to use and when. I highly recomend calling up your vet and chating with them about it. The people here know a lot but they don't know you or your horse like your vet will.

[JBandRio]

Originally Posted by erusaertelttil

GET A WORM COUNT FROM THE VET!
its the only way to know for sure that your doing the right thing because every horse is different.

Just know that a FEC is not the be-all end-all to knowing what a horse has or doesn't have. It's pretty reliable in showing you if the horse does have worms, but can be unreliable, depending on your luck and what worms you're looking for, if it says there aren't any, or the count is low. Pick up a ball of manure that doesn't have much in it, and you could get a low/no count even if the horse is loaded. Tapeworms don't show (unless you're REALLY lucky). Encysted stages don't show (they're encysted, they aren't shedding)

Originally Posted by pittmd

There are many factors that go into choosing what to use and when. I highly recomend calling up your vet and chating with them about it. The people here know a lot but they don't know you or your horse like your vet will.

However, realize that there are several folks here who are much, much more up to date on deworming issues than many, many vets.

[Madick]

Originally Posted by JBandRio

Just know that a FEC is not the be-all end-all to knowing what a horse has or doesn't have. It's pretty reliable in showing you if the horse does have worms, but can be unreliable, depending on your luck and what worms you're looking for, if it says there aren't any, or the count is low. Pick up a ball of manure that doesn't have much in it, and you could get a low/no count even if the horse is loaded. Tapeworms don't show (unless you're REALLY lucky). Encysted stages don't show (they're encysted, they aren't shedding)

The main purpose of FEC is to keep track of which horses that needs to be regularly dewormed. ONE test doesn't say much, at least three (in about a years time) with steady numbers tell you something.

Also, it's the small strongyles we need to be careful not to deworm too much for, just because of the encysted stages they are really fast to develop resistance.

Roundworms shed eggs continually, it's not like one ball of manure is high and another low in eggs. Sure a test can differ on a bit, but not so much it changes the way you should treat the horses.

The MAIN reason for deworming is to keep the eggs from contaminating the pastures. No eggs = no new worms gets into the horse. Preventing re-infection is the most important work, not treating without doing anything about the cause.

Most horses do have a good strong defence themselves agains parasites and are over-dewormed.

[lvmypnt]

I worm about every 12-16 weeks with Zimectrin Gold. I have never had worm problems, However we poop-scoop our pastures and paddocks twice a day and pick up an "nasty" hay twice a day and I believe this is what helps us the most.

[Madick]

Originally Posted by lvmypnt

I worm about every 12-16 weeks with Zimectrin Gold. I have never had worm problems, However we poop-scoop our pastures and paddocks twice a day and pick up an "nasty" hay twice a day and I believe this is what helps us the most.

Then you probably deworm more than necessary.

[aqhaktberry3]

I just dicovered a great deal. www.horse.com has a whole year supply of wormer for $21.99. It includes 6 tubes total. And includes all the ones you need to rotate. It even says when to use which. Here is the link! http://www.horse.com/Standard-1-Year...ack-BBK10.html

[Dawn]

Originally Posted by aqhaktberry3

I just dicovered a great deal. www.horse.com has a whole year supply of wormer for $21.99. It includes 6 tubes total. And includes all the ones you need to rotate. It even says when to use which. Here is the link! http://www.horse.com/Standard-1-Year...ack-BBK10.html

Unfortunately the products that they sell as the package are based on nothing more than marketing.

[JBandRio]

Originally Posted by aqhaktberry3

I just dicovered a great deal. www.horse.com has a whole year supply of wormer for $21.99. It includes 6 tubes total. And includes all the ones you need to rotate. It even says when to use which. Here is the link! http://www.horse.com/Standard-1-Year...ack-BBK10.html

See replies to your thread

Also, please read this thread on which you posted, specifically post #8 as mentioned in the thread title. I'm not being mean or snarky, really, that's not my intention. But you posted a deworming rotation that is the very reason why this thread was made into a sticky - it's not a valid rotation.

[aqhaktberry3]

So can someone give an example of a good rotation? Thanks!

[Madick]

Originally Posted by aqhaktberry3

So can someone give an example of a good rotation? Thanks!

It depends totally on how YOUR situation is. How many horses on how much pasture, divided how. Where do you live. What does the FEC tell you? How are the pastures taken care of? Do you have bots and tapes in your area? Are there true winters and how are the summers. And so on...