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Worms
  • trailrider1234

    Posted : 9/8/2009 2:23:13 PM

    My situation started last April.  My 8 yr old mare was rubbing her tail & butt area raw.  Because she has been wormed on a regular schedule and I do rotate the wormers,  (I should also mention that I have 3 other horses without this problem)  the local vet decided to put her on steroids.  So I did, and the rubbing continued.  (In the mean time, I moved her up to a pasture in N. Minnesota)  Then I found a fresh pile of her manuer loaded with live wormes.  They looked like white spagetti with pointed ends.  Than another vet (up in MN) had me repeate a dose of Zimectrin Gold once a week for 3 weeks, which I did.  The itching & rubbing stopped.  I repeated the dose approx. 1 month later to get her on schedule with my other 3 horses.  Now 2 weeks later, and back in TX,  she made another pile and it was full of a bunch of dead white wormes.  But now it has been 1-2 weeks and  she is rubbing her butt again!!  It has only been 1 month since her last dose and I do believe that I am even over-dosing her.  She weights approx. 1350 lbs. and I'm giving her enough for 1500 lbs.  What does one do to get control of such a chronic condition?  I plan to give her another does of Zimectrin Gold today, but when is it considered to much wormer?  
     
    p.s.  She rubs so much that she is tearing down the hay feeder, salt block holder and even pushes out some of the fencing in her stall.   I've had to lock her out and leave her out in the pasture to rub on the mesquite trees.  I've had horses for 20 yrs. and have never encountered this before.  HELP!!
  • trainer101

    Posted : 9/8/2009 2:43:21 PM

    Have you tried Quest Plus yet?  It and there is one other that kills tape worms but I forgot the name.  I have seen wonderful results when I use this.   Another thing you will want to watch is what she is eating different from the other horses.  If they don't have it that bad then there is something she is injesting that has the worm eggs in it. 
     
    I would isolate her (which you did) make a big effort to collect all her piles and destroy them, there by keeping them out of the soil.  Ask your vet about the Quest Plus and see what he says or just give it a try.  You might have to go to the extreme of worming her and stalling her till she is free and clear then limit her outside time while you watch where she is going and what she is eating. 
  • CrookedPostQH

    Posted : 9/8/2009 3:35:29 PM

    My daughter had a similar situation when she moved with her horses from CA to OK.  She was worming much more frequently than ever before. 
     
    While at the feed/farm supply, one of the workers asked if she was seeing deer crossing her pasture - answer was yes.  He recommended a free choice type wormer(?) for the deer and after treating the deer the worm problem in her horses was brought under control.   
     
    I'll ask her if she remembers what she gave the deer and post it here.
     
     
  • CrookedPostQH

    Posted : 9/8/2009 4:35:45 PM

    My daughter put out a cattle wormer block/lick for the deer to self medicate.  She stated to be careful to place it where your horses can't get to it.
     
    Hope you are able to find a solution.
  • trailrider1234

    Posted : 9/9/2009 8:24:21 PM

    You may have something there!!  Before we moved here, we were living in PA, just south of Pittsburgh for 1 1/2 yrs.  We had so many deer in our pasture.  Some of our neighbors fed them.  Here in TX I rarely see one or two of them.  But the problem could have started in PA because we just moved here last fall. 
  • trailrider1234

    Posted : 9/9/2009 8:27:54 PM

    I used Quest when she first started rubbing.  It obviously didn't do the job.  That is why the vet used steriods thinking she was having an allergic reaction to biting flies etc.  Yesterday I went ahead and wormed her again with Zimectrin Gold and in a couple weeks I&nbsp';p'lan to&nbsp';p'ut her on a daily wormer.  I really don't like daily wormers, but I guess it is my best choice.
  • slidinstop

    Posted : 10/1/2009 5:51:14 PM

    It may not be a wormy issue at all.. though given your description I could see where that would be the first logical conclusion.  Be careful not to over worm your horse as it makes the parasites resistent to the chemicals, not to mention they're toxic... be sure to follow up any deworming with a few days of probiotics to restore the natural balance of gut microbes.
     
    She may have blocked tail energy and you can do a little chiropractic / accupressure exercise to test out that theory and see if there's any improvement.
     
    So if your mare is okay with you messing with her tail you'll want to stand squarely behind her and grab hold just below the tail bone... standing far enough away that you'll gradually be able to extend your arms and lean your entire bodyweight back and hold for a few seconds and slowly release.  Be sure to watch for any signs of discomfort and abandoned the exercise if you think she might kick.  To a couple little test pulls to fell her out, certainly don't want you getting hurt. All my horses LOVE tail pulls and they'll lean into it by shifting their weight forward helping to stretch their spine through the hip.
     
    If she's uncomfortable or acts as though it's pinching I would get her in to see a qualified chiropractor.
     
    Just another avenue of thought on this one for you to consider ';)' Additionally a dirty udder, being in season, irritated skin, ticks, no see ums, and general grungies can all be reasons for her rubbing as well.
     
    Good Luck!