EQUESTRIAN
- life
Deb Groves pictured
with one of her horses.
Your guide
to worming
SPRING is the time to get
ahead with worming your
horses according to Deb
Groves of Trumor Feeds.
If worms are left in a horse’s
gut they can damage the
lining of the stomach and gut
and cause colic - the single
largest cause of death in
horses.
Deb says worming is a complex
business with animals having
to be treated at different times
of the year for different worms.
There are three main parasites that
affect horses – the small redworms,
tapeworm and bot.
She explains: “The different lifecycle stages happen at different
times of the year depending on the
type of worm.
“No one wormer can do the job all
at once.
“Horses need worming every 10
to 12 weeks and people often forget
which wormer they’ve used before.
“So now I’ve set up a filing system
so when a customer comes in I can
tell them exactly which wormer
they used before and which one
they need to be using next.”
Deb pays a yearly fee to the
Pharmaceutical Society and attends
regular courses to ensure she is up to
date with new developments.
She stocks ten different worming
products in single doses right up to
complete packs for a year.
One of the most popular products
is the 12-month pack from the
market leader Equimax. This treats
one horse for all worms for the
whole year and costs £72.71.
An alternative is to buy separately,
two doses of Equest and two of
Pramox. This does the same job
but is a slightly costlier option as it
comes in at £95.40.
Deb also stocks Strongid-P for
tapeworm, which come as a sachet
of either granules or paste. This
requires two doses to be given at a
cost of £13.16 per sachet.
However, many owners prefer
the Equimax option of a complete
dose for tapeworm which works
out better value at £20.36 as well as
being easier to get a horse to take
one dose rather than two.
Anyone wanting help or guidance
can contact Deb on 01983 521690
Sponsored by Froghill and Brickfields
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