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Thursday 23 September 2010

Worming horses for tapeworm

TAPEWORM (Anoplocephala perfoliata, Anoplocephala magna & Anoplocephaloides mamillana)

As we move from summer to autumn it’s a good time to think about tape worm treatment for your horse.
Tapeworms are an important and potentially very damaging parasite affecting the horse. They preferentially attach themselves to the junction of the small and large intestine the ileocaecal junction. Here, they can cause bowel irritation, intussusception (where one part of the intestine telescopes into another), rupture, or twisting of the intestine.

It is thought that tapeworm may be responsible for up to 20% of surgical colics. Tapeworms are present, to a greater or lesser extent, in the majority of horses.

Parts of the country with acidic soils (for example, heath land), which favour the survival of the intermediate host of the tapeworm (the forage or oribatid mite), tend to have the highest level of infection.

Recent studies have shown that far from being a seasonal problem, tapeworm infection occurs all year round. This is because the forage mite not only lives on pasture, but also survives perfectly well in hay and on bedding, For this reason, six- monthly dosing is an essential port of any worming programme. Remember that if you select a Pyrantel based products then it will need to be used at double the standard dose.
If you require any help with your tape worming issues just check out our help pages at http://www.wormers-direct.co.uk