HORSE DEWORMING
Developing an Equine Rotational Calendar
Internal parasites thrive by robbing your horse of essential nutrients, reaping the benefits of all the highly nutritious food your horse consumes. With a regular deworming protocol, you can reduce parasite numbers and help your horses get the most from their food and forage.
The parasite burden for an individual horse will depend on certain factors: age, the number of horses in the same pasture and pasture size and quality. When a parasitic load becomes too much for your horse, it can cause intestinal issues like gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea and possibly colic.
Deworming every 2 months will help keep parasites ‘in check’ and will help your horse thrive. Always check with your veterinarian for a tailored deworming schedule to meet your specific needs or region.
What might a rotational calendar look like?
We’ve put together a sample horse deworming calendar below to get you started!
| SAMPLE DEWORMING ROTATIONAL CALENDAR | ||
| Month | Active Ingredient | Name of Products |
| January/February | Fenbendazole or oxibendazole | Anthelcide EQ, panacur, safe-guard Equi-bits, safe-guard Equine Dewormer |
| March/April | Ivermectin or moxidectin; or either one with the addition of praziquantel | EQUiMAX, Ivermectin 1.87% Paste, ZIMECTERIN, ZIMECTERIN GOLD |
| May/June | Pyrantel pamoate | Exodus, Pyrantel Paste, Strongid Paste |
| July/August | Oxibendazole or fenbendazole | Anthelcide EQ, panacur, safe-guard Equi-bits, safe-guard Equine Dewormer |
| September/October | Ivermectin or moxidectin; or either one with the addition of praziquantel | EQUiMAX, Ivermectin 1.87% Paste, ZIMECTERIN, ZIMECTERIN GOLD |
| November/December | Pyrantel pamoate | Exodus, Pyrantel Paste, Strongid Paste |
Recommended Deworming Schedule for Foals
Treating foals for worms is a bit different than treating adult horses. Follow this guideline for deworming foals.
- Start deworming as early as 2 months of age, using a product containing Ivermectin as the active ingredient (Ivermectin Paste, ZIMECTERIN).
- Treat at 4 months of age with an oxibendazole-based wormer (Anthelcide EQ).
- Ideally, at 5 months, treat with pyrantel pamoate (Exodus, Pyrantel Paste or Strongid Paste).
- 6 months, use a moxidectin with praziquantel.
- 8 months, use a Pyrantel pamoate (Exodus, Pyrantel Paste or Strongid Paste).
- Ideally, at 9 months, treat with fenbendazole (panacur Equine Dewormer, safe-guard Equine Dewormer).
- 10 months repeat with Ivermectin-based wormers. (Ivermectin Paste, ZIMECTERIN).
- 12 months, treat with fenbendazole (panacur Equine Dewormer, safe-guard Equine Dewormer).
How can I help keep my horse parasite-free?
Here are some tips to help make sure your deworming routine is working the best it can to keep your horses healthy and free of parasites.
- You will know how well your deworming protocol is working by submitting a fecal sample to your veterinarian to perform fecal egg counts. This information determines the amount of worms shed by the horse and parasitic load. View our Parasite Control page for more information.
- Use a wormer for treating tapeworms annually (ZIMECTERIN GOLD).
- Treat encysted strongyles using QUEST Gel (moxidectin) or panacur POWERPAC (fenbendazole), which is a double dose to help overcome resistance to other deworming medications. These two products are the only ones to treat this specific stage in the lifecycle.
- Alternate pastures or paddocks for mares and foals to reduce the buildup of ascarid eggs.
