Hi all! I am about to run to the barn to give dewormer to my horses but am worried regarding dosage and the “side effects” that others have experienced with Quest/ Quest Plus. I have one horse who has had it before without issue, but my other horse is new to me so is an unknown. They were both dewormed with a 1.5 dose Anthelicide for pinworms in late Dec early Jan. The one with experience with QP currently weighs 1,033-1,069 per weight tape (MUCH below her good weight of 1200-1300). I have not put the weight tape on the other. I normally give a full tube as some is ALWAYS spat out/ ends up on me/ ends up on the ground. I just wanted to see if anyone is still experiencing the bad effects and if I would be alright giving 1050 or 1100 (I think it goes by 50lbs).
I won’t use quest plus i’ve read to many bad things about side effects. I’ll use equimax ,zimectrin never have used quest plus never will.
What are some side effects you have heard of?
Quest is the only dewormer that successfully removes encysted worms. It is very safe given at the proper dosage which does have some leeway. It is not a dewormer that I would double dose, but disclaimer such as “warrior horse’s” are unfounded.
I have, and the barn I stable at have used it for years, in the Spring, on various sized and weight horses. No reactions.
Just be careful that in a fit of caution you don’t underdose.
With any luck JB will jump in on this.
Know a gal i ride with who used quest plus horse became ataxic, depressed went off feed coliced and almost died. Happened an hour after worming with quest plus. Was a perfectly healthy horse she sure won’t use this wormer,neither will i.
Quest Plus is perfectly safe if used as directed. Don’t give it to very thin or very young horses. Weight tapes typically underweigh horses. Give the full tube–you’d need to OD by three times his weight or more to see effects.
If you’re not comfortable giving quest, use something else. PLEASE don’t underdose it because you think that’s safer. Resistance to other anthelmintics is such a problem, and underdosing is one of the reasons why. We don’t have very many effectively drugs left.
@merrygoround, a powerpac also hits encysteds.
Zimectrin Gold has a much greater chance than Quest Plus for side effects. However, Quest Plus side effects if improperly dosed (young, underweight, overdosed, etc.) can be very severe.
My horse got a burn on his lip when some of the paste didn’t make it in his mouth and I didn’t wipe it off. I still use it but make sure to remove any that is on the skin.
Save the tube and carton for a few days after dosing so you have the lot number to report to the manufacturer in case of an issue.
Yes ! I know but a power pack is 5 days of Pancur, a lot more time and $, when with Quest, you’re done, and done.
However, if you don’t read the label, and give it to a horse that is debilitated or if you have no idea what it weighs, perhaps you need a vet to guide you.
I too was leery about QPlus but my very well informed and thoughtful vet explained how it was the only thing that would get the encysted strongyles in spring, and he explained what those were which was …
vivid.
I think the issues with QP have been with low body fat horses.
Also with any wormer you need to get it down the throat. Some reactions are to wormer sitting under the tongue for a while.
Just pointing out that this isn’t the case:
“Quest is the only dewormer that successfully removes encysted worms.”
Powerpac removes encysted, although over more time and at greater expense, as you say.
However, if you don’t read the label, and give it to a horse that is debilitated or if you have no idea what it weighs, perhaps you need a vet to guide you.
Certainly agree with you there, although there have been a shocking number of people who have reported that their vet has recommended partial doses of dewormers, which sure is frustrating to hear 
:no:
Quest Plus stuns the encysted worms and they drop off.
There is another wormer that kills them in place and then they presumably drop off but that is harder on the gut.
Thank you every one! I’ve heard worse about Z Gold and have no experience with that (vs some experience with the Quest Plus) so I am not in a hurry to use that one ever. Both of my horses lost some weight (I would guess around 100-150 lbs) at the previous boarding facility which they were at for two months. The Barn was not feeding my grey at all (hay or grain) and they refused to feed my bay alfalfa because " she doesn’t need it" which meant she would eat less than 10lbs of grass hay a day. I would put them at a BCS of 4 with the bag maybe closer to a 4.5. They are both OTTBs and the grey is usually a BCS of 5 very easily. Should I be okay to use QP on them going off weight tape? Or maybe weight tape + 100lbs? Or do I need to wait until they pick up weight again?
We are addressing the weight issues but I can say without a doubt the loss came from the “feeding” and “management” skills from the previous Barn. The vet will be out Sat for teeth and a few vaccinations and both horses are being reintroduced to free choice alfalfa in a slow feeder.
In probably an excess of caution, I’d say wait until they’re back up to a SOLID 4.5. (But really, they would probably be fine and saying to wait is being overly cautious.) What are you looking to do with the Quest Plus? Equimax is an option if you’re looking to hit the “normal” stuff and tapes, and doesn’t have the skinny horse warning. If you’re concerned about encysteds, you could do a power pac.
Have you done a fecal? What did you use before the anthelcide, and when?
