little D, what wormer do you recommend for treatment? I have done my horse two times two weeks apart with equimax and would like to do another treatment at two weeks. Do you use equimax, regular ivermectin, anthelcide EQ or???
Also, what does your “regular” worming schedule consist of? Thanks!
Are you saying keep up the every two-week deworming until the horse is symptom free? I ask because my mare is due for her second double-dose next Wednesday and she is back to square one as far as being itchy and scratchy. There was brief improvement but she has steadily gone backwards. Either the NTW is not her problem or she needs a 3rd or 4th (or more?) round of double-dosing?
continueng treatment NTW
First let me address the first question. Which wormer? In the clinical trials we found equimax was by far the winner. Possibly because it has higher doses than any other and the combination wormer got better results. This could be because of the combination likely causes a toxic reaction similar to if you use bleach alone and amonia alone but if you mix the two it can create a deadly combination. Well this does the same to the worms in the case of the combined wormer.
Remember that they all can claim success if they only kill 25% so its up to you to do some clinicals on your own keep track of the results including skin reactions clear up times and all.
let us know what you find. Please write your progress down. More than one horse must be studied. Every horse is different according to what stage they are in.
Just wanted to share what happened tonight.
I’ve been reading this thread and the thread on Progressive Nutrition. My interest has been mostly to help my show horse put some weight on after a particularly stressful August show schedule.
Last Friday I decided to do a double dose of Ivermectin on everyone in my barn. My 4 year old WB always has had a few bumps on his skin, mostly on his neck and sides. He also had a large ‘growth’ on his back over his spine, just behind where the saddle sits. Several vets have looked at the growth over the years and all recommended either leaving it alone or injecting it. I had it injected once with no change so I never bothered to do anything again since it doesn’t bother him.
Well, tonight when I went out to feed I noticed a change in the ‘growth’. It has always been slightly smaller than a golf ball, so it’s quite noticeable. At first I thought maybe he rolled and scraped the thing. I scrubbed it and clipped it so I could see it better. On further examination it looks like a small hole in the center of it (doesn’t look like a scrape) and it’s draining a bloody fluid out of it. After cleaning it I covered it with Furazine (sp?).
Could this be a coincidence or a direct result of the double ivermectin?
I’m for sure going to follow up with a second dose at the two week mark for the entire barn.
as for continued treatment
Treatment should be continued till all symptoms are gone. You dont have to double dose everytime unless single dosing following your two double doses is not resolving the issues. Then double dose again.
I usually start with the double doses of equimax and then due to cost switch to ivermectin every two weeks for 4 weeks then double dose again if needed and back to ivermectin. I know of a peticular horse that is dewormed every two weeks to keep it under controll.
Just so you know when the toxins in the dewormer have exited your horse the parasites quit moving out so much and begin to proceed down again. The ones that are left alive that is. Once they die they produce scabbing but for the most part dont appear to cause itching. Its the live ones moving under the skin causing the fits. Imagine how a small bug feels on top of your skin. Now imagine him under your skin trying to get out.
Makes you think doesnt it.
So for some horses is this a lifelong ongoing process???
:eek:
little D-do you work for a company and are your findings published? Forgive the bluntness, but who are you? LOL.
I am double-dosing with Equimax. My mare started rubbing her face raw again yesterday, a week after her first double-dose of Equimax. Her belly was starting to heal but she has made herself bloody and raw again.
She was also started on Pergolide two weeks ago. I’m not sure if this is playing a part but this summer is the worst she has ever been.
leg swelling
they can affect one to all 4 leggs. Many people have found reactions in 24 to 48 hours that is when your dewormer is at its strongest and therefor you willl get the noticable differences. And its quite common for horses to stock up from these things when stood in a stall over night
little D who are you?
I am a farrier that also was a vet tech for 2 years, In order for me to be a good farrier I had to do extensive research on lameness issues. I have been a speaker for georgia state pre med students.
I studied the effects of the neck thread worms on horses so that i could be a better farrier I found that all types of issues were caused by this parasites and probably some we dont even know about.
It wasnt that long ago or maybe it was (Im 50 years old) that it was thought that there were only 4 real problem parasites then it was 32 or so now 60 something or maybe more now have been identified. I kept my information mostly between myself and a few vet friends because most of your vets dont agree that these parasites are a problem. so its now up to you to make the difference and let them know.
