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To keep your horse's intestines healthy and parasite free, an oral dewormer should be used every 6-8 weeks. In order to prevent the development of parasitic resistance and ensure broad parasite control, the type of dewormer should be alternated at every dosing. Listed below is a sample deworming schedule with common products to choose from. Just remember to rotate the type of dewormer each time and use Ivermectin in the fall after a good frost to take care of the bots. If a brand of dewormer is not on the product list, check the active ingredients to see where it fits in the schedule below.
| Month |
|
Active Ingredient |
|
Common Products |
| January |
|
Pyrantel Pamoate |
|
Strongid, Rotectin 2 |
| March |
|
Oxibendazole
Fenbendazole |
|
Anthelcide EQ
Panacur |
| May |
|
Ivermectin or
Ivermectin with praziquantel |
|
Eqvalan, Zimecterin, Equimax, Equimecterin, Rotectin 1, Ivercare, Zimecterin Gold
|
| July |
|
Pyrantel Pamoate |
|
Strongid, Rotectin 2 |
| September |
|
Oxibendazole
Fenbendazole |
|
Anthelcide EQ
Panacur |
| November |
|
Ivermectin or
Ivermectin with praziquantel |
|
Eqvalan, Zimecterin, Equimax, Equimecterin, Rotectin 1, Ivercare, Zimecterin Gold |
There are daily dewormers such as Strongid C and Strongid C2X. If you choose to use a daily dewormer make sure to give an oral dose of Ivermectin each spring and each fall after the frost to ensure the elimination of bots.
For the treatment of tapeworms you should use an Ivermectin with praziquantel or a double dose of Strongid twice a year.
Foals should be dewormed once a month for the first year, starting at one month of age. Remember to alternate between the types of dewormers as you would with your adult horse. See the mare and foal handout for other special needs.
Common Errors in Worming
The most common error in deworming is under dosing. All the dewormers in this article are very safe. It is better to overdose than underdose. You should use one full tube of dewormer on your average horse(<1,000 lbs) and 11/2 to 2 tubes of wormer on your larger horses (>1,000 lbs). The only exception to this rule is the product Quest. Dosing with Quest is very weight dependent and over dosing can occur, especially in foals. For this reason, we do not recommend using Quest.
Remember: When deworming your horse, make sure his/her mouth is empty, because if there is any hay or treats in their mouth they can easily spit the dewormer out.
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