Question: Is it necessary to get rid of all the parasites on my farm?
Answer: As illogical as it may
sound, no. While old-school thinking and the resulting treatment plans
called for the complete elimination of the parasite population, research
has resulted in a new way of thinking. You should actually roll out the
welcome mat to the right population of parasites that are susceptible
to dewormers. It’s called “refugia.” When the susceptible worms
interbreed with resistant parasites, you help reduce the development of
resistance.1,2,3
While trying to achieve a zero egg count and having virtually no
parasites in your horse or on your farm might seem like both an
achievable and desirable goal, it can be detrimental to horses and
nearly impossible to attain.1Because only about 20 to 30
percent of the horses in a herd shed about 80 percent of the farm’s worm
eggs, identifying those horses and treating them accordingly is far
more efficient.1,4,5 With this new strategy, the low
shedders (likely about 60 to 80 percent of the horses) may only need a
deworming treatment in spring and fall.1
However, if you’re implementing this type of selective deworming
plan, it’s more important than ever that you first work with your
veterinarian to make sure that you’re using products that are still
effective on your farm. If the parasites on your farm are resistant to
the product that you’ve used, this approach will still leave you with
nothing but more resistant parasites on your property.
The bottom line is that modern deworming goals should be to
manage worm burdens to keep them below detrimental levels by using the
right product based on the individual horse’s shedding levels.
More information about effective deworming strategies and the Merial dewormers
ZIMECTERIN® (ivermectin) and ZIMECTERIN® GOLD (ivermectin/praziquantel) can be found at www.zimecterin.com.
Hoyt Cheramie, DVM, MS, is a member of the Merial Veterinary
Service team. He has expertise in performance horse medicine, is a
board-certified surgeon and has teaching experience at the
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. He has
practiced in Kentucky, Louisiana, Georgia and Illinois. Dr. Cheramie
earned his doctor of veterinary medicine from Louisiana State University
School of Veterinary Medicine.
About ZIMECTERIN GOLD
ZIMECTERIN Gold combines ivermectin, a leading ingredient that
controls a wide variety of parasites, with praziquantel, an ingredient
that specifically controls tapeworms. Together, they provide excellent
equine parasite control. ZIMECTERIN Gold is approved to control more
species and stages of equine parasites than any other brand, including
benzimidazole-resistant small strongyles.2It controls 47 species and stages of equine parasites in all.6,7 Plus, ZIMECTERIN Gold was the first dewormer approved by the FDA to effectively control tapeworms*with a single dose.7Tapeworms have been recognized as a significant threat to the health of horses.8
About Merial
Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal health
company providing a comprehensive range of products to enhance the
health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animals. Merial
employs approximately 5,600 people and operates in more than 150
countries worldwide. Its 2010 sales were more than $2.6 billion. Merial
is a Sanofi company. For more information, please see www.merial.com.
Important Safety Information
Warning: Not for use in humans. Keep this and all drugs
out of reach of children. In horses, there have been rare reports of
swelling and irritation of the mouth, lips, and tongue following
administration of ZIMECTERIN Gold. These reactions have been transitory
in nature. Do not use in other animal species as severe adverse
reactions, including fatalities in dogs, may result.
