Horse Parasites

There are a whole variety of horse parasites. The main ones will be talked about here.

Parascaris Equorum

• Horses & donkeys.
• Lifecycle= A.Suum. 
• 12 week PPP.
• Small Intestine. 

Disease

• Foal to foal as adults immune.
• Transient cough, poor weight gain, unthriftiness. 

Control

• Resistance to Ivermectin. 
• Pasture rotation but eggs resistant & short lived. 
• Diagnosis-> 1000/epg significant faecal egg count. 

Oxyuris Equi (NOT an ascarid- oxyuroidea family)

• ' Pinworm.' 
• Affects horses and ponies.
• Colon, caecum & rectum. 

Life Cycle 

• Direct.
• Female lays eggs on peri-anal skin and dies.
• Eggs drop to the ground.
• Develop to L3 in egg.
• Ingested.
• Larvae develop in colonal mucosal crypts. 
• 5 month PPP. 

Clinical Signs

• Anal Rust. Pruritis. 
• L4 feed on & erode colonal mucosa-> principal harm. 

Diagnosis

• Selotape test.
• Female-> rubbing, broken hair & sore patches.
• Horse may be unmanageable.
• Eggs in faeces rare. 

Control

• Anthelmintics.
• Little immunity to re-infection.
• Wash peri-anal area daily. 
• Anthelmintics not very effective.