Spring Horse Health Check

 
Deworming is something all horse owners need to worry abouttalk to your vet about which type might be best for your horse. Photo by Shelley Paulson
Warmer weather longer days and mud! It must mean spring is here. Before you start planning for shows trail rides and other equine adventures make sure your horse is ready for all the action. Heres what you need to know for your spring horse health check.
horse is ready for all the action. Heres what you need to know for your spring horse health check.

Harmful Parasites
Gut parasites are cringeinducing creatures. Their microscopic eggs are shed in your horses manure and then spread across the pasture where larvae hatch from the eggs. These tiny baby parasites crawl onto blades of grass where they continue to mature into whats called thirdstage larvae or L3. These thirdstate larvae wait patiently for an unsuspecting horse to come along and swallow them while grazing.
Then they head to the gastrointestinal tract mature into adult worms and cause damage to the inside of your horse. Warm wet soil is the perfect condition for these eggs to mature to larvae and guess when that occursspring! Thats one reason why its so important to do a spring horse health check.
In the old days owners would deworm their horses at regular intervals usually every eight weeks starting in the spring no matter what. However we now know that overusing dewormers has resulted in the development of antiparasitic resistance meaning some of these drugs dont work as well as they used to because parasites have adapted to them.
Because of this your spring horse health check is the perfect time to test your horse for parasites. This means your veterinarian will take a manure sample and count the number of parasite eggs that are present. Measured year after year these fecal egg counts will tell your veterinarian if deworming treatments your horse has received are doing what they are supposed to lowering the number of parasites in your horse.
Most adult horses need to receive one to two deworming treatments a year at a minimum to control a very dangerous parasite species called large strongyles or bloodworms. They are just one type of parasite that can affect your horse. Additional treatments throughout the year should be based on fecal egg counts.
Talk to your veterinarian about the results of your horses fecal egg count during his spring health check and ask what dewormer is best to use in the spring for the specific types of parasites in your area.
Vaccines for Spring Horse Health
You may have heard the term spring vaccines before. This is because spring is the most common season to booster your horses yearly vaccines ensuring he has a high level of antibodies to protect him from contagious or otherwise harmful diseases during the busiest time of year.
Spring is a great time to have your vet come out to give your horse an annual checkup and his vaccinations. Photo by Shelley Paulson
At a minimum all adult horses should