Most of you wont be listened to even thou you will have thoughly studied the effects and treatment on your horse, because you have something that makes you want to dig for the truth, you love your horses. You dont have a 4 year degree in medicine so you couldnt possibly know anything. Sorry but Ive been there thats why I kept quite till now. Till you began to see with a little help from each other. There will be those of course that will chalenge me. and of course this is not the magic bullet that will resolve every disorder but it sure has changed many a horses and owners life.
One more thing if you watch my answers I try To explain in detail why I am giving the answers that I do. If I dont know Ill say so Or not talk at all. Thank you for listening
thank you little D for answering my question without being offended!
Interesting stuff we have in this thread-interesting stuff!
Please, if you have time, share anything you can!
thank you
I am just so glad that after years of humbly trying to get the information out there some one had the guts to ask answer listen and be heard. You all are wonderful.
I de-wormed 11 horses tonight using double dose Ivermectin. The main horses rubbing are all related. First is my older gelding and then his three sons (5, 4, 1). All rub themselves raw. The other horses rub every now and then, but nothing like those four. I will hit them again in two weeks with Equimax. I sure hope it helps.
Holy Moly!
My guys are coming out of their skin (literally…ugggg). I scrubbed them all with medicated shampoo and then covered them in fly spray, so hopefully this decreases their discomfort a bit. I hosed my gelding with the swollen fetlocks and it looks like the swelling is coming from the tendon behind the cannon bone and is settling in the fetlock. He is also very sore in his lower back. My filly is not wanting to bend her neck…I just feel so badly that I didn’t know 
Thank you again to all those helping to inform horse owners. I have sent a link to this thread to all my friends with horses.
Erica
Swollen fetlocks? Things popping out of horse’s backs? It’s just a bit Alien-like, isn’t it?
I’m not a sqeamish person, but this is making me a bit squiggly.
Thanks for all the information you all are providing. I’m very interested in the IR side of things as well.
I wormed my entire little herd with double Ivermectin last night. I’ll do them with Equimax in two weeks and take it from there.
(Valley Vet and my credit card company thank you also… I just place a monster wormer order with them. You know, I couldn’t buy Equimax at my feed store at all!)
Count me in!
I too have gotten on the “wormer band-wagon” and used Equimax on my Shire gelding this week who has been scratching non-stop for the past few months. I NEVER would have guessed worms were the cause of it but it makes since to me now. I live in the warmer climate of the South and every summer, it flares-up when the bugs are worse. I just figured like everyone else that he was allergic to the gnat saliva. But, I never saw ANYTHING biting him. He’s cover from head to tail in fly gear so I couldn’t figure out what was bothering him so much. He was bloody on the face and sheath from constant biting and rubbing. It was heartbreaking. So much in fact, that I was considering selling him to a milder climate.
Steriods, antihistamines, lotions and creams later, nothing other than MTG has helped. I even went so far as to compound my own goo made from zinc oxide, antibiotic cream and human anti-itch medicine. Nothing has worked.
Here’s hoping everyone is RIGHT about this worm thing. I will post pictures of the results for other horse owners.
Keep this thread active…It is DESPERATELY needed. I never knew there were so many frustrated horse owners out there with my same problem.
Any and all suggestions are needed to aid these poor horses, they are truly miserable and so are their owners!!! 
:sadsmile: it absolutely thrills me to read all the reports of horses being helped by 2 tubes of Equimax! And, ahem, I’m gonna out little D a little more. She’s MY farrier/trimmer whom I loff and have oft praised here on COTH. :yes:
MAN Chocomare! Quite cool! Hey little D good to have you around!
go here-- www.sweet-itch.co.uk get yourself a proper rug and also fly mask
then go to thomas1 sticky for fly repellant
it does work
and it will also help a good cuase-- cancer research
I too have double dosed my itchy herd with with ivermectin. I found a fabulous price at Jeffers for short dated (9/08) at $2.29 a tube.
Thought I’d pass the bargain along!
little D rocks!!
ChocoMare, you are so fortunate! I told my trimmer about the thread last week when he was here and he was blown away. He is very interested in learning more and thought of several horses he works with that would benefit.
Erica
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