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Worm management in foals

Updated: Oct 30

When managing worms in foals, it is far more important to keep foals on 'clean' pastures, and on good nutrition than to have them on a regular treatment schedule. Prevention of infection through reducing a foals exposure to a heavy larval load and ensuring they have appropriate nutrition will go a long way in limiting worm burdens.

Often deworming guidelines for foals suggest their first treatment at 6 weeks old. However, as with all deworming treatments, a FEC is always recommended beforehand. When using FECs to determine if treatments are needed, it will usually be found that foals will not need a treatment until they are 3 - 4 months old. Before then, it is unlikely that the foals have been eating grass long enough for a worm burden to be established.

When foals reach 3 - 4months, it is time to get a FEC done, to confirm strongyle infection (egg in top photo; 95% of all worm infections) or if Parascaris equroum, a.k.a. Ascarids, a.k.a large roundworm (egg in bottom photo) is present as well.

Strongyle-only infections can be treated with any dewormer (although due to increasing resistance to BZs, an avermectin would be best), while P. equorum should be treated with a BZ wormer to limit the chances of blockages of dead worms.

P. equroum positive foals should also be monitored more closely for re-infection, with FECs every 8-12 weeks, as these large roundworms can cause serious illness in young horses.

Foals with strongyle-only infections can be treated at between 3-5 months old and then again at weaning in late autumn/early winter to also catch any bot flies as well. Then a third FEC/deworming should be done in early spring, and then as a yearling they can go onto a regular 3-4 FECs a year until they reach maturity.


If you'd like to organise a FEC for your younglings, check out the website for drop off points/dates and the submission form for postal samples.




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