Page 83 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

dosing does not kill the worms and it may encourage the development of resistance.

Special weigh tapes are available to help you estimate your horse’s weight, or ask your
VetBooks.ir 4 vet for advice. Many vet practices have horse weighing scales.

Anthelmintic resistance – this can be checked for by measuring egg output on the day of
dosing and 14 days later.

5 Horses may have been purchased with arrested larvae in their gut lining. The use of a
larvicidal drug does not guarantee that all of these will be removed.

REMEMBER, THE FIRST RULE IS TO ASSESS THE RISK

Consider:
• your grazing situation

• the age of the horses

• use diagnostic tests

• talk to your vet.

PRACTICAL
CONSIDERATIONS

Gel/Paste or granules/tablets?

Both treatments are equally effective. Paste and gel are usually administered directly into the
mouth by syringe and the granules or tablets are mixed in with the feed.

To administer a gel or paste:

1 adjust the syringe to give the required dose for the horse’s weight

2 put a headcollar on the horse and make sure there is no food in its mouth

3 remove the cap and push the nozzle gently into the side of the horse’s mouth at the
corner of the lips (Figure 2.24)

4 direct the syringe backwards and push the plunger to deposit the paste onto the tongue

5 hold the horse’s head up for a few seconds to prevent it spitting out the dose
6 check that none of the dose has been wasted.