Have a question about your horse’s health, care or training? Our experts offer solutions for a range of equine-management problems. Write to EQUUS Consultants, P.O. Box 7510, Falls Church, Virginia 22040; email: EQLetters@equinenetwork.com. Send photos when helpful.
PARASITE CONTROL
Can skipping fecal egg tests save money?
Q: I’ve heard about fecal testing prior to deworming, but when I looked into it, I learned these tests don’t detect bots and tapeworms. This means that I’ll still have to do treatments for those, even if my horse doesn’t need deworming for small strongyles. So why bother with egg count tests at all?
A: Thank you for your question. You may believe that you can save a few bucks by skipping fecal egg count testing but, in fact, you may be wasting your money on ineffective dewormers instead. The issue is that without testing you will not know if the deworming agent you are using actually
