Worming Horses on organic farms

Animal health and organic farming

The soil association recommend that rotational and multi-species grazing should be used to control worms in order to prevent the routine use of wormers and other veterinary treatments. Where five or more horses are kept on the organic holding a pasture management plan addressing the control of internal worms and a health plan will be required.

Where five or more horses are kept the use of avermectin-based products for the control of worms is restricted. No restrictions apply where less than five animals are kept but in all cases animals must be housed or dung removed from the pasture for 48 hours after treatment with avermectin products.

Here are the wormers from the avermectin family (they use ivermectin as the active ingredient) currently supplied by wormers-direct.co.uk:


Avermectin

Equimax (also contains praziquantel)
Eqvalan
Eqvalan Duo (also contains praziquantel)
Eraquell
Noromectin Horse paste
Vectin

Milbemycin

Here are the wormers from the milbemycin family (they use moxidectin as the active ingredient) currently supplied by wormers-direct.co.uk:
Equest (moxidectin)

Equest Pramox (also contains praziquantel)

Herbal wormers
Herbal worming products are now available. These use a combination of plants to repel parasites. No scientific data is available on how effective these preparations are in combating worm burdens. It is therefore best to gain expert advice before relying on herbal products:

www.wormers-direct.co.uk

advice@wormers-direct.co.uk

0844 808 6070

Holidays

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Some holidays coming up soon here at at the feedshop Bardsey Mills Ltd
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What is a Suitably Qualified Person (SQP)?

What is a Suitably Qualified Person (SQP)?

An SQP is a category of professionally qualified persons who are entitled to prescribe and/or supply certain veterinary medicinal products under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations. It is the duty of an SQP to ensure that the statutory requirements in respect of the prescription and/or supply of certain veterinary medicinal products are respected.

That’s the official definition but what do we really do?

An SQP is an animal health advisor and in my case that is an E-SQP which means I can prescribe and supply for both equines and companion animals.

Why do we ask you so many questions?

First off, a very brief history of how where we are today came about. Back in the mists of time it was rightly decided that all those supplying animal medicines should be registered and approved and as I was at that time supplying such items I was approved by “Grandfather rights” i.e. providing I stayed within the code of practice and operated from approved premises I was allowed to continue to ply my trade. Some time later the EU decided that the situation in the UK with regard to supplying such medicines was not good enough and steps were taken to remove all such rights and place all such supplies in the hands of the Vets. Naturally many of us in the industry were aghast at such a decision and after many negotiations and a concerted effort of cooperation from all interested parties, including BETA (British Equestrian Trade Association), we in the UK were allowed a concession to continue supplying, provided that all those personnel involved not only increased their knowledge by study and examination but under took Continued Professional Development (CPD).  During this process AMTRA (Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority) had been tasked to ensure that the marketing and distribution of animal medicines in the UK is undertaken in a responsible manner by AMTRA qualified persons namely by SQPs (Suitably Qualified Person). In our industry we are all regulated by the VMD (Veterinary Medicines Directorate). The VMD is tasked by the government to regulate every element of the supply chain of animal medicines to ensure safety and fairness for all parties involved. This responsibility is not taken lightly and there are many rules and regulations both in force and enforced to make sure that medicines are supplied in a responsible and safe method. By these continuing efforts and on going liaison with all involved we in the UK have been able to enjoy, not only a highly professional and specialised body of people to advise us, but a readily available supply of necessary medicines when and where we need them. To enable us to continue to offer this service to the animal keepers of the UK our clients must bear with us when we interrogate them whenever they are in the market for such products. It is our duty to ensure that the right products are used on the right animals at the right times and in the correct doses. And that is why we ask you so many questions.

