It's Still Too Early for a Winter Wormer!
21 October 2023
DON'T TREAT FOR ENCYSTED REDWORM JUST YET
⚠️ As we wake up to the first autumnal frosts of the season, it may be tempting to get on with worming for the possibility of encysted redworm. But hang fire! This parasitic stage of the small redworm can have fatal consequences so it is important that we tackle it at the appropriate time. Temperatures are still mild across most of the country so as part of a targeted worm control programme, we are still considered to be in autumn and ideally need to wait for winter to set in before we tackle the possibility of encysted redworm, either with a blood test or by treating with an appropriate wormer.
We advise to wait until between late December and February, for a period when daytime temperatures on the pasture fall below 6 degrees Celsius, so small redworm activity would have slowed. Worming after this time reduces the risk of reinfection and therefore many horses from needing a second treatment at the back end of the winter. You may also have heard the advice to do your winter worming after the first frost - this will kill off any lingering bot flies and prevents any further bot eggs from being laid on the horse's coat where they may be ingested.If you are subscribed to our award winning subscription plan, then you can have complete peace of mind as we'll let you know when to treat based on your horse's tailor made programme.
Otherwise, if you haven't already done so, there is still time for an autumn worm count for redworm and roundworm, and EquiSal test for tapeworm. For the latest seasonal information and to buy test kits go to our web page: AUTUMN PARASITE CONTROL☃️ To help you plan ahead for the winter months, with advice on blood testing, what wormer to use and how to test that your winter wormer has done the job intended, you'll find more info here: WINTER PARASITE CONTROL