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[RC] Cost Effective Deworming for Tapeworms - Carolyn BurgessI recently used the new wormers with praziquantel in them. There are two versions of this product: Zimectrin Gold and Equimax. I chose Equimax because it has a higher concentration of praziquantel in it. I have always used double doses of Strongid (pyrantel pamoate) in the fall to treat for tapeworms, but according to the literature on this, that doesn't always kill the tapeworms. Also according to the same literature, fecal worm counts for tapes are only accurate in 3% of horses meaning that our horses can show that they are clear of tapes and are not. I haven't sourced the literature on this and it is coming from the drug companies, so I don't know if it is completely true. So based on this, an older horse would have a heavier tapeworm load than a younger horse.
I bought Equimax and used it on all four of my horses. Bought it for $10.45/dose plus 5% MA sales tax at Equine Affair in November and wormed almost immediately. The horses are a 7 y.o. 1150 lb Appy gelding, a 12 y.o. 1100 lb Standardbred gelding, a 13 y.o. 1300lb Paint gelding and a 20 y.o. 1100 lb Arabian gelding. The only one who had any problems with it were the 20 y.o. I would have described him as being a little colicky and that may be because of the tape load in him.
You only need one tube of the praziquantel wormer versus 2 or 3 tubes of pyrantal pamoate at $6.50 tube, so this is more cost effective and supposedly has better results. This will now become a regular part of my worming rotation.
Carolyn Burgess
Carolyn Burgess
Email: carolyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Phone: 1-978-897-6624 Fax: 1-419-735-1117
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