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[RC] parasites as a disease - Susan E. Garlinghouse, D.V.M.Parasites are opportunistic, thriving in environments that are less than optimally healthy in the host. According to some info I've been reading, when the gut is very healthy, parasites are not a major issue. It could therefore be said that too many worms are a symptom of an unhealthy gut. The problem with treating with "modern, pharmaceutical, chemical wormers" is that many horses will harbor parasites over and over again, because the base issue (guts that are not maximally healthy) is not being addressed, only the symptoms (worms). I would personally rather build a healthy gut environment in my horses than keep killing worms over and over. Okay, this worthy of some discussion, because some of this is true, if taken in context. "When the gut is healthy, parasites aren't a major concern." Well, that depends. When the body is invaded by parasites, it responds pretty much the same way. It mounts some level of immune reaction with macrophages, antibodies, inflammatory responses, etc---the normal things that a body does to attack any kind of pathogenic invasion. If the attack is relatively minor and the body's defense trumps the attack (whether it be bacterial, parasitic, viral or whatever), then no other therapy is necessary and life goes on. The body deals with this sort of thing around the clock and how successful it is depends on the overall health of the immune system. We all know of people (and animals) that have never had a sick day in their lives, and others that always seem susceptible to the slightest bug coming down the pike. It all comes down to how strong your barrier walls are against infection of any type. If the immune system ain't so great, *OR* if the attack is too overwhelming, then the result is some level of systemic or localized infection. Sometimes those can be overcome with a little help (extra rest, antibiotics, antivirals, etc). If the attacking pathogen is a real whopper, then sometimes there's permanent damage (ie, lung fibrosis after pneumonia) or in extreme cases, death. Death occurs when the attacking entity is just too virulent or present in overwhleming numbers for the body to adequately handle it on its own without help. Having a 'maximally healthy gut' isn't going to mean a damn thing if the bug coming down is pneumonic plague (a bacteria) that is going to kill a human in about 24 hours if not treated. Okay, so parasites fit into this scenario, too. If there's a small influx of a parasite (and keep it mind that a lot of bacteria and viruses are also parasites, just smaller ones than the average roundworm or strongyle), then the body can whomp it with a normal immune response and that's that. If the parasite is a real mean bastard, or is presented in overwhelming numbers, then the immune system is overwhelmed and the result is either permanent damage or death. So, yeah, the health of the gut as a component of the immune system, definitely plays a part in parasite control. Does that mean that the healthiest gut/immune system on earth is capable of adequately controlling an overwhelming parasite burden being presented by the bucketful? Hell, no. There are just too many being presented for ANY immune system to get a handle on---and thus the result is permanent damage, or in the case I described in an earlier post, rupture of the gut, and death. One thing that I find interesting is that a lot of horse owners interested in keeping their horses healthy as naturally as possible don't have an objection to antibiotics or metabolic drugs when called for, but don't like deworming meds like ivermectin because it's "poison". Well, true enough. A LOT of the medicines used in allopathic, or even herbal medicine are poison, depending on the dose and the target audience. Antibiotics poison bacteria, disinfectants poison assorted evil spirits and even a lot of drugs control metabolic pathways by slightly "poisoning" or retarding, or overstimulating key cellular pathways or mechanisms of the host. The trick in medicine is to control the bad things causing problems without adversely affecting the host (ie, the horse, or dog or human). Given the wide safety range of a lot of the modern antihelmintics, it's not all that hard to get the dosage right, and at least knock down the infection to a manageable level. The funny thing is, is that ivermectin is actually an antibiotic---so is moxidectin, avermectin, metronidazole (an anti-protozoal drug), milbemycin and selamectin (the topical stuff for fleas, ticks and heartworm) and lots of others. Ivermectin just happens to be an antibiotic that works really well and really safely against BIG parasites like nematodes and roundworms and such. So if you don't like dewormer poisons, but you're okay with antibitoics when justified---well, there you go. They're all the same thing. I guess the bottom line here is that I'm absolutely fine with using every tool within reach to maintain a healthy horse and a strong immune system. Good nutrition, good breeding, lots of good exercise and a minimally contaminated environment. But trying to control parasites without a little extra pharmacologic help in a modern world *doesn't* work, and trying to pretend it does is making the horse write checks his body can't cash. Do dewormed horses continue to need repeat treatments? Sure they do, because they continue to be newly infected from the environment around them. When I get a headache, I take an aspirin and it helps. Just because I might get another headache next month doesn't mean the aspirin wasn't effective the first time around. So, yeah, by all means, keep the overall horse healthy. But don't overdo it and withhold the extra help the body needs when its called for. In the case of equine parasite control, believe me, it's called for. JMO. Susan Garlinghouse, DVM, MS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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