Horses/Tapeworms??

[JPope]

Have any of the horse people ever had experiences w/ tapeworms in horses? We have one old guy (35 yrs +) who is below even his normal low weight. The other guys appear fine.

Had to treat the dog for tapes (very evident

!!!), and suspect the barn cats as the source, actually seen evidence of this here also, (need them to keep mice, moles, gophers in check). The old guy dribbles a lot of his grain (Senior feed +32% protein+oats) and therefore scrounges off the ground what he drops, so suspect he might have tapes also. Will start using the nose bag to minimize this from reoccurring!! Other guys are not on grain yet, but will be shortly.



Never had tape problem with horses, so wondering what your experiences might be. See that some of the new ivermectin products have added Praziqantel (one brand claims to be the 1rst licensed for tapes in horses) for tapes (same as used on the dog), so has anybody tried these products? Evidently this is a 'newer' problem with horses



$12/dose or so for the new product w/ Praziqantel is a cheap potential solution, but again wondering what your experiences might be?

 

[PPeters]

Couple of things to consider:



1. I assume that you follow a regular worming schedule for your animals. We worm quarterly, and alternate wormers depending on the season. My wife has the schedule, I can get it for you if your interested. Got cats too, but I don't think that their worms can transfer... could be wrong. We worm them also, FWIW.



2. Dropping weight / dribbling feed IMO is more indicative of a tooth problem. Have you ever had the horses teeth floated? Some vets will do it, but to have it done right you should get a horse "dentist". I know, your thinking, "...come on, it's just a horse", but if you've had the guy for 35 years you have been doing something right and take care of your animals. We have been using a vet out of MO for the past two years, he's strictly horse dentistry, and the first time I saw him work on our horses I was amazed at the nasty hooks and waves present in their teeth, along with sores. He could have an infected tooth, and this will definitely cause him to drop weight. Our neighbor has an arab gelding, about 18yrs, who started dropping weight. Had to have 3 teeth extracted (horrible infection running), but afterwards he porked right back up. BTW, we have 3 draft crosses, all under 4years old, and their teeth have been checked since they were yearlings. I'd get the teeth looked at.



Hope this helps.



Pat



PS: Here is a link to the websit for the guy we use http://www.horsedentist.com

 

[Rebel_Horseman]

I agree with ppeters. Check the teeth first to make sure everything is OK. I'd have a vet check him out juts to make sure it's nothing more serious, but it sounds like a tooth problem. I'd also go ahead and worm him while I was at it just to make sure everything is up to date.



Brian [><]

 

[Todd T]

I agree with the tooth/mouth problem as well. dribling food is indicative of this sort of thing.



You also should worm on a regular basis with alternating meds. now dont go out and buy some wormer and worm the animal UNTIL you have a vet check him.



watch his BM's too. he could have an impaction. but those symptoms will compound quickly.

 

[JPope]

Equine Dentist

Thanks for the input so far.

Horse is seen by an equine dentist regularly, vet regularly, and is wormed on a regular schedule (of course, everyone in horses, including vets and equine dentists, has their preferences in wormers and schedules, other equine maintenance schedules), for the 20 years we have had him. Familar with horse care (at one time 100+ head), been doing this for a long time, and as you horse people know, support a lot of equine practioners!!!!!



Was interested in the specific equine tapeworm issue as have not heard anything in the past about this (still doing research) and noted that the ivermectin wormers are now adding Praziqantel (specificly for tapeworms) and advertising for this. Sure the other wormer manufacturers will have their say shortly and back it up with their advertising dollars.



Does anyone with horses have specific experience with equine tapeworms ???

Thanks

 

[PPeters]

JPope:



Now ya got me scratchin' my head. Let me do some diggin, I think I remember reading something on this recently.



Hope I didn't come off preachy or anything



Pat

 

[JPope]

PPETERS

"Hope I didn't come off preachy or anything"



No problem here, you mentioned the basics, which we all need reminding of!!!! I didn't give everything done in horse care to avoid a post any longer than it was.



Anything to do with horse care can set off "discussions" as everyone expresses their experiences, some not so subtlely. Just seemed to me that tapeworms in horses was not a type of worm mentioned at all, like the other type worms, and was amazed at the latest wormers mentioning to be the 'First' for tapeworms.



"Let me do some diggin, I think I remember reading something on this recently"



If you find anything, let me know! Thanks!!!

 

[Rebel_Horseman]

Check out this website:



www.thehorse.com



Don't know if you've seen it before but there's a wealth of information on this site. If there's something about equine health you want to know about, chances are you can find it there.



Good luck with it!



Brian [><]

 

[dpuckett]

JPope,



I know the likelihood (sp?) would be down the list, but have you had the horse checked for an aneurism? Mom had a mare 14 years ago or so that was 17 at the time, and losing weight- like 200# in 3-4 weeks. Feeding a 50# sack of feed evey third day, wormed, teeth checked, etc. Turned out to be a mesenteric aneurism- she wasnt absorbing the nutrition. I forget how it was treated, I was about 10 at the time and didnt pay a whole lot of attention. As far as tapeworms, I'm not sure. I can ask my aunt who is an AHT and works at a vet's office, and see what she has to say, along with the vet who used to work on horses, till his greedy, pansy partner decided to quit doing large animals, and focus on cats and dogs.



