Horsemen's Laboratory
Horsemen's Laboratory
Worm Control News
March, 2010
In This Issue
Worm of the Month - Pinworms
Are The Worms Winning? The Lowdown on Rising Parasite Resistance
H-Lab Profile - Fecal Collection Kits On Demand
Worm of the Month
In this section, we'll feature an equine parasite each month, with information on the parasite's life cycle and the health consequences for horses.
 
This month:
Pinworms


Tail-rubbing is one of the top symptoms of pinworm (Oxyuris equi) infestation; it's because the female pinworm peeks out of the horse's rectum at nighttime, laying up to 60,000 microscopic eggs at a time in a gelatinous fluid that sticks to the skin around the horse's anus, causing intense itchiness. Over a period of days, the fluid dries and flakes off along with the eggs, leading to contamination of the barn or pasture environment and anything your horse has rubbed his tail against.

Continue reading Worm of the Month: Pinworms

 Becky Byrd on computer


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If you'd like to learn more, we recommend The Horse as a source of in-depth equine health and welfare articles and news. Access to their archives requires a free account. Here's their website:
 
TheHorse.com

Greetings!

Welcome to our March issue of Worm Control News, from Horsemen's Laboratory.

We want this newsletter to be a reliable learning resource for each of you, and we take into account reader comments and feedback; you'll notice we've got a darker text color for improved readability, based on suggestions from readers. We hope you like it. If you have a suggestion for us, or a topic you'd like us to cover, please email us at [email protected].
 
Remember our 'Sharing Spirit' contest - forward this email to others for a chance to win FEC tests; details are at the bottom. Contest ends March 10th!
 
Also, I'll be giving my presentation, 'Are The Worms Winning? The Lowdown on Rising Parasite Resistance,' in two places this month:
 
- Sunday, March 7th at the 2010 Illinois Horse Fair, starting at 12:30 PM at the Illinois Fairgrounds in Springfield, IL.
- Tuesday, March 9th at Prairieland Feeds, in Savoy, IL; it's a Purina Mills Horse Owners Workshop plus the store's 25th anniversary. There will be a truckload horse equipment sale, door prizes, pizza, and even free bags of horse feed. To RSVP, call the store at 217-352-2232. Tell them Horsemen's Lab sent you.
 
I hope you'll join me! If you're outside the area, you might enjoy reading highlights of the presentation; we've included them in the article below. In either case, it's a serious topic for horse owners today, and one I'm pleased to be able to share with you.


Sincerely,
John W. Byrd, DVM
Horsemen's Laboratory

John Byrd, DVM, of Horsemen's Laboratory

Are The Worms Winning?
The Lowdown on Rising Parasite Resistance


Misconceptions exist about how to use fecal egg count (FEC) testing. At Horsemen's Laboratory, helping horse owners understand the most effective way to use FECs is part of our mission; as such, we're constantly on the lookout for new information and research we can share with our customers.
 
For several decades, horse owners have been advised to deworm their horses regularly, with the goal being complete eradication of parasites. This is no longer the case; parasitologists around the globe have become alarmed enough about perceived 'resistance' to current classes of deworming medications that they've revised the recommended guidelines. Now, instead of getting rid of all of the worms, we're instead supposed to live with a small population of them. It's a change that some horse owners are finding difficult to swallow.

Continue reading Are The Worms Winning?

About H-Lab

This section of the newsletter will have introductions to the people at H-Lab, explanations of what we do behind the scenes, and highlights about actual customers and their worm control strategies

This month:
Fecal Collection Kits On Demand

Do you ever buy equipment and then can't find it when you need it? It's a common challenge in today's hectic world. That's why we developed our 'collection kits on demand' program for fecal egg count testing. It's a system we've found best supports our customers in having clean, reliable collection kits when they need them, without wasting their hard-earned cash. Here's how it works...


Continue reading Fecal Collection Kits On Demand


Thanks!

We hope you've enjoyed reading this issue of Worm Control News. Please help us spread the word about the very real problem of equine parasite resistance by forwarding this e-newsletter to other horse owners you know. There's a 'Forward' button at the end of this email.

Here at Horsemen's Laboratory, we support horse owners who want to have healthier, happier horses, and manage their barns, pastures, and paddocks appropriately. If you have comments or suggestions, please pass them along. Our email address is [email protected], or call our toll-free lab phone at 800-544-0599.

Forward This Email & You Could Win!

Good luck, and let the forwarding begin...
 
Many thanks to all our readers who have already forwarded an issue of
Worm Control News to their friends and fellow horse owners. We've decided to reward this sharing spirit with some prizes.

Beginning with this issue and running through March 10, 2010, everyone who forwards an issue of Worm Control News will be entered into a drawing to win fecal egg count tests!

- Thanks to the 15 people who have forwarded Worm Control News to 42 new readers! Those are pretty good odds of winning (1 in 15), so if you'd like to enter, forward this email by March 10th, and you'll be in!

While there will be ONE winner for this contest, that winner can get up to SIX tests! If your name is drawn, you'll receive a test for every time you've forwarded the e-newsletter, up to a max of 6.

Don't worry, if you have fewer horses than that, we'll hold them 'on account' for you until you need them.

Here's how it works:
  • Using the 'Forward' link at the bottom, you can forward this email to others.
  • You can forward any combination of the October, November, January, February, and March issues in order to enter. For the older ones, you'll need to find the original emails we sent to you.
  • You'll be entered only once, but if your name is drawn you'll receive a test for every time you've forwarded an email, up to a max of 6! We'll hold them 'on account' for you until you need them.
  • We'll select a winner randomly drawn from the entries.

The fine print: We reserve the right to modify or cancel this contest at any time, and all decisions by Horsemen's Laboratory are final. Entries are subject to all applicable laws in your region. Entrants limited to U.S. and Canadian residents.

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