Assessing worm burdens with diagnostics

 significant eggshedding which will stop them from reinfecting the pasture for a period after the treatment. The horses with low egg counts are less in need of treatment as they are not contributing as many new worms onto the pasture. The test can also help you check that your wormer is working if you take an
FEC before and two weeks after administering a wormer this is called a faecal egg count reduction test 4
Regular FECs during the grazing season will help to build a more consistent picture of your horses eggshedding so that you can treat him accurately and keep him and the pasture healthy. Using regular FECs will save worming horses unnecessarily helping to prevent the buildup of resistance to wormers 2

For advice on faecal worm egg counts always speak to your vet or RAMASQP.
Blood test
A blood test can be used to assess the presence of larval stages of the small redworm that wont show up in a faecal worm egg count 5
Your vet will take a blood sample and use an ELISA immunological test to check for any small redworm infection. The test detects specific antibodies which can give an indication of your horses intensity of infection 5
The test can be used in some situations alongside your horses worm control history age health status management and the environmental conditions before making a decision to treat your horse with a wormer.  It is most useful in horses at low risk of infection to rule out those needing a wormer at that time. It may also be useful to indicate if symptoms of colic could be associated with a small redworm burden 5
Saliva test
This test is used to detect the presence of tapeworm. It works in a similar way to a blood test but with the advantage that the horse owner can take the saliva sample using a special testing kit. The ELISA method is used to measure the specific antibodies to tapeworm parasites. The saliva sample is posted to the laboratory for analysis and the results sent to the owner together with advice for next steps if any treatment is needed. The recommendation is to test twice yearly for tapeworm. The same test can also be performed on a blood sample if required.