Half of horse owners not worming their horses correctly

Worming experts at Pfizer Animal Health are alarmed about the results of a recent survey which has shown that half of all horse owners are not worming their horse or pony correctly for encysted small redworm, one of the life stages of small redworm which are the most common worms found in horses today.

Encysted small redworm may account for up to 90% of the redworm burden in the horse1 and can pose a very serious health risk. It’s important to make sure that they are treated properly during late autumn or winter. However, the new data has alarmingly revealed that this isn’t happening in around half of all cases.

The survey, which was conducted as a part of the National Equine Health Survey (NEHS) in May 2012, showed that only 50% of 1095 respondents wormed their horse with an effective product for the control of encysted small redworm.

Pfizer has released a free iPhone app, Stable Mate, to help owners manage equine care. Worming Your Horse has additional tips to educate owners.

Owner factsheets for equine worm control are also available on Vetstream.