mild dewormer

Most dewormers are quite mild, but I'd think either fenbedazole or pyrantel would be the mildest. FBZ is routinely given daily to pregnant bitches from late gestation until after the pups are whelped and pyrantel is used for when a horse is suspected of having a large load of roundworms to only do a partial kill-off to avoid impactions.

I use safeguard on foals and since you can use it for the big 5 day double dose thing I think there's a fair case for it's safe use in a normal dose.
You could get a fecal check and just show the owner that the horse requires worming (and there would be some found that way who don't need worming that you would be able to get away with not giving them the extra stress).
Really they should be wormed shortly [i]before [/i]moving. Is there any way you could require this? The stess alone can bring on colic from the worms even if they've been there forever and not caused trouble and then you could get blamed for making the horse sick.(besides them coming in and dumping worms on your place) Worms are opportunists, if the horse is feeling down for whatever reason and the immune system isn't taking care of worm regulation you're probably going to have to clean them out. They may even have been wormed before and need it again after a move.
You CAN manage naturally without wormers but only if you've got a worm free grounds and completely healthy horses but you should at least check... :?
Could you set up a quarentine paddock with a shed so the horse doesn't have to be stalled? especially if you end up with one that hasn't been stalled before or is just antsy, it can really stress them out. I will stall my own horses if I need to because they are comfortable but I really try not to stress out new ones any more than they already are.

Unfortunately my property, which never had horses on it before because it was always farmed in wheat or clover before I bought it, is now a roundworm-fest thanks to the colt I bought two years ago. yeah, I'm pissed. and I read up on roundworm eggs and found that they basically live forever, can withstand baking sun or total submersion, and will still hatch as soon as they are nibbled up by a passing horse. So not dumping eggs on the property is a moot point now. :x

I think if a horse looked obviously stressed (poor weight, poor coat) I would consult a vet before deworming anyway to avoid what Morgan was describing -- the added stress of moving and being dewormed right away. I'd love to be able to require worming right before they move in but then I still have to trust that they've done it, just like I was trusting that they were "up to date" before which turned out not to be true. I guess I could go to where they are and do it, but I've had horses shipped from long distances so that's not always possible either! aargh!

I almost always have pyrantel pamoate on hand since I go through so much of it so I guess I could go with that. I'll make sure I let owners know in advance to avoid fussing.

Oh, the weird thing is that this mare was the picture of health. Good weight, nice coat, happy disposition, and full of worms! I never would have guessed it.

CC - you could add the manditory worming to your contract if you are worried about it becoming an issue. You could add something like: "Horses must be worked within [b]10 days [/b]of arrival and proof of worming provided." Forms of proof could be a vet statement or a receipt for purchase of wormer - with a date stamp of course (let's face it, if they are going to buy it, odds are they will use it once they do buy it).

As a matter of face, if I were you, I'd require a vet check within 15 days of arrival -- just to reduce the odds of someone coming in with some kind of communicable disease.

[quote="critterkeeper"]CC - you could add the manditory worming to your contract if you are worried about it becoming an issue. You could add something like: "Horses must be worked within [b]10 days [/b]of arrival and proof of worming provided." Forms of proof could be a vet statement or a receipt for purchase of wormer - with a date stamp of course (let's face it, if they are going to buy it, odds are they will use it once they do buy it).

As a matter of face, if I were you, I'd require a vet check within 15 days of arrival -- just to reduce the odds of someone coming in with some kind of communicable disease.[/quote]

Once they are here, worming is mandatory -- they don't even get the chance to NOT do it because I worm everyone. Once they're here, this is definitely a [b]full care[/b] facility and I do all dewormings and routine vaccines. The cost of the wormer is built in to the cost of board, and I bill them for vaccines. I even schedule dental visits and farrier visits for everyone, and just send out an email to warn them that they'll be receiving a bill. Seriously, my boarders could die and their horses would barely notice the difference. :)

I have to ponder the communicable disease issue. The horses arriving at my facility tend to come from pretty nice places. Board is high enough plus they have to be in training so it discourages low end horses/cheap owners a bit... but I suppose a disease could happen to anyone. I know we had something last year that we were referring to as "the Welsh Snots" that was just a minor snotty nose deal but it took freaking forever to work its way through the barn. What I really need is one isolation stall with an attached paddock that is not inside the main barn. Hmm.

I know this probably isn't possible at your facility, but my boss always takes new horses to her personal property for two weeks before entering the main herd. They are vaccinated and dewormed as well as any necessary dental work done. This policy was strictly implemented when we had an outbreak of strangles occur from a supposedly isolated and UTD pony that was brought to the main herd without quarantine period.

MP, I'm actually considering putting an isolation stall in my shop. Remember the building by my house that had temporary stalls in it while the barn was being built? I'd feel bad for the horse because it would not be able to see any other horses while it was in there, but that would keep everyone in the main barn safe. I might get some goats, and the goats could go in there to keep the horse company I guess.

That would be a good place for the quarantine especially since it is opened away from the rest of the facility so there is less chance of airborne agents getting to the rest of the herd. You would have to be careful that your students didn't stop and visit any new horses on the way to the main barn though.

Cool. Other than the problem of students petting new horses, this will be easy to do. I'll just put up another temporary stall with livestock panels in one corner of the shop. I only need more stall mats but other than that I already have everything I would need.