“Weight Tapes & Wormer Resistance” – Email 11

Hello ,

This week I've been inspired by one of our fantastic IH members who emailed Kelly about a rather interesting observation regarding weight tapes and the wormer resistance problem…

Wormer resistance is a problem??

If you weren't already aware, wormer resistance is a rapidly growing concern in the animal world and in the care of our horses. Just like antibiotic resistance in humans, the overuse and incorrect use of these medications by, well… us, leads to the development of resistant strains that pose a big threat to our horses!

Wormer resistance occurs when parasitic worms are over-exposed to and/or survive treatments that used to kill them. The survivors are basically superworms, passing on their resistant genes to the next generation, making the problem widespread in equine parasites. If the dose of wormer is insufficient, it doesn't kill enough parasites. The toughest, most resistant worms live to multiply, which just speeds up the whole resistance issue.

The research shows a clear and growing problem. Across the globe, common equine worms are becoming resistant to many of the drugs we use to treat them. For instance, studies have found that common worms in stables are resisting fenbendazole, and a widespread parasite called cyathostomins is resisting not just single drugs, but entire combinations of them. The research is also showing that drugs are working for shorter periods, which is an early sign of resistance. The issue is also affecting foals, as roundworms are now commonly resistant to ivermectin. The problem can get severe: there are even reports of worms that are resistant to three different types of wormer.

— Abi Pass MSc RAMP & The Intelligent Horsemanship Team

Weight Tapes & Wormer Resistance

Kelly received this email from one of our brilliant IH members this week, and we both thought it was incredibly interesting and a fantastic point was made.

While many of us might already know that using a weight tape is far less accurate than weighing our horses, many of us don't have easy access to weigh bridges. These guides are used not only to monitor weight change but potentially as a guideline for medication, where an accurate reading is really required.

Have any of you ever compared weigh tapes to a weigh bridge? What was your experience?

'I own three different weight tapes, and recently compared them all. They all give very different weights for my cob. I have also had him weighed on a weigh bridge, by Spillers at an event, and on the same day their tape only weighed him at 10 Kg less than the weigh bridge. So I use that one as the most accurate.

I know they are only meant to be used as a guide, but bearing in mind that the tape that gives the lowest weight is from a wormer company and some owners will use this to dose their horse, with wormer, it occurred to me that this will possibly lead to under dosing and may be part of the wormer resistance problem.

My cob measures 180cm around the girth area, which on the Spillers tape is 490Kg, but on the Equest tape only comes out at 426 Kg, with the other one in-between. That is quite a large percentage difference. My vet advised to give the whole tube of wormer, so there is no chance of under worming, but I know many people who weigh tape the horse and dose accordingly, which must result in under dosing.'

Sue

Your Chance to Win?

IH Members, this September is your chance to win a place on the Intelligent Horsemanship Online Horse Psychology course on Tuesday evenings, starting on the 7th of October for 8 weeks!

This fantastic course, worth £195, is something that, in my opinion, all horse owners should experience. So if you haven't attended already, or if you'd even like to attend again, don't forget to sign up!

Red Worm – The Silent Killer

Want to know more about the notorious equine red worm, resistance, and treatment? Or maybe you didn't even know it existed! Then you must watch this brilliant webinar by parasitologist and worming expert, Diane Gilby of Intelligent Worming.

Diane, a CANTER spokesperson, has over 20 years of expertise in equine parasitology and is dedicated to advancing risk-assessed health plans. An award-winning SQP, her leadership in developing standards for equine care and parasite control showcases her dedication to improving equine health in the UK. She's the perfect person to answer your questions.

“Thank you to all of the IH team for an enjoyable and enlightening course."

"I have just taken part in the on-line Horse Psychology Course hosted by Kelly and Sandra. It was an interesting and informative course, presented in a professional but light hearted way, which I honestly looked forward to every Tuesday.”

Lisa Waite