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I haven't read any of the information from the manufacturers regarding
Quest, so I'm in the dark...are they claiming Quest has a residual
effect? If I wormed a horse today, and he was reinfected with large
strongyle first-stage larvae next week, than by Jan. 1, those larvae
have had alot of time to grow to third and fourth stage and go migrating
'round my horses intestinal arteries. Do the manufacturers make any
explanation as to why specifically you don't have to deworm the horse as
often as you do for other anthelmintics?
> And a question: can anyone tell me how horses are tested for tapeworm?
> I understand that a double dose of Strongid paste is needed to eradicate
> them, but how to know if the animal even has them?
Assuming that "necropsy" is not your preferred method of diagnosis <g>,
you have to identify the eggs in a fecal sample through a float test---a
specific amount of poop is dissolved in solution, the eggs and larvae
are separated out, put onto a microscope slide and counted and
identified. Obviously not the kind of thing you can generally do in
front of the TV at night. Your vet or any nearby agricultural
university can do it for you. Unfortunately, fecal tests sometimes show
"negative" even in horses that are known to be heavily parasitized.
You'd be probably better off just assuming your horse is parasitized and
spending the money treating the worms rather than wondering if he really
has them or not.
Personally, compared to the other parasites that commonly infect horses,
if all my horse DID have was tape worms, I'd fall on my knees and sing
hallelujah. It would take a whole bunch of tapes to do the same amount
of damage done by just a few large strongyles.
By the way, my degree is in physiology, NOT veterinary medicine, so if
I'm wrong on any of this (my textbooks are about seven years old), would
one of the DVMs on the list please jump in?
Anyway, hope this helps.
Susan Evans Garlinghouse
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