This page is dedicated to all horse owners that are continuously educating themselves to better understand and care for their horses. We hope this information is accessible and useful to you.

Articles on common equine and veterinary topics (in word document):

• First time horse owner 101!
• It's foaling time: what do you need to know just before and after your foal is born!
• Sand colic: what is it and how can we prevent it
• Equine herpesvirus (EHV-1)
• Biosecurity protocols for your horse and equestrian facility
• Coggins Test, Health Certificates & Brand Inspections
• The importance of equine dentistry
• General equine dentistry information
• Preparing for the Upcoming Breeding Season
• What is videoendoscopy and How Can It Help Your Horse?
• Equine Cushing’s-like Disease
• Navicular syndrome
• Pre-foaling – The delivery!
• Colic after care instructions and tips

Adult horse and foal normal vital signs

Vaccination recommendations for adult horses and foals

These are general guidelines used by Northwest Equine Veterinary Associates for vaccination in our particular region in the State of Washington. Depending on circumstances these are altered to better suit the horses or facility in question. So, please discuss these recommendations with your veterinarian to ensure this is an appropriate program for your particular horse and your facility.

Adult vaccination chart:

Foal vaccination chart:

Deworming for adult horses and foals

*Please note that we offer Dewormer bundles for adult horses and foals which is a year worth of pastes to be administered every 8 weeks, a rotation calendar and full instructions for a great promotional price! See Chart for choices and prices!

Parasite control in horses is very important in assisting your horse maintain good health and body condition. Environmental control is also very useful in controlling parasite loads, removing stool from paddocks and pastures every 2-3 days before the eggs hatch into larvae will greatly reduce pasture contamination. Reducing crowding and avoiding mixing with other horses that are not on a deworming program is strongly recommended. All horses should be dewormed regularly and depending on exposure potential this can be done every 6 to 8 weeks or sometimes less frequently. Performing fecal exams for parasite egg counts once a year or every other year can be an effective way of monitoring if your deworming program is working effectively or needs to be re-evaluated.

A good deworming program must include antiparisitc drugs that aid in eliminating round worms, strongyles (large and small), stomach bots, strongyloides, tape worms, and encysted small strongyles.

Round worms (ascarids, pinworms=causes tail itchiness), strongyles (large and small), stomach bots, and strongyloides are commonly observed in horses and a very heavy load will often lead to poor condition, weight loss, large "pot-belly" appearance, poor hair coat, among others. Fecal tests to check for round worm and strongyle eggs can easily be performed to evaluate your horse (s). The drugs most commonly used to treat these are Ivermectin (Eqvalan, Equimax, among many others), Moxidectin (Quest), Fenbendazole (Panacur) and Pyrantel (Strongid). Although Ivermectin and Moxidectin are thought to be more efficient in treating horses for most round worms and small strongyles (one of the most  common group of worms in horses) a rotation program including all the other drugs is usually recommended to prevent resistance development to any one particular drug.  Strongyloides is a worm that passes throught the mare's milk to the foal soon after birth and can cause diarrhea in the foal. To be prevented the mare must be dewormed 7 days or less prior to foaling or within the first 24 h of the foals birth.                                                                            Tapeworms are commonly the cause of colic in horses as they accumulate in the ileo-cecal junction of the horses intestine causing obstruction. Horses with tapeworms often appear in great condition and perform well but may occasionally experience mild colic episodes that resolve with Banamine and walking and eventually may end up having a severe and/or fatal episode that requires colic surgery. Many cases have been confirmed in Western Washington contrary to what many may say. It is very difficult to detect tapeworm eggs in a traditional fecal test, however there is avaialble a blood test for detection of antibodies against tapeworms in horses. For treatment it is important to include drugs such as praziquantel (see combos such as Equimax, etc...) and pyrantel sometimes at 2-3 times the normal dose (Strongid, others) that help in clearing tapeworms in your horse's program.                                          Small cysts containing small strongyle larvae in a state of hypobiosis often accumulate within the horses gut wall over the years. With time the presence of encysted small strongyles on the wall on the intestine may lead the horse to experience suddle difficulty gaining weight, weight loss, poor condition, suboptimal disposition, mild colics, watery stool,  among others. At some point if the encysted larvae emerge from the cysts severe signs of sickness can occur. This form of parasite cannot be detected in a traditional fecal test and currently we do not have routine diagnostic testing available for these cases. Therefore, it is important to use a product (Panacur powerPac, Quest) that remove these cysts at least once a year if not once every other year.

The following charts are guidelines that can be followed for most horse operations variations of these are also valid, however we recommend discussing this topic with your veterinarian so that a plan tailored to your particular horse and/or facility condition can be implemented.

Adult horse deworming chart:

Updated March 2010

*Pregnant mares can safely receive Ivermectin, Praziquantel, Pyrantel (pamoate and tartrate) and Fenbendazole (including the Powerpac or Powerdose). It is important for the mare to be dewormed with Ivermectin 1 week prior to or within 24h of foaling to kill parasites that can be transmitted via milk to the foal.

Using daily dewormer (Strongid® C2X, Continuex, others)

Daily deworming using Pyrantel tartrate can be done instead of following the every 6-8 weeks deworming protocols. Horses should be well dewormed (Ivermectin + Praziquantel and with a power pac if possible ) prior to being started on the daily regimen and must be dewormed twice yearly following its initiation as described in the chart below. Foals can also be placed on this program after being weaned.

Daily deworming chart:

Foal deworming program

Foals are more susceptible to intestinal parasites than adult horses and should be dewormed starting at 1 month of age every 1-2 months until 1 year of age or as close to that age as possible. The chart below is a guideline and variations of it are also valid. Please discuss these guidelines with your veterinarian so that a custom-designed program for your foal and/or horse operation can be implemented depending on your particular conditions, history and needs.

Foal deworming chart:

*In case a foal has a high parasite burden (passing worms in manure) or has no history of deworming for a few months care must be taken when deworming to avoid reaction to high parasite load death or to intestinal obstruction by dead parasites (colic or diarrhea). Starting the program above using half a dose of Panacur every 2 weeks for 2-3 doses before using a full dose may assist in decreasing these complications. Then use ivermectin. Consult your veterinarian to discuss these particular situations.