What kind of worm is this? Or is it? **ADDED PICTURE** //ADDED MORE PICTURES//

[Obsidian_Fire]

I’ve googled and googled, and can’t come up with anything. I will be taking a sample to my vets office for identification but in the meantime thought I’d ask here…

My new horse has worms. I’ve only had her 2 weeks. I first noticed while picking her paddock - there was this white, about 1/2 inch long grub-looking thing (several of them) and they were alive. I took a fecal to my vets office, she had a count of 325. I wormed her with Quest Plus, per their recommendation. Yesterday, the “grubs” are back. In a lot of her piles, not just one. And they are alive, not dead.

They are white, not ‘fat round’ but definitely not skinny, maybe 1/2 inch long?

Any ideas what they are??

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[Simkie]

Sounds perhaps like bots?

Are you seeing these for sure in fresh-out-of-the-horse poop? Lots of things will take advantage once it’s on the ground

[Second_Star_To_The_R]

It sounds like bots. They tend to respond well to ivermectin. Google bot larvae and see if that is what you’re finding. All sorts of curl grubs (beetle larvae) will hunt down manure to. My chickens feast on them regularly. But with a count of 350 I’d say these are coming from the horse.

[Simkie]

Bots rarely show up on a fecal–in general, the number you get back is a strongyle egg per gram figure. 350 EPG is considered “moderate.” Quest Plus will take care of stronglyes (including encysted) and bots both.

[Garythesquirrel]

The description sounds kind of like maggots.

[Obsidian_Fire]

@Garythesquirrel

The description sounds kind of like maggots.

@Simkie - Yes these are fresh poo. First time I found it, piles were less than 24 hours old. I only found them in one pile. I wormed her over Labor Day weekend, which was a week ago, and didn’t see them again until yesterday and they were in ALL the piles. I made a point of looking at her poo last night, so less than 12 hours old and found a couple more.

What on earth is going on? And yes, Garythesquirrel you may be right about them being maggots except they are bigger than I’ve seen maggots be. And if it is maggots, where on earth are they coming from??? Inside my horse??? Now that’s a very scary thought.

Didn’t see any this morning.

[Obsidian_Fire]

Did some more targeted googling… and, I think those who said bots are right. That’s what they look like. So then I’d say what bothers me is why are they still coming out alive after a full dose worming a week ago? Shouldn’t they be dead?

[Simkie]

“Less than 24 hours” isn’t FRESH. Flies can colonize poop immediately–24 hours is plenty of time for other things to move in that didn’t come out of the horse. Are you seeing wigglers in poop that was JUST passed? You really need to be looking at poop that is produced as you’re watching. THAT is fresh.

I think you probably have maggots from flies that are landing after the manure is on the ground.

[csaper58]

In warm weather maggot can hatch from eggs laid by flies in as little as 8 hrs. depending on the species.

Tapeworm segments can also be white and wiggly.

[JB]

@Simkie

“Less than 24 hours” isn’t FRESH. Flies can colonize poop immediately–24 hours is plenty of time for other things to move in that didn’t come out of the horse. Are you seeing wigglers in poop that was JUST passed? You really need to be looking at poop that is produced as you’re watching. THAT is fresh.

I think you probably have maggots from flies that are landing after the manure is on the ground.

^^ that.

1/2" or so white grubs is less likely to be bot larva than actual grubs.

To me, bot larva look like acorns that got stretched like an accordion.

[Obsidian_Fire]

@JB

^^ that.

1/2" or so white grubs is less likely to be bot larva than actual grubs.

To me, bot larva look like acorns that got stretched like an accordion.
]

@Simkie also… okay, then why do no other horses have these ‘whatever they are’ showing up in their poo piles?

This seems to be unique to her piles, and the paddocks she’s in has been without a horse in it for several months.

I’ve picked a lot of manure over the years and never seen this before.

I will keep you all posted! https://goo.gl/images/p8KtRg - the top worm in the picture is what I’m seeing. Hope this link works.

[JB]

A picture of what you actually found, if there are still any, would help.

Quest kills by paralyzing parasites so they let go and slide out. I don’t know how much, if any, movement they can retain, so it may be possible they retain enough movement to still wiggle a bit, but not enough to maintain their latched state. If that’s the case, then this makes sense - they were paralyzed enough by the Quest, got expelled, but are still alive enough. For now

[Obsidian_Fire]

Thank you @JB I am going to take a picture next time I see them!!

[IPEsq]

Maybe just do a dose of ivermectin as well and see if that helps?

[JB]

At this point, nothing. Quest Plus, assuming properly dosed (ie not under-dosed) would have been extremely effective against everything that matters.

[csaper58]

@Obsidian Fire

Thank you @JB I am going to take a picture next time I see them!!

You should save a few in a mason jar with some poop. See what they hatch into.

Are you close to a university? The entomology dept may be able to ID the wee beasties (in case they are something unusual).

[Obsidian_Fire]

Ha. No thanks. I have not found any more, yet… and yes, JB, she got the whole tube of wormer! (I’m the mean momma that way).

[Obsidian_Fire]

@JB - added a picture - it’s not great but hopefully identifiable.

[Texarkana]

Picture is out of focus on the worm itself, but it looks like a bot. It’s very common for horses to shed them live after moxidectin/ivermectin, usually about 24-48 hours after dewormer was administered. Google “bot larvae” for comparison.

[JB]

Ditto, it really does look like the early bot larval stage. That’s a good thing - it/them being and coming out. I don’t believe that ivermectin or moxidectin discriminate between the early and late larval stage - it kills them all, one way or another.