The Voice of Experience Regarding Fecal Samples Sent through the Mail

Horsemen's Laboratory has been successfully performing fecal egg counts on stool samples sent through the mail since 1992. Encouraged by three equine parasitologists to start his business, Dr. Byrd first conducted an experiment with samples to ensure that he would be offering accurate counts to his clients.

While living in the warm climate of southern California, Dr. Byrd collected several samples and left them in the stable area at his clinic for 10 days. He thought that perhaps the warm temperatures would affect the egg counts. On days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10, he checked the samples and found that the number of eggs remained relatively the same. However, by day 7 a few eggs had hatched and larvae were found in the testing solution.

Over the next 17 years, he observed that in some samples more than 7 days old, eggs hatched and larvae developed. Yet other samples sent in the same envelope at the same time and exposed to the same conditions had not developed larvae. In 2009, Dr. Byrd consulted noted equine parasitologist Dr. Nielsen about this mysterious difference. Dr. Nielsen said he thought that the difference could be explained by how tightly the sample was packed into the container. He stated that the eggs needed oxygen to hatch and to develop into larvae. Tightly-packed samples reduced the amount of oxygen the eggs were exposed to, which prevented hatching of the eggs.

Additionally, Dr Nielsen completed a 5-day study on stored fecal samples and found that there was very little change in number of eggs if the sample was in an airtight container. Read the interview with Dr. Nielsen, conducted by Lisa Kemp, about the study in the February 2010 issue of Worm Control News. You can also learn more about his research by attending a free webinar on parasite control on October 25, 8-9 p.m. EST on TheHorse.com. Dr. Nielsen will be a presenter and will answer questions online via live text chat during the webinar.

Horsemen's Laboratory has always stressed filling the shipping container completely but following the discussion with Dr. Nielsen, now even more strongly recommends packing the sample tightly. When these instructions are followed, very few eggs in the sample begin to develop, even if they are in the mail for an extended period of time.

Due to our 19 years of experience and these recent studies, I am confident that sending samples through the mail does not significantly affect the egg count, provided our instructions are closely followed. Approximately 85% of the samples sent to Horsemen's Laboratory arrive within 3-4 days of collection regardless of whether they are sent from California or New Hampshire.  

The takeaway message here is that a fecal egg count performed on a specimen shipped through the mail is far superior to not testing and just guessing whether or not your horse has worms.

Take These Precautions

For the most accurate fecal egg count, you must start with a good specimen handled correctly. Order a Horsemen's Laboratory testing kit and follow these tips.

• Make sure your horse's stool sample is fresh. Take the sample on a Monday or Tuesday so it does not remain in the post office over the weekend.
• Avoid collecting samples just before a holiday.
• Fill the collection container completely
• Close the collection container securely
• Mail your sample right away

If you have questions about stool sample collection, contact Dr. John Byrd at hlab@horsemenslab.com or 800-544-0599.

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If you board your horse, a safe and healthy environment for your horse is of utmost importance. With resistance increasing in small strongyles and no new dewormer on the horizon, horse owners should be asking barn managers about parasite control practices wherever they board. According to Merial's article on parasite resistance, parasite resistance is a farm situation. Each farm will be impacted by the individual horses living on it, so it makes sense to ask your barn manager about parasite control practices. Consider asking the following questions.

• How many horses are boarded?
• How many horses are routinely pastured together?
• Do you manage pastures by dragging or removing manure from shared pastures?
• Are new arrivals isolated until a fecal egg count, appropriate treatment, and follow-