What brands can I use and what do I want to avoid when worming my now 90 day preg pony mare ?
I always play it safe and use ivermectin with preg mares (brand of Eqvalen liquid, gel or paste, I prefer liquid for ease of use). I’ve had more than one repro vet tell me to avoid praziquantel in pregnant mares.
The day she delivers, I use moxidectrin/praziquantel combo (brands are Quest Plus gel or Eqvalen Gold gel or paste).
We have exclusively used Quest dewormers for over 16 years with all of our horses, including our broodmares, and have never had a problem. I just refrain from using it on weanlings and yearlings just to be on the safe side. 
No quest/moxidectin here. My vet said while there isn’t research it is unsafe in preggo mares his personal observation was seeing higher than normal loss of pregnancy rates in mares first trimester that got it…so he recommends not using it in mares and foals.
Right on the box of Quest it says " Reproductive safety studies demonstrate a wide margin of safety when the product is used in the treatment of estrual and pregnant mares and breeding stallions."
So, if your vet says there isn’t research, he is not up on the current research 
It’s often recommended to limit any medication/vaccines/dewormers/whatever in early pregnancy, but that doesn’t mean they are automatically less safe to use later. It is far better to deworm and get vaccines done before breeding so you don’t have to do those things in the early months.
Quest Plus has not been tested on pregnant mares.
Equimax has. This means praziquantel has been tested as safe. By default, this should mean Quest Plus should be safe (since both moxidectin and praziquantel have been tested as safe, just not together), BUT, since it’s a different combination, you might not want to take that chance.
Baldface, you should be doing a FEC right about now anyway - maybe in another week or so. Deworm then, or not, based on the results. If things are clean, then I would use Equimax after a good freeze.
Yes, it is good to point out that Quest Gel (green box) and Quest PLUS Gel (Blue box) are 2 different products produced by Pfizer.
Moxidectin has been tested safe and that is the active ingredient found in QUEST. In Canada, it is in a green box.
Rather than go on what people say or don’t say, I’ve found the product monographs which people can read and make their own decisions.
For Quest Gel (green box): The product monograph on the Quest Gel product states that it has only been tested safe for ponies and horses 4 months or older, and tested safe for pregnant mares.
http://www.pfizercanen.naccvp.com/?m=product_view&id=1198400&key=label
Quote: ANIMAL SAFETY
QUEST Gel can be safely administered at the recommended dose of 400 µg of moxidectin per kg of body weight to horses and ponies of all breeds, 4 months of age or older. Transient depression and/or ataxia has been observed occasionally in a small number of animals at three times the recommended dose level; however, it has been demonstrated that these effects diminish over time with minimal or no supportive therapy and result in no permanent cellular damage in the animal. The product has not been fully tested in young horses less than four months of age where multiple overdoses may result in reactions consistent with the known neurological mode of action for this class of compounds.
Reproductive safety studies demonstrate a wide margin of safety when the product is administered to cycling and pregnant mares, and breeding stallions as per label directions.
Quest Plus Gel (blue box) - the active ingredients are a combination of moxidectin and praziquantel. The product Monograph contains very specific warnings about using in foals, and another warning for pregnant mares and breeding stallions:
Extra care should be taken with foals to ensure that the correct dose is administered. Do not use in foals less than 4 months of age.
QUEST PLUS Gel has not been tested in pregnant mares or in breeding stallions.
http://www.pfizercanen.naccvp.com/?m=product_view&id=1198432&key=label
Pfizer has an excellent reputation in Canada.
People should also be aware that Eqvalen Gold is also a combination of ivermectin and praziquantel, but it’s the praziquantel you need to be careful of in breeding horses and young foals.
Merial produces Eqvalen and Eqvalen Gold. The product monograph states: EQVALAN GOLD has not been tested in foals younger than two months, in pregnant mares, or in breeding stallions.
http://merialce.naccvp.com/index.php?m=product_view&id=1182129&key=label
But, Equimax HAS been tested safe, which means praziquantel is safe, at least in combo with ivermectin.
Praziquantel is safe for pregnant mares. Ivermectin + praziquantel is safe for pregnant mares. Moxidectin is safe. It’s just that the combination of mox + prazi hasn’t been specifically tested. I doubt there’s any problem, but it just isn’t FDA approved because of no testing.
Eqvalan Gold is the equivalent of Zimecterin Gold, same concentrations, which has been tested safe. Equimas has almost double the praziquantel, tested safe.
I hear you JB, but when the producer is required by Canada to put out a detailed monograph, they must state (in Canada) what has and has not been tested with the drugs involved in the paste. That’s just the law. Canada also sets up the criteria and parameters for testing procedures and some of them are so intense the company just will decide not to bother testing and therefore on their monograph they must state, “product has not been tested on A, B and C types of animals for XYZ circumstances”. So while something may have been tested in the USA and approved for a specific use in the USA, it may not have met the criteria dictated by Canada and therefore, they canNOT state it is safe to use. And I believe the situation is also vice verse. Just because a drug product is approved in Canada for ABC animals and XYZ uses, does not mean it is necessarily approved for same in the USA. And either country can also revoke approvals at their own discretion too, or demand more specific documentation to be inserted in the monograph.
We think of it just as dewormer pastes, but both the USA and Canada view the active ingredients within the paste as drugs. Therefore, each drug must be tested for each and every single intended use parameter. Age, sex, use of animals, worm species and each and every possible reaction must be meticulously researched and detailed, side effects, etc.
In Canada, Eqvalen Gold is not tested on breeding stock or foals under 2 months of age. Therefore, it is NOT approved by Canada, legally, for its use in those instances. What people do “off label” is their business and to their own risk.
In Canada, Quest Gel and Quest Plus Gel has not been tested to the satisfaction and/or requirements of Canada drug officials and, therefore, the monograph states it is NOT approved for certain uses. Again, what people do “off label” is to their own risk and business.
The monograph also protects the company. If you use Eqvalen Gold on your young foal and it dies, you cannot sue the company, because it was clearly stated on the enclosed monograph enclosed with each and every box of dewormer, as well as published online specifically what it can and cannot be used for, and what the known and unknown risks are for using said product.
Canada can be seriously strict about drugs - not just for people, but also for animals. Most every drug up here is very strictly monitored and controlled.
Oh, I absolutely agree!! :yes:
I have always used panacur for my mare… Safeguard is also safe to use…
The problem is those 2 chemicals have very high resistance issues over much of the world (not just the US). Yes, they are safe indeed, a very high doses. However, they’re also pretty safe for the worms
