HORSE EXTERNAL WORM PARASITES

There are several most common horse external worm parasites. Lungworm, Sweet itch, Lice and Ringworm. Worms and lice can be a big problem for horse owners because they are often transmitted from the grass the horse's eat and therefore more than one horse can be infected at any one time.

Fly replants such as citronella and deet are available to protect your horse and there are special anti midge rugs to protect your horse from the irritating summer midges.

 
 
Lice

There are two types of lice, biting and sucking but the symptoms are the same. The neck and shoulders are the worst areas affected and the horse will rub the irritation until the skin is rubbed raw.

The lice are most active during the winter months and they bury themselves in the horse's coat spreading by direct contact from horse to horse. Long coated horses are affected most so if your horse is infected you should clip the coat to remove the lice and use anti-parasitic powders and shampoos every 2-4 weeks.

Ivermectin wormers can be used too but they only work well during the first 24 hours after use.
 
  Sweet itch

This is an allergic problem caused by biting midges which inject their saliva into the horse's skin. They normally affect the mane and tail and cause the horse such irritation that he rubs the bitten area until the hair is rubbed off and the skin raw.It can take months for the skin to grow back and as the midges are active in the summer months the hair will have to grow back in the winter.

Benzyl benzoate, a soothing lotion, can be applied to the affected parts but prevention is better than cure and it is better to try to prevent the midges from biting the horse's skin.

There are fly replants that can be put on your horse's skin, the most well known are specially produced citronella and deet oil products. The best preventative is to stable the horse when the midges are most active, early morning and dusk, and if there is a severe midge problem you can put mosquito netting over the stable. There are coats, covers and rugs for horses, some with neck and tail covers that are designed to protect your horse from the midges.

Once your horse is infected with sweet itch the symptoms can last for years and your horse's suffering may increase year by year. Steroids can remove the irritation but must be used with caution as they can cause a disease called laminitis, a painful condition which affects the horse's feet.

 

If you are looking for information about external worm parasites in horses, the following links may also be of interest to you: see also: horse internal worm parasites

 

Ringworm

Ringworm is a fungal disease and because the fingi affect the hairs closest to the skin, the hair breaks off and causes your horse to have bald areas of hair loss. The patches may be visible as circular shapes or just small areas or one or two hair loss spots.

Ringworm are resistant to temperature changes so can live all year round and your horse may be infected for months before you notice it. Surprisingly the horse may eventually become immune to the worm.

The antibiotic griseofulvin, an oral drug can kill the fungus but has side effects. Anti fungal washes can be used and, importantly, stable and horse box hygiene must be good to prevent cross contamination of the fungus from one horse to another.

Lungworm

Dictyocaulus arnfieldi lungworm parasite can be passed from donkeys to horses if they share the same field because there are no apparent symptoms in donkeys if they have contracted this worm. It can however cause serious problems for horses. Coughing and nasal discharge are apparent because the worms irritate the airways causing it to constrict.

The invermectin wormers are extremely effective and have, over the years, decreased the amount of horses contracting these problems.

 

 
 
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