Parasites
Parasites:
Internal parasites are one of the leading causes of equine colic. They also play a major part in respiratory, digestive, and performance problems. However, worms and other parasites can be easily prevented by being put on a heavy deworming program that can be formulated by your vet. The four most common parasites found in equines are bots, strongyles, ascarids, and pinworms.
Bots:
Bots are the larvae, or young, of the botfly and horses are commonly infected by them because they are predominate in the horses’ everyday environment. The adult fly lays the eggs on the horse’s coat. The eggs become stimulated by the horses licking and enter the mouth of the horse and into its system. Botflies are killed by freezing temperatures and should be treated from the time the botflies are seen on the horse to when there is the first hard frost.
Strongyles:
The term strongyles refers to a large group of related internal parasites, also known as bloodworms. This type of parasite is very dangerous because the younger worms can migrate through the blood vessels of the intestine and cause fatal colic. It’s life cycle begins in the intestinal tract, the female lays her eggs with out then passed out in the feces. The eggs then hatch into larvae while still inside of the manure. Then the larvae move into the grass where it is then eaten. Then they develop into young worms which migrate throughout the internal organs of the horse. Adult worms in the large intestine lay eggs and the process starts all over again.
Horses with strongyles may become very weak and have diarrhea. Also the horses will become anemic due to the sucking of blood from the worm. Horses that are in good condition can have a large number of the worms built up with can cause an aneurysm. If the aneurysm bursts this will cause sudden death. You should deworm often to prevent your horse from getting parasites.
Ascarids or Large Roundworms:
These types of worms can affect younger horses more often than the older ones. These worms can be up to a foot long and there can be hundreds living inside of the horse’s small intestine. Coughing, diarrhea, and colic can also be a reaction from ascarid infection. Foals can become infected with the eggs from the fecal matter of other horses. The eggs are swallowed in contaminated hay or water and they hatch in the intestinal tract. The young worms burrow through the intestinal wall and after a week they reach the lungs. Then travel up into the mouth swallowed again, and mature in the intestine for two to three months. The eggs are passed through in the fecal matter and then the process starts all over again.
Tapeworms:
There are three types of tapeworms that can be found in the US. These worms have a “head” that have four suckers that attach to organs and suck blood. As the horse ingests them at mites and then in the system of the horse they mature into the worm. Then as the worm reproduces and the cycle happens all over again.
It is hard to diagnose a horse with tapeworms while it is alive because find eggs in the fecal matter is harder than other internal parasites. Horses can be treated for tapeworms.
Pinworms:
Pinworms annoy the horse because they cause severe anal itching. Adult pinworms come out of the anus and deposit eggs around the anus. This causes the horse to rub its tail leaving bald spots and broken hairs. Horses can get the worms eat drinking contaminated water, grain, hay, or grass. Pinworms can be successfully treated with the same dewormer as strongyles and asacarids.
These parasites can be prevented be annually giving your horse dewormer.
Internal parasites are one of the leading causes of equine colic. They also play a major part in respiratory, digestive, and performance problems. However, worms and other parasites can be easily prevented by being put on a heavy deworming program that can be formulated by your vet. The four most common parasites found in equines are bots, strongyles, ascarids, and pinworms.
Bots:
Bots are the larvae, or young, of the botfly and horses are commonly infected by them because they are predominate in the horses’ everyday environment. The adult fly lays the eggs on the horse’s coat. The eggs become stimulated by the horses licking and enter the mouth of the horse and into its system. Botflies are killed by freezing temperatures and should be treated from the time the botflies are seen on the horse to when there is the first hard frost.
Strongyles:
The term strongyles refers to a large group of related internal parasites, also known as bloodworms. This type of parasite is very dangerous because the younger worms can migrate through the blood vessels of the intestine and cause fatal colic. It’s life cycle begins in the intestinal tract, the female lays her eggs with out then passed out in the feces. The eggs then hatch into larvae while still inside of the manure. Then the larvae move into the grass where it is then eaten. Then they develop into young worms which migrate throughout the internal organs of the horse. Adult worms in the large intestine lay eggs and the process starts all over again.
Horses with strongyles may become very weak and have diarrhea. Also the horses will become anemic due to the sucking of blood from the worm. Horses that are in good condition can have a large number of the worms built up with can cause an aneurysm. If the aneurysm bursts this will cause sudden death. You should deworm often to prevent your horse from getting parasites.
Ascarids or Large Roundworms:
These types of worms can affect younger horses more often than the older ones. These worms can be up to a foot long and there can be hundreds living inside of the horse’s small intestine. Coughing, diarrhea, and colic can also be a reaction from ascarid infection. Foals can become infected with the eggs from the fecal matter of other horses. The eggs are swallowed in contaminated hay or water and they hatch in the intestinal tract. The young worms burrow through the intestinal wall and after a week they reach the lungs. Then travel up into the mouth swallowed again, and mature in the intestine for two to three months. The eggs are passed through in the fecal matter and then the process starts all over again.
Tapeworms:
There are three types of tapeworms that can be found in the US. These worms have a “head” that have four suckers that attach to organs and suck blood. As the horse ingests them at mites and then in the system of the horse they mature into the worm. Then as the worm reproduces and the cycle happens all over again.
It is hard to diagnose a horse with tapeworms while it is alive because find eggs in the fecal matter is harder than other internal parasites. Horses can be treated for tapeworms.
Pinworms:
Pinworms annoy the horse because they cause severe anal itching. Adult pinworms come out of the anus and deposit eggs around the anus. This causes the horse to rub its tail leaving bald spots and broken hairs. Horses can get the worms eat drinking contaminated water, grain, hay, or grass. Pinworms can be successfully treated with the same dewormer as strongyles and asacarids.
These parasites can be prevented be annually giving your horse dewormer.