FECC

Bots and why FECC recommend the wormers we do for this time of year. In the last few days we have had some questions from clients asking why we recommend using a wormer with Moxidectin and Praziquantel for this time of year and not an Ivermectin based one. These concerns have been raised due to a recently promoted article on Equiimed about Bots (I will post a link in the comments).

Firstly Bots are not the only parasite species we are targeting at this time of year, they are not even top of our list for target species. The top of the list would be Encysted Strongyles which is why we recommend Moxidectin based wormer as it is the most effective drug against Encysted Strongyles. Our next top of the list would be Tapeworms which is why we have the Praziquantel in the wormers we recommend. The list would then go onto large and small Strongyles followed by Bots.

But I hear you all cry the article says moxidectin isn't effective against bots!!! Actually, what the article states is that Macrocyclic Lactones are the only drugs effective against Bots and guess what Moxidectin is a Macrocyclic Lactone. Now of all the drugs in the Macrocyclic Lactone group, Moxidectin isn't the best performing against Bots at an estimated 60% efficacy (according to this article), but it still treats for them. It is also important to understand the lifecycle of Bots and how much of an impact they have on horses, I would argue the greater concern is Encysted Strongyles. The most effective control for Bots is effective fly control and removal of eggs from your horse when you see them.

FECC always supports our clients to do their own research and ask questions, it provides a challenge, allows us to explain why we recommend and provide the advice that we do.

Lastly remember now is the time to carry out your late/autumn worming, all horses need worming now regardless of their FEC results and remember to get an FEC done before you worm to see if your wormer was effective, monitor for drug resistance and keep an eye for uncommon parasites or concerning high FEC results.

Go Go Go its time to worm your horse and remember - ALL horses should be wormed now regardless of their current FEC results.
Before you worm your horse here a few things we want you to do:
• FEC before you worm and 14 days after - If you don't FEC before there is no point getting a FEC(RT) afterwards. Doing both tests allows us to monitor for resistance, uncommon parasites, and monitor your horses health.
• Know the weight of you horse - to avoid under or over dosing with the wormer
• Use one of the following wormers - Ultimum, Equest plus Tape, Neovemox plus Tape and Equigel with Tape.
• Don't move paddocks after you worm, you need to wait 1 to 2 weeks and then move - otherwise you are building a population of resistant parasites.
• Keep dogs away whilst worming and from the horse poo of horses that have been wormed for at least 11 days - ALL wormers are toxic to dogs.
See our previous post for more helpful hints around worming.

Heads Up!!! Here in Canberra we are fast approaching our worming period, I suspect it will be next week, we have started to have consistent low overnight temps and a marked decrease in adult bot flys and their eggs. So here are 5 things I want you to know before you worm.
1. ALL horses need worming at this time of year regardless of their FEC result.
2. FECC recommends using a wormer that contains a combination of Moxidectin and Praziquantel.
3. Know your horse's weight - underdosing is a real concern and leads to parasite resistance. Humans are horrible at guessing horse weight we are usually off by around 50 to 80kg.
4. Worm your horse in the morning on a week day - means vets may be more available and you can monitor for side effects in daylight.
5. Getting a FEC test done before and after you worm is the only way to tell if your wormer was effective and help to monitor for drug resistance.
For more information on the points above see our previous posts or feel free to contact us.

Why underdosing your horse with wormers is such a problem and how to calculate your horses weight - strap in for a long post.
One of the biggest problems we see is people guessing the weight of their horses which then leads to underdosing for worming. This is a problem because wormers contain a specific concentration of active ingredient that is required to be administered to kill the parasites in your horse. When the dosage is too low parasites survive the worming and continue to breed, increasing the population of resistant parasites. Therefore it is very important to determine your horses weight correctly and then give required dose.
Before we go into how to determine your horses weight, Yes we are aware that overdosing can occur and is particularly dangerous for foals, horses with health conditions, low body fat horses and miniatures/ponies. This is again why it's important to select the correct wormer, know your horses weight and read the product information sheet and/or seek veterinary advice.
Recent studies have shown that 85% of owners tend to underestimate their horses weight rather than over estimate, and were out by between 68 to 83 kg!!!! The study also found there was no correlation between the accuracy of estimates and the persons years of experience. This means no matter how long you have been in the horse industry you are still underestimating your horses weight.
There are several ways to determine your horses weight:
Scales - the most accurate method. Most vet clinics have equine scales and several mobile vets in the region have potable scales. There are also some equine professionals such as Integral Equine Nutrition who visit the area and have portable scales.
Public Weigh Bridges - You can take your horse and float over the public weigh bridge, get the amount and then deduct the float weight.
For the methods listed below it is important to note that they still only provide an estimate of weight. They do not take into account things like breed of your horse, age or anatomy of your horse. The calculations below are not suitable for miniature breeds, very tall horses or foals/growing horses.
Body Estimation Formula - This is the preferred method when using a tape measure. You need 2 measurements. Girth - place the tape over the horses back at the base/lowest part of wither and around directly behind the elbow or where the girth sits. Note this may mean the tape is at an angle / this is ok. The second measurement is Length - which is from the point of the shoulder (NOT the middle of the chest) diagonally to the point of the buttock. Keep the tape taut and when reading the hind end measurement stand at the horse back leg and read it without peering around the horses body. The calculation is then Girth (cm) x Girth (cm) x Length (cm) / 11877 and that will give body weight in kg.
Weight Tape - this is tape you buy from most horse shops or feed stores and has the horse weights marked on it. The tape is placed in the same position as the Girth measurement above - behind withers and where the girth sits and then you read the horse weight of the tape with no additional math. This method is considered the least accurate of all methods and is more suitable for monitoring horse condition than actual weight.
General advice for either of the tape methods is be consistent - make sure the horse is standing square on a flat surface, done before a meal, use the same tape and have the same person do the measuring.
What happens if my horse is between the markers on the worming tube - the advice is to round up to the nearest 50kg, never round down.
Our challenge to you is to get prepared for worming and determine your horses weight now.

Should I get an FEC done for my horse before and after the late autumn/early winter worming treatment.
In FECC's mind the answer is yes!!! Whilst it is not as critical as FEC testing at other times of the year, an FEC before and after worming (FECRT) now still provides us with important information:
• An FEC before and after is the ONLY way to tell if the worming treatment was effective.
• Helps us monitor for drug resistance, this is particularly important when using the moxidectin wormers.
• Detect the presence of uncommon parasites particularly important for young and older horses - whilst not all parasites can be detected in a FEC, they can still find uncommon ones like Roundworms
• Help detect changes in your horses health, especially for older horses - a spike in FEC epg could indicate an impaired immune system which can be investigated by your vet.
• If you are new to FEC's and shedding potentials an FEC now will be the first step in determining your horses shedding potential.
While it is understandable to feel that any recurring cost is a "money grab," FEC tests for horses are actually considered best practice to reduce long-term costs and prevent excessive chemical use.