After Powerpac?

[cnd8]

I purchased a new horse at the end of August and he hadn’t been maintained as well as would be expected for a performance horse of his caliber. My vet suggested in October when she was out to do his injections, that I should give a Powerpac since his history is somewhat hit or miss and he seemed a little dull to her, and lacking along the topline despite more than adequate feed and hay.

I started the Powerpac this Monday and so far so good.

Are there any additional dewormers that need to be given at any increment after the Powerpac is complete? On one of the barrel racing communities, someone posted that the manufacturer used to suggest Quest Plus 15 days post-Powerpac, but I cant seem to find anything to back that up.

Also, one more question–he has one new pasture mate here where I have him. Should I have the barn manager give that horse something as well since mine might have had a worm load?

[luvmyhackney]

You are probably better off to run a fecal after the powerpak and see what it missed. I wouldn’t give anything without a fecal after a power pak.

If horses friend has been wormed and had a fecal, I wouldn’t worry until the spring.

[JB]

sigh

Not directed at you, but at your vet, who is one of the many who is, for some unknown reason, still SO under-educated on deworming

A PP should not be the go-to anymore. Resistance is HIGH, and it doesn’t target bots or tapeworms.

You can finish the PP if you want since you have it, no harm, and if his load is high, it might knock down 10% or so if you’re lucky LOL

But I’d actually just get a FEC now and see what’s what. You’re still going to have to target bots and tapeworms, which means either Equimax or Quest Plus.

@cnd8

someone posted that the manufacturer used to suggest Quest Plus 15 days post-Powerpac, but I cant seem to find anything to back that up.

that’s because the maker of Q/QP didn’t say that, no idea why that person thinks that, other than they heard it from someone else. If a PP was effective, there’d be no reason to use moxidectin for encysted or adult strongyles. And if it was known to not be effective, so the QP would be used to finish things off, why not use QP to start?

@cnd8

he has one new pasture mate here where I have him. Should I have the barn manager give that horse something as well since mine might have had a worm load?

No, the horse needs to be dewormed based on his FECs.

@luvmyhackney

I wouldn’t give anything without a fecal after a power pak.

It doesn’t target bots or tapeworms, which should be targeted this time of year

[Posting_Trot]

Encysted strongyles won’t show up in a fecal exam.

[cnd8]

@JB

But I’d actually just get a FEC now and see what’s what. You’re still going to have to target bots and tapeworms, which means either Equimax or Quest Plus.

Forgive me for asking this, but do I really need to do the FEC if I’m already doing the Powerpac? Could I not just give him the Equimax or Quest Plus after the Powerpac to finish off a full-spectrum de-worming series?

[JB]

@cnd8

do I really need to do the FEC if I’m already doing the Powerpac?

It would be nice to know the current FEC status. The odds of a PP killing anything is pretty darn low. If he’s clean/low, then he was likely that way before the PP which further makes it a poor choice. If he’s high then it will suggest you might want to do another FEC 10-12 weeks after Equimax, or 14-16 weeks after the QP. And even better, an other FEC 10-14 days after the E or QP to make sure it really was effective enough.

@cnd8

Could I not just give him the Equimax or Quest Plus after the Powerpac to finish off a full-spectrum de-worming series?

That’s definitely an option, and then you can work on FEC-based deworming going forward, starting with one before you deworm in the Spring.

[JB]

@Posting_Trot

Encysted strongyles won’t show up in a fecal exam.

Right, nor will tapeworms or bots. But it would have been a much better idea to do a FEC before deworming this guy. Not a requirement, but a nice to have.

[cnd8]

@JB

That’s definitely an option, and then you can work on FEC-based deworming going forward, starting with one before you deworm in the Spring.

I am liking the idea of a broad based get-everything approach since his history was uncertain and records a little hit-and-miss, and with my vet not suggesting a FEC. I will definitely ask for this in the future. If I do go ahead and give him a Quest Plus, how long do I need to wait after the PP to do so?

[JB]

A safe window is about 2 weeks. You could PROBABLY do it the day after the last dose, and I wouldn’t have a problem doing that with horses I know had no history of deworming issues, but since you don’t, 2 weeks is a good window

[cnd8]

Thank you so much for your help and knowledge on this! I admit, I am only surface-level on deworming issues.

[JB]

we all started at surface level And you’re welcome!