Experts provide advice for horse owners on lowering FWECs

Worming experts at Pfizer Animal Health and Westgate Laboratories have combined their expertise to help horse owners understand why Faecal Worm Egg Counts (FWECs) are one of the most important tools to help with summer worm control.

Conducting regular FWECs can helps target worming treatments by only dosing horses with a significant worm burden, which will stop them from re-infecting the pasture for a period after the treatment. The horses with low egg counts are less likely to need a treatment as they are not contributing as many new worms onto the pasture.

Ben Lacey at Pfizer concludes: “It is essential to remember though that a standard FWEC will not give a clear indication of tapeworm, encysted small redworm or bots. For these you will need to use a proven wormer on a strategic basis – usually in the autumn and spring for tapeworm and late autumn/early winter for encysted small redworm.”

For further information visit Pfizer Animal Health’s new website www.wormingyourhorse.info which includes a comprehensive section on FWECs, visit www.westgatelabe.co.uk.