Worms and Weaning ~Coughs and Runny Noses
By Nikki Alvin-Smith
Fall is here and for many horse breeders now is the time to wean the foals from their dams.
Weaning is a stressful event for the broodmare, the foal and the horse owner, and to maximize the health of the equines the horse owners should be aware of the importance of an effective worm control program for both mare and foal.
Stress can weaken the weanling’s immune system and leave it exposed to infections including worm infection. A young horse’s immune system simply has not fully developed, and this important defense is an important part of parasite control.
It has been noted that round worms become nearly none existent in horses as they age, and this is credited to the immune system. Additional evidence that the immune system plays an important part in worm control is the fact that when horses are stressed by medical conditions their shedding egg counts often rise and weanlings and yearlings often seem to have viral respiratory infections and high worm egg counts simultaneously.
It is not uncommon to find large numbers of roundworm eggs and strongyle eggs in a young horse’s fecal sample, the former can cause runny noses and coughs. It is important that horse owners approach deworming foals with caution.
John Byrd, D.V.M., of Horsemen’s Laboratory, has extensive experience (over 75,000 samples tested), in the realm of equine parasitology, and offers this advice to the horse breeder concerning the deworming of foals: