Whitecourt Veterinary Clinic

PO Box 1769

Whitecourt, AB

T7S 1P5

Telephone: 780-778-5767

DEWORMING
Internal parasites are silent killers. Intestinal worms often can cause extensive internal damage without the owner realizing that animals are heavily infected. The infected horse will have lower resistance to infectious diseases, and lower available nutrients - all of which can cause intestinal irritation or intestinal rupture, and death. To help prevent developing resistence to dewormers, we recommend rotating dewormers. Remember to rotate not only the brand names but rotate between different groups of dewormers. At Whitecourt Veterinary Clinic, we recommend deworming horses at least twice a year -late in the fall after a heavy frost, and in the spring.

For Fall / Winter deworming, we recommend the following dewormers:

EQVALAN
QUEST
IVOMEC

For spring deworming in May or June, we recommend one of the following dewormers from the BENZIMIDAZOLE group such as:

BENZELMIN
SAFEGUARD
PANACUR

Another group of dewormers that could be used in the spring are the PYRIMIDINES. Some examples are:

STRONGID
PYRANTEL
PYRAL

Available at Whitecourt Veterinary Clinic is a new type of dewormer on the market called DRONCIT EQUINE. This new dewormer is effective against tapeworms. Until this new product, there were NO dewormers effective against tapeworms. Deworming for tapeworms in horses was undervalued for years, however, there are horses that experience problems with these worms. Our clinic recommends at least once a year (usually in the late fall) deworming with a tapeworm dewormer. For more detailed deworming program (foals, pregnant horses) please contact Whitecourt Veterinary Clinic.

Please remember about dental care in horses. If your horse shows any discomfort eating or riding have the teeth checked and floated. Your horse will be more comfortable, will utilize feed more efficiently, perform better, and live longer.