No fecal done yet though could grab on Sat. I was sort of following the suggested Quest Plus in spring and Equimax in fall. Bay is new to me as of December (straight from track) so unsure what was used prior. She came in very good condition so I was not concerned about pulling a fecal. Grey was fecaled in October and had a low enough count that vet did not advise to use anything. I used Ivermectin on her earlier in summer June or July time. She always has low counts and has been on private turnout in picked areas for the past few years. She is now on pasture board with bay and one other horse. I don’t think I’ve usedQP in a while so trying to “get” the encysteds is probably a good idea.
Quest Plus, Equimax in the fall is best for the dung beetles. No reason you can’t switch it up, although you might see a decrease in beetles (if you have them at all.)
It’s important to hit them for bots after the first hard freeze, so it’s unfortunate you didn’t do that last fall. Something to note for next time 
I could see approaching this now one of two ways–waiting a month or so until the weight is back on them and using Quest Plus, or using Equimax now +/- a power pac depending on if you think they need something for encysteds.
Curious what @JB has to say about it
Get fecals and de worm as needed. Especially with the horse that has had low counts in the past, you don’t want to over de worm and contribute to resistance. My vet is adamant about saving quest for the high shedders.
This video is long but very informative! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn-RzH0rtvM
We dewormed 14 horses at my boarding barn with Quest Plus about a week ago. No reactions, and the horses range from a 12hh pony to my 16.3hh, 1300lb WB. However, all of our horses are at (or above, for some :lol:) optimal body condition. Administered according to manufacturer instructions and at appropriate dosage, we haven’t had any problem. But if it gives you peace of mind, consult your vet when you see them on Saturday. They might be able to advise you better than we can, having never seen your horses.
As mentioned, if they are a solid 4.5 BCS or above, Quest would be fine. Yes, there is the potential for a negative reaction no matter how healthy a horse - these are chemicals we are dealing with. They are designed for the invertebrate system, but occasionally the vertebrate system has a defect and crap happens
Run this formula against your weight tape, take the higher number (likely the calculation) and I always add 10% to make sure I don’t underdose
http://www.cowboyway.com/HowTo/HorseWeight.htm
A “power pack” also removes them, just not as effectively, so for overall efficacy, moxidectin does win by a decent margin
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26477278
"The five-day regimen of FBZ achieved 44.6% fecal egg count reduction, had 56.4% activity against luminal adults and larvae, and was 38.6% and 71.2% effective against encysted early third stage (EL3) and late third stage/ fourth stage (LL3/L4) cyathostomin larvae, respectively. In contrast, MOX provided 99.9% FECR, removed 99.8% of luminal stages, and exhibited 63.6% and 85.2% efficacy against EL3 and LL3/L4 mucosal cyathostomins, respectively. "
It is very safe given at the proper dosage which does have some leeway. It is not a dewormer that I would double dose, but disclaimer such as “warrior horse’s” are unfounded.
Agreed.
lol at “stuns” 
Paralyzes, yes. So they let go and are expelled, vs
There is another wormer that kills them in place and then they presumably drop off but that is harder on the gut.
the “power pack” - 5 consecutive days of double-dosed fenbendazole, which kills them in place. They stay there, die, then decay, and cause little ulcers where each tiny body was, just as if they had emerged: cyathostomiasis
Yes, the ideal is to do a FEC and see who has what. It’s been long enough since the Anthelcide.
But even a low/clean count needs deworming. Quest Plus will just take care of everything the FEC cannot show you - encysted strongles, bots, and tapeworms (rare to see, never assume none on a fec means there are none).
But if you don’t feel their weight is good enough for moxidectin, then you have options:
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Equimax now, and in 4 weeks start a Power Pack
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Power Pack now, and in 4 weeks Equimax
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Equimax now, and in 12 weeks do another FEC. If there were any encysted strongyles, they would emerge and you’ll have a reflective count, and you can deworm then. If the count is high enough, you have the opportunity to do a FECRT with first fenbendazole (single dose), and assuming that’s ineffective (likely), then a single dose of pyrantel pamoate. If either is 90%+ effective, then you know you can use that one for interim dewormings if necessary. It’s good info to have so you can keep moxidectin and ivermectin for Spring and Fall.
As for “saving” moxidectin for high shedders - it almost doesn’t matter. Moxidectin and ivermectin are the same macrocyclic lactone class of dewormers. Both already have some reduced ERP. Ivermectin already has some pinworm resistance issues.
Personally, even though they are the same class, they are different, and I’d much rather rotate than use ivermectin exclusively.
Moxidectin (Quest Plus) is a safe and reliable dewormer when used correctly. Here are some real scientific presentations. The last one is a very interesting read.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.2746/095777308X356956
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12136974
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12136974
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2733285/
G.
Okay, so If I understand that last one, I would say don’t get Quest Plus on your hands if you suffer from Alzheimer’s? I suppose that’s a stretch…
