Equine parasite resistance continues to be a hot topic in the equestrian media and in online forums, as horse owners and stable managers sort out how to implement the new deworming guidelines into their own worm control programs. Now one of the equine health 'heavy-hitters' has put a substantial effort into helping everyone 'get with the 'new' program.'

International animal health organization Merial has put together an online educational resource for horse owners and caretakers; you'll likely be seeing their 'Greetings, Human' print ads referencing the new Web site in magazines such as The Horse, Western Horseman, Horse & Rider, and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Journal, among others. They're also planning social media efforts to support horse owners.

While parasite resistance is a serious topic, the print ads feature what Merial's calling 'distractions' - small, attention-getting and humor-based messages from the worms to the humans, with the worms encouraging the sort of behaviors that actually help them thrive inside your horse. It's a bit of reverse psychology wrapped up in a slightly comedic package.

"Equine parasite resistance is a serious matter, and we didn't want the ads to be cartoonish, or so funny that they weren't taken seriously, but we did want them to capture readers' attention," says Hoyt Cheramie, DVM, MS, DACVS, manager of Merial Large Animal Veterinary Services.

What's interesting to note is that the new deworming protocols advise deworming most horses less frequently, and using 'targeted' deworming based on needs for each individual horse as determined through fecal testing...it's a formula that means less dewormer use, and fewer sales, for Merial. How can they justify teaching horse owners to use less product?

"Under the new guidelines, most horses will go from being dewormed six times per year to perhaps once or twice annually; when you're deworming less often, you want to use products you can trust that are definitely going to work," states Cheramie. That's where Merial feels they'll come out ahead over the long haul, since their products come with a satisfaction guarantee. "All Merial products are backed with research documenting their effectiveness, so we feel our products are at the top of what people will rely on."

As for who's getting on board, Cheramie reports that small, owner-operated facilities, individual horse owners, and even veterinarians are seeing the wisdom in 'testing and targeting' for deworming. "We're seeing more awareness at horse owner and veterinary meetings that Merial reps attend. At this point, most people have heard about the changes, or read a little about them. They are beginning to understand in the long run it's helping the horse. However, we're finding the biggest objections to changing things come from facility managers who are responsible for a large number of horses," he says.

In larger populations, it's often easier to deworm horses on a calendar basis every six to eight weeks. Customized, individual handling of each horse's needs typically costs more, and costs are passed along to boarders and owners, a challenging tactic even in the best of economies. Plus, some facility managers don't want the added hassle of the 'test and target' deworming approach. However, Cheramie says we've relied for too long on the 'magic bullet' of chemical dewormers.

"We've gotten away from good husbandry principles and practices," he says. "It's common now to have inappropriate husbandry, such as overgrazing, or crowded housing and turnout. I've seen facilities where the stalls are picked out and manure is put into a spreader and taken directly out to the fields where horses will be grazing. These are the types of behaviors that encourage parasites."

Securing buy-in on the new deworming principles and changing habits isn't easy, but Merial's committed to doing just that.