Daniel

 

[QRTRHRS]

Take a manure sample and have the vet analyze it before you even have them out. That way, you know exactly what your dealing with. You may also need a blood test. If I recall discussing this with the vet correctly, tapeworms in horses differ from cats and dogs and do not cross species. We worm ~six to eight weeks which is not unusual in our area. My wife is prepping to worm with Equimax which is supposed to be effective against tapes. These wormers have only recently become available.



I dug up a dated schedule.

Jan-Feb = Strongid

Mar-Apr = Panacur or Benzelmin

May-Jun = Ivermectin

Jul-Aug = 2x Strongid

Sep-Oct = Panacur or Benzelmin

Nov-Dec = Ivermectin



We rely more on hay than grain for weight gain. For our mostly arab equine population, we use timouthy, the arabs being hot enough already. For our two elders, we spike that with some alfalfa.



Like Rebel_Horseman said, check out The Horse. Simply sign up and get weekly emails with timely tips and articles. Their ethic on all horse matters is at first based on facts not emotions.

 

[TPCDrafting]

I haven't ever had any tape worms in my horses, or any worms for that matter. We had to put down our "ol reliable" two years ago this month. We still miss her, she was 37. Up until the last 6 months I still rode her for short rides around the block. The last 6 months she just couldn't keep any weight no matter what we threw at her. We were putting a bag of equine senior a week towards the end. Poor thing was a bag of bones, so we waited till the weather started getting cold and were planning on putting her down, but she colic'ed first. My mother-in-law had her for 25 years and always told me the day she wouldn't eat, would be her last, she was right. Hopefully in your situation it's a diet thing or a worm thing that can be remidied. Old age seems to catch up to them all at once. Anyhow, good luck. Tim

 

[dpuckett]

Had to take my grandpa's Trooper to the shop to get the head gasket replaced today. My aunt picked him up, and I asked her about tapeworms in horses, and she didnt think it too likely, though testing a fecal sample would be a good idea. She mentioned that with your gelding's age, kidneys or liver may be shutting down or malfunctioning. He could also be turning diabetic. Might get a blood screen, test for liver and kidney and liver functions, plus glucose. Hope some of this helps. I need to check out the horse website as well.

Good luck getting it figured out.



Daniel

 

[Rman]

Our 4 yr old colt died on us a few months back. He had acute kidney failure, died in 2 days. It was an awful sight, especially for as head strong and powerful that colt was. He deteriorated very rapidly, and i would suggest blood work and manure sampling quickly. I have no experience with tapeworms so no help there, but i know realize how fast things can turn. That colt seemed healthy as could be and then over night he was brought to his knees... literally. Good luck!

 

[JPope]

Thanks

For the replys and information offered.



The vet has advised again that there is nothing he can find, except the guy is old. He still has attitude and moves around well, going to far end of the pastures with the other guys and still has a nice floating trot when he is in a hurry (part Arab), and the Vet says this is one indication he uses to assist in making the final decision.

We are trying to make him as comfortable as possible, but as we waited to long to make the 'right' decision on my wife's horse of a lifetime (fibrotic myopathy (sp?), fairly rare, and no cure) 2 years ago, we are sensitive to not doing the 'right' thing again.

The vet is great and whenever he goes by on another call he stops and looks at him, to see if his practiced eye notices anything, as he did with the other horse.

He also helps with the people who have been kind of pushy about claiming how the animal is mistreated???? We actually have had people stop and tell us a horse is sick or something wrong, and when you check the horse(s) are laying down and snoozing in the warm sun out of the wind (did I mention the we have a lot of city people moving to the country here). Amazing how many people think a horse never lays down, or especially will lay down with his head on the ground when sleeping????

 

[TPCDrafting]

I know what you mean, my fox trotter (the goofiest horse I've ever had) likes to sleep up against the fence with his hooves up resting on the second or 3rd rung of the panel. Freaks people out, did me too the first few times. I usually untangle him anyway so he doesn't hurt himself. Any way, good luck with the old boy, give him extra scrathes and cookies.

 

[QRTRHRS]

A friend's paint gelding would lie flat out for what seemed an excessive amount of time. Just his thing.



The "right" thing. I base it on the animal's quality of life not my emotions. The Dec issue of Horse Illustrated came in the mail today. Timely article on euthanizing.



Re: city people with their idea of a "companion animal". Invite them to watch a breeding or a group of mares interacting.

 

[Eventer]

As old as your horse is, you might consider feeding him a warm bran mash. Even healthy horses enjoy this. It is high in fiber and can help keep weight on the horse.



I feed my 5 and 6 year olds a bran mash on a regular basis in the winter. Tasty but messy.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Jim, have you looked up The Horse website and subscibed to the weekly newsletter? The letter dated Nov 13th was all about parasites. There is an article about tapeworms, Minnesota having a high incidence compared to other states. They are detected via blood tests, not stool samples.

 

[JPope]

horse.com

Sent you a PM.