It’s no longer enough to rotate wormers. Overuse of equine deworming products has led to the development of parasite resistance. Veterinarians now recommend a personalized deworming schedule based on the individual horse’s needs.
The only way to determine whether your horse is a low shedder of parasite eggs (under 200 eggs per gram), a moderate shedder (200 to 500 epg) or high shedder (500+ epg) is a fecal egg count. And Horsemen’s Laboratory is here to help.
Their Fecal Egg Count test will identify the parasites and the egg quantity. The tests can detect Strongyles (most common), Roundworms, and occasionally tapeworms and pinworms so you know which dewormer is best to use. In addition to helping to combat parasite resistance, these tests save money by allowing you to treat only for the amount and kind of parasite they find.
The kits come with everything you need to send in a sample for each horse including postage paid envelopes with tracking. The results are processed the day they are received and emailed that afternoon.
Horsemen’s Lab also offers a fecal tapeworm test that is 90 percent accurate for tapeworms when there are 20 or more tapeworms. The accuracy decreases to 60 percent when one tapeworm is present. It also includes the fecal test.
Horsemen’s Laboratory strives to provide very fast accurate results (generally within 3-5 business days) as well as excellent customer service and consultation on which dewormers to use.
“We strive to be an honest, personable company where you will speak to an actual person who is knowledgeable about parasites and parasite resistance,” said owner Ivy Lewis. “We also strive to answer all questions and if we do not know the answer we will work to find one.”
Visit online at horsemenslab.com or call 800-544-0599 for more information or to order.