Does Panacur/fenbendazole fit in here anywhere? My allergist told me this is the only way to effectively kill off pinworms.
I really appreciate your help. I will post an update.
Pretty much all are, or were, effective against pinworms. But some more recent, though still light, resistance has been cropping up, so it’s really a matter of finding out which chemical(s) still work for you. AFAIK when there’s an ivermectin resistance, the pp/oxi are more likely to be effective than fen, but that doesn’t mean fen can’t still be very effective. It’s just a matter of first trying the ones that are more likely to be the most effective, if that makes sense. Since we can’t do FECs and FECRTs to track the resistance with these, we can only rely on symptoms 
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Can/should fen be double dosed?
Fen can easily be double dosed. It’s just a matter of picking a plan and working it to see what you end up with.
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That’s interesting - I’ve used benadryl/diphenhydramine as a sleep aid, as it’s also marketed, but have not tried cetirizine.
Cetirizine did not seem to make my horse drowsy at all, and stopped itching right away. If the goal is to break the itch-scratch cycle*, in other words, stop itching so the horse stops scratching, so the area has a chance to heal, this worked for me.
The underlying cause of the itching still needs to be addressed, obviously.
*“New research uncovers vicious scratch-itch cycle. Scratching results in the brain’s release of serotonin, intensifying the itch sensation, according to results of a recent animal study”
http://dermatologytimes.modernmedicine.com/dermatology-times/news/new-research-uncovers-vicious-scratch-itch-cycle
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I’m giving my first double dose of Equimax today. Wish me luck.
I am posting updates and pictures at Life with Oden (https://www.facebook.com/LifeWithOden/posts/1589848457800213) if you’d care to follow along.
I’
I’ve also had great luck with MSM.
QUOTE=fjordmom;n9979833]First what did he actually show to be allergic too - flies, pollen, grasses, dust,… what? You need to ID the source to target the problem. Then avoiding the trigger, where possible, is action #1.
I see you already have him on flax. That helped my one with serious sweet itch. I also give him MSM. Have you tried that? He was truly itch free (with a fly sheet) all summer and continues to be. Breaking any new itch cycle ASAP also helped to keep him from getting back to the old itch and rub routine. I use benadryl tablets for that. Super cheap at Sam’s Club.
One of my other horses was very sensitive to certain fly sprays, especially the natural ones with citronella in them. Maybe trying something different than the ones you’ve been using, especially those concentrated spot-on ones, would make a difference. Be aware the even though fly sprays come in a scadzillion different colored bottles, almost all of them have the same active ingredients or at least ingredients that are in the same chemical class. You’ll need to read the label to get something truly different. Have you tried Eco-vet? Interesting stuff that has worked well for us and has not caused any reactions on any of my horses. It does not work against cullicoides gnats, the source of sweet itch, though. For that I find Bite-free or Mosquito Halt works best (along with fine mesh, physical coverings).[/QUOTE]
The allergist told me the main thing he’s allergic to is weeds.
I have tried a tub of MSM. I’ve just sent a note to a couple of vets to ask if I should add it back in (given everything else I’m doing).
I have also tried a fly sheet, and that didn’t help. He has continued rubbing through the coldest parts of winter, so I’m not at all sure this is fly/bug related.
Yes, I’ve gone through four bottles of Eco-Vet. Still scratching. And I’ve tried no fly sprays at all. That was the worst.
I appreciate your thoughts. I’m going to continue the every-two-week double-dosing worming protocol. I’ll post back what happens.
Your vet can do a blood panel test for allergies, just like doctors do with humans. My vet did it for one of my dogs when she was a puppy. She did not rub her tail but was itching all over her body. Fortunately she “outgrew” her allergies. I just don’t see allergies causing tail rubbing. Buy one tube of AnthelicideEQ and give it to your horse if you’ve not done so already. Solved all my problems with tail rubbing by horses and all the problems my friend’s horses had also . If it does not work, it’s not pin worms. If it works, put it in your worming rotation from now on.
Can I do it just a few days after double dosing with Ivermectin? And, thank you. I’m so anxious to get this under control!!
Hold off a week or so. You will see every worm of every kind come out of your horse when you use the AnthelicideEQ. Amazing when a friend followed my advice and used it on her horse. Of course the kill off of worms was so great, the vet had to come out and pull them out of the horse. No more tail rubbing. If this does not “cure” the rubbing, then have the vet do a blood panel screening for allergies and prescribe allergy meds.