So when you next need expert advice on worming your horse or treating your pet for fleas or worms make sure you enlist the help and advice of an SQP (Suitably Qualified Person)

SH Wetherald E-SQP

www.wormers-direct.co.uk

VETERICYN LIQUID SPRAY 250ML

One-step, immediate acting topical spray that cleans and debrides wounds, infections, cuts, scratches, skin irritations, hot spots and more.  The steroid-free, antibiotic-free, non toxic solution in Vetericyn is built on Microcyn Technology.  Vetericyn uses the power of the animal’s own immune system and does not harm healthy tissue.  It is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, ph neutral and tests free on competitive animals

Tapeworm in horses

TAPEWORM (Anoplocephala perfoliata, Anoplocephala magna & Anoplocephaloides mamillana)

The issue of tapeworm burden is certainly one we must consider at all stages of a horses life with perhaps the exception of the early months as foals are rarely infected in the first few months.
It is recommended and has become the norm to treat every six months as this is linked to the life cycle of the tapeworm parasite and traditionally this has been done spring and autumn but in reality it does not have to be at those times.
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 (at double the standard dose if Pyrantel based products are used) is an essential part of any worming programme when a tapeworm burden is suspected. Worm egg counts cannot determine the level of tapeworm burden for that a blood test is required


AppearanceTapeworms in horses are generally much shorter than dog or cat worms, they are flat, triangular and relatively short being approximately 8 cm long by about 1.5 cm wide. However the equine tapeworm grow up to 20cm long, white in colour. Rarer species can be up to 80cm long. They live in huge numbers attached to the gut wall at a natural narrowing of the gut (the ileocaecal junction).


Symptoms
Can cause colic, sometimes fatal, by blocking blood vessels. Current research estimates that over 20% of cases of spasmodic colic are related to tapeworm burden


Treatment
There is one predominant type of tapeworm in the UK Anoplocephala perfoliata which is controlled by Pyrantel (Strongid P or Pyratape P at twice the standard dose) the other 2 strains are not common but only controlled by a higher dose of praziquantel (as in Equimax and Equest Pramox but NOT Equitape).
SH Wetherald E-SQP http://www.wormers-direct.co.uk/

Worming donkeys

There is a limited range of worming products available for worming donkeys on the UK market. Here is a list of those products currently licensed for donkey treatment and available from http://www.wormers-direct.co.uk

Brand Name ----------------Package Declaration
Panacur Equine Guard ------Horses and other Equines
Panacur Equine Granules ---Donkeys and Horses
Panacur Equine Paste -------Horses and Other Equines
Telmin Paste ----------------Donkeys and Horses
Telmin Granules ------------Donkeys and Horses
Eqvalan ---------------------Donkeys and Horses
Strongid P Granules ---------Donkeys and Horses
Strongid P Paste ------------Donkeys and Horses
Pyratape P -----------------Horses and Other Equines


As in the case of treating horses you must be competent to do so before administering animal medicines such as wormers to donkeys. The products selected for use should chosen on the same grounds as you would do so for other equines which means taking in all the factors involved and developing a worming strategy suitable to the environment and pertaining circumstances. Although the range of licensed products for donkeys is more limited than for the horse there is still a range which will enable you to plan over a longer period with out over reliance on any one chemical group whilst remembering that there are products in the above list that have different brand names but are in fact the same active ingredients and certain products will treat for a broader spectrum of parasites when used at higher doses. Here at www.wormers-direct.co.uk we are on hand to help in fine tuning or organising any such plan.


LUNGWORMS (Dictyocaulus arnfieldi)
Lungworms are white in colour and are between 6 and 10 cm in length. The lifecycle of lungworms is different to other nematodes as adults settle in the lungs rather than the intestine. Eggs are laid then travel up the trachea, are swallowed and passed out in the faeces. Further development then takes place on the pasture, infective larvae are swallowed by horses or donkeys to further develop into egg laying adults.

It has been remarked that a large percentage of donkeys carry lungworms some research claiming levels as low as 4%, some almost 100%. These are obviously dependent on circumstances where the data was gathered but general thinking seems to be that the actual figure is more like 50%. Donkeys often show no clinical signs of infestation and it is in donkeys where the parasite reaches full maturity. Donkeys do not always develop the symptomatic cough that is seen in horses but if horses are grazed along side donkeys then particular care must be taken to treat for lungworms accordingly with particular attention to foals as they can sustain permanent lung damage if infected

Eqvalan is the product of choice for lungworm treatment in donkeys although Telmin can also be used for this purpose if used at the higher dose of 15-20mg daily over 5 consecutive days but not within the first 4 months of pregnancy.


SH Wetherald E-SQP wormers-direct.co.uk Ltd

5 Days of 5 AM starts to clear snow from car park. I think i need rest !!!!!!