Gold-standard Parasite Control: Zimecterin Gold
Worms in horses cause harmful health implications; shield your horse against equine parasites
Parasites can diminish a horse’s immunity, nutrition, energy and overall wellness. They also can cause critical damage to a horse’s vital organs, impair growth and hinder performance.
Even more? They can cause colic.
“Parasites can cause colic in horses,” warned Tony Hawkins, DVM, Valley Vet Supply Technical Service Veterinarian. “Impaction colic is common due to heavy parasite burden.”
Dr. Hawkins explained the damage parasites can cause to our horse’s intestines and stomach.
“Where they feed and latch on will cause damage and scarring,” he said. “The small strongyles can bury into the stomach lining -- they lead a weird lifestyle. The larvae encyst in the gut lining and can go dormant depending on the region in which your horse resides. They may go dormant in the winter if you’re in a northern region, or in the heat of the summertime if you’re farther south. It’s a survival mechanism -- the worms are not producing eggs when the eggs are not going to survive. And, the most damage comes when the larvae come back out.”
When to Deworm Your Horse
The Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Parasite Control Guidelines -- the most current deworming recommendations by equine industry experts -- recommend deworming when parasite levels can be at their highest, during the spring and fall. Treatment for bots and tapeworms should be timed to coincide with the end of the fly season for bots and the end of pasture season for tapeworms, typically late fall or early winter.
“Zimecterin Gold is a great dewormer for horses,” Dr. Hawkins said. “It has a very broad spectrum with ivermectin as its base molecule. The added benefit is that it gets tapeworms, too, so we should expect high deworming success against our small strongyles, large strongyles and more. It is recommended that horses receive a once-a-year deworming against tapeworms in the late fall or early winter, so Zimecterin Gold is the perfect dewormer to choose for that timeframe.”
Zimecterin Gold may be used in horses two months of age or older and provides effective treatment and control against the following important internal parasites in horses:
See a full list of parasite species and stages protected against through Zimecterin Gold.
Work with your veterinarian to perform a fecal egg count test, which will help guide you on the frequency of deworming treatments needed. The AAEP recommends one FEC per year for adult horses. Ask your veterinarian about a fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT), which is recommended on a subset of the population every two to three years. The goal of the FECRT is to determine if there is resistance to the dewormers.
How to Deworm Your Horse
Dosing horses to their individual, accurate weight is important.
“While dewormers are very safe, it is important to dose to the horse’s correct body weight,” Dr. Hawkins said, who recommends using a simple weight tape. “The weight tape won’t be exact, but that will be very close.”
To use a weight tape, make sure your horse is standing squarely. Place the weight tape around your horse’s heart girth. For the closest weight approximation, see the number where the tape meets. Set your dewormer to the correct weight to administer an accurate dose.
6 Steps to Deworm Your Horse with Zimecterin Gold
Keep these insights in mind to help protect your horse from harmful parasites.
This advertorial is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim.
