Avoid the weight-guessing game when it’s time to deworm your horse. While a weight tape may seem simple, it could be the most valuable tool in your tack box when deworming your horse.
Petting a horse's muzzle
A weight tape helps ensure equine deworming effectiveness and prevents parasite resistance.
© 2012 by Shutterstock
“It’s important for horse owners to understand that deworming treatment doses are based on the weight of the individual horse,” said Dr. Kenton Morgan, managing veterinarian, Equine Technical Services with Zoetis. “Eyeballing a horse’s weight is risky, as both under- and overdosing can contribute to resistance and safety issues. Using a weight tape or scale eliminates the guessing game and ensures an accurate dose for your horse.”
Deworming too frequently can cause parasites to be overexposed to certain active ingredients, which can cause them to become resistant. This results in fewer effective treatment options. Considering that 90% of equine internal parasites like small strongyles, tapeworms, pinworms, roundworms, bloodworms and threadworms come from the environment horses are exposed to every day,aneffective deworming program is critical.1
Successful treatment starts with an accurate dose and an effective deworming product. Moxidectin, the active ingredient in Quest® and Quest® Plus Gel, continues to be effective.2,* In just one dose, Quest and Quest Plus reduced fecal egg counts by 99.9% compared with fenbendazole, which was only 42% effective.2,*
“By deworming without dosing to a horse’s accurate weight, horse owners can consequently increase their horse’s risk for parasite resistance. This can impact the horse’s response to deworming treatment and his overall health in the future,” Morgan said. “Horse owners can help prevent parasite resistance by using a simple weight tape to capture their horse’s weight for an accurate dose.”
Remember These Four Steps When Using a Weight Tape
- Ensure your horse is standing square.
- Place the weight tape around your horse’s heart girth.
- Read the number where the tape meets for the closest weight approximation.
- Set your dewormer to the correct weight to administer an accurate dose.
To ensure an effective deworming treatment, work with your veterinarian to develop an Individualized Deworming™ program for your horse, beginning with a fecal egg count test and capturing his accurate weight. Find additional resources on deworming, including administration tips and parasite risk factors, at QuestHorse.com.
Do not use Quest Gel or Quest Plus Gel in foals less than 6 months of age or in sick, debilitated and underweight horses. Do not use in other animal species, as severe adverse reactions, including fatalities in dogs, may result.
About Zoetis
Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS) is the leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on more than 60 years of experience in animal health, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and markets veterinary vaccines and medicines, complemented by diagnostic products, genetic tests, biodevices and a range of services. Zoetis serves veterinarians, livestock producers and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals with sales of its products in more than 100 countries. In 2017, the company generated annual revenue of $5.3 billion with approximately 9,000 employees. For more information, visit zoetisUS.com
* This study compared Quest (moxidectin) Gel with Panacur® Powerpac (fenbendazole).
1 Reinemeyer C, Nielsen M. Handbook of Equine Parasite Control (2013). Environmental Factors Affecting Parasite Transmission, Page 45. Accessed September 12, 2018.
2 Mason ME, Voris ND, Ortis HA, et al. Comparison of a single dose of moxidectin and a five-day course of fenbendazole to reduce and suppress cyathostomin fecal egg counts in a herd of embryo transfer-recipient mares. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2014;245(8):944-951.*
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