Let us know how it works. Just watch out for a clogging and colic if there are large amounts of worms of all types. Should not be if you’ve been worming. My horses were on my every 2 months worming schedule so the only thing unusual when I added this wormer was some loose manure for a day or two. No more pin worms with the added wormer every 6 months or so and no more tail rubbing.
…also don’t be surprised if nothing changes with Anthelcide. Good box to check, but sure didn’t help my butt rubber at all!
Then you call the vet to draw blood to send to the lab for screening to tell you what allergies. Except most allergies are not specific to the anal area or tail but are widespread over the body. For example if your horse is allergic to biting sand gnats, he’ll rub his tail and his mane and his face and his chest and his neck unless you keep him covered with fly spray. BTDT.
The udder of the mare and sheath of the gelding supposedly can cause tail rubbing so also check that before a blood screening.
Argh! I hate to hear that this didn’t help Simkie’s horse. I so want this to work!!
There can’t be any big worm die off. His fecals are clean, and he even had a clean pinworm tape test. If he has any worms, they are very stealthy.
And he’s already been tested for allergies and is on the desensitization shots. Though, he has had the skin prick test not the blood panel. Something else to try if the worming doesn’t help.
I’ll post back after the next worming. I think I’m going to wait another ten days.
It’s a good box to check! But really…fairly unlikely that anthelcide is going to be a “magic bullet” after what you’ve already done, worming-wise.
Does Odin have any odd lameness issues? My mare presented with typical hock pain. When injections didn’t resolve, we found the arthritis in her neck, and that’s what causes her to rub her tail. All of the wormer and allergy shots in the world won’t help, unfortunately.
It’s a stretch, but if you really aren’t seeing improvement, it may be worthwhile to check the neck. Radiographs aren’t terribly costly.
(The skin prick allergy testing is waaaaay more useful and reliable than the blood test, btw! You’re ahead of the game there 
)
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While it can help pinworms, oxibendazole is not necessarily the answer - no improvement doesn’t automatically mean it’s not pinworms. There are resistance issues to consider.
To make sure, I would use double doses of pyrantel pamoate (ie Strongid paste), at monthly intervals if there is any improvement after the first dose. Pinworms have a life cycle such that it may take a few double doses to get them under control.
You know, I can only speak from experience. I rotationally wormed my horses every 2 months no matter what any BO said. My vet said to do so and I listened to him. But then at a new barn, mine started rubbing their tails which they’d never done. I walked into feed store and owner told me to buy tubes of anthelicide EQ and worm, and I did. No more tail rubbing for years. Years later, another vet, not mine, said when my horses rubbed tails that they did not have pin worms. Uh huh. I put mine back on the Anthelicide and no more tail rubbing. So I put it into their worming rotation and left it in it.
Just like when my puppy was itchy all over, I went to vet, got a blood panel screening, and gave her prescription meds to stop the itching till she “outgrew” her allergies.
I can only speak from experience. I use all the name brand wormers and did so back when mine had pin worms… Only the AnthelcideEQ worked for tail rubbing… I don’t ask why if I get results. Might not be what is wrong with OP’s horse, but if it worked on my horses and on those of my friends, when my friends were buying expensive and stinky topicals that did not work, why not try a tube of the wormer?
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Don’t get me wrong, Anthelcide is my first suggestion (though at a 1.5x dose) if someone says there are pinworms that ivermectin isn’t taking care of.
My point was only that if Anthelcide (the only brand of oxibendazole, in the US anyway) doesn’t work, that doesn’t mean it’s not pinworms. There ARE pinworms resistance to oxi, just like there are pinworms resistant to ivermectin.
There are other treatments to work through before using just oxi and declaring it not a pinworm issue.
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Thankfully, no lameness issues.
And, yes, I’ve read that the skin prick test is more accurate than the blood test. But I’m willing to try the blood test later if the worming protocol proves ineffective. (And it’s too soon to say that.)
About the only thing I haven’t tried is vinegar in the drinking water. But that seems so pointless after all the other things I’ve tried. But I have somebody who swears this is the missing link. (??)
OP Do you think it could be some kind of yeast problem?
I don’t know if horses are prone to this or not but I know when I used to eat sugary foods my ahem lady parts would get quite itchy.
Maybe you get some suppositories that are made for curing yeast infections and see if they help.
Maybe some probiotics and also feeding a low starch low sugar feed just to see if it makes a difference.
Also it be fungal. My horse had a bare spot on his tail last summer. I cleaned it with some anti bacterial soap and applications of athletes foot cream. It did clear up so I guess that’s what it was.
Hope this helps. If it does please let us know.
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