Reason cows are only wormed 2x a year & horses bi-monthly??

[Pallyshire]

My neighbor says to only worm the cows twice a year and I have also read that several times here. However, everyone I have talked to says to worm my horse every other month with a different wormer each time. Couldn't I put my horse on the same worming schedule as my cows (twice a year). Why is it ok for one and not the other. I care about my cows (meat) just as much as my horse. Also do I need to switch wormers for the cows every time like I do the horse. Not understanding the difference unless it has something to do with the rumen.

[Jupiter]

Our cows & horses get wormed twice a year. I've never heard of doing it more than that.

[Pallyshire]

The stable I boarded her at was big on worming her every other month. They said it was a must. So have some of the other horse owners I've talked to. She gets wormed once a year from the vet and every other month after that point with paste. If I can I would love to just worm her twice a year along with the cows. I've been doing the cows every other month too. oops guess that wasn't needed.

[olivehill]

Bi-monthly rotational worming is an outdated recommendation from before we fully understood egg reappearance periods, natural individual parasite resistance, and the effects of overdosing anti-parasitics. It's not appropriate for any stock, but seems to be particularly persistent in the equine and canine worlds. The fact that even vets are slow to adapt to more modern science not the least of the reasons, I'm sure.

Get a fecal first and you may even find you don't need to treat at all.

[dizzy]

I went to a seminar given by a Penn State vet over the winter. And, they no longer recommend worming a horse that much. In fact, many can get away w/being wormed just 1x a year. She recommended getting a fecal first, worming the horse, then waiting for a bit and getting another fecal to see how effective it was, and to help identify any horses that seem to be more susceptible to worms.

She also said that at certain times of the year, it wasn't necessary to worm at all depending on the weather. Extreme heat or cold made it unnecessary since the larvae couldn't survive those conditions.

[xymenah]

It also depends on how the animals are kept. Rotating pastures helps reduce parasite overload thus reducing the need for worming. In my opinion deworming any animal on a schedule without doing a fecal is partially what has lead to the ineffectiveness of certain wormers as well as under dosing.

[Pallyshire]

Makes a lot of sense.. so twice a year sounds best. makes a lot of sense that that would cause ineffective wormers. So in the long run if I do twice a year I shouldnt have to change wormers at all?

[MO_cows]

Good info came out here. I believe the reason for the 2X a year on cows is because a lot of beef cows only get worked that often. On the other hand, you probably see your horse every day and also you don't have to put the horse in a chute to administer the wormer.

[tinknal]

Because it's much easier to market unneeded crap to horse owners than it is to cow owners............

[Pallyshire]

haha very true. I'm going to try the twice a year worming.