Hey all - I just acquired a lease on a little OTTB, and I’m going to assume he needs to be dewormed from scratch.
This is an area in which I lack expertise, so I’m wondering if someone could help put together a “starter schedule” to check off all of the boxes for all the bad creepy crawlies. I know each dewormer is better at some, but I don’t know of ONE that does ALL. What would you start with? What would you do next and how long would you wait?
TIA!
I would have the vet out and do a fecal. That will let you know what worms if any you need to treat. I could give worming recommendations but they could also not be helpful based on what he needs or doesn’t.
It sounds like your new lease came from a situation where the barn handles it all and that’s why the owner doesn’t know. I also am hesitant to rely on my eye to determine BCS when it comes to fat vs conditioning I’m trash.
Anyway I would get the vet out for a fecal and body assessment.
I wish that were the case, but alas it’s not. 
This BCS is very clear. I didn’t even feel comfortable posting any pictures on social media about his arrival.
Oh I meant me personally not that others can’t. I absolutely wouldn’t put this horse on social media as it would do no good and make the owner feel like crap.
Anyway the vet is your best bet for the worming and developing a game plan to get him back to where he should be. My hunch is, the horse was not managed properly so act like the horse has no history.
Another vote for getting FEC, best from a vet if you’re not familiar with the DIY version.
It’s a cheap enough procedure & gives you a definitive answer as to which wormer is needed.
Without this information you’re wasting money on pastewormers that may or may not be required.
Let new owner know for the cost of a farm call, bloodwork & FEC, he’ll know how to get his new horse in good health & condition.
ETA:
Sorry, I misread.
If you as leaser are responsible for vet care, still worth the cost.
And let owner know what vet suggests.
Get a FEC done next week. If he’s really that thin, I’d want my vet to come do a wellness exam on him anyway, and get a manure sample to do a proper FEC. If the horse won’t offer up his own sample the vet can reach in and pull a sample out. At least find out if he’s loaded, or actually pretty good.
If it’s pretty good, I’d go with Quest Plus and just take care of everything you can’t see, and what might be a bit more than a FEC shows. If a horse is truly loaded, you’re not going to get a low or clean FEC, so even a moderate count wouldn’t bother me with Quest Plus.
If he’s sky-high, then maybe double Strongid to start to hit tapeworms and maybe some strongyles (but maybe a lot of them, all depends on the resistance), and then in 2 weeks ivermectin to hit bots and finish the strongyles. Then do another FEC in 10-12 weeks to see what’s what.
Quest Plus does do all the things - adult strongyles, encysted strongyles, bots, tapeworms, neck threadworms. It does pinworms where there isn’t resistance, but you’d know if you were dealing with pinworms.
As the leasee, I would assume you are responsible for basic vet/farrier/deworming/dental/vaccination costs?
3rding this… for several reasons. It’s going to be quicker than any DIY kit and it’s also going to take some of the liability off you, over deworming him blindly with a bunch of different products. You don’t want to use the wrong product or wrong amount and end up with a huge die-off that causes secondary issues.
Plus, a wellness exam is going to give you a paper trail of documentation about his condition upon arrival. If the vet isn’t available right away, you should still be able to drop off a fecal sample and have them check it ahead of the wellness exam.
Awesome thanks all! I’ll get this set up ASAP.
Vet check dental check deworming and good quality hay. Concentrates are beside the point and can be added once you have a god basic management plan.
Bsc 3 needs to be laid up til his body condition comes up. Not ready for riding, gentle hand work if anything
Definitely talk to a veterinarian. Moxidectin (Quest/Quest Plus) should NOT be given to horses with a low body condition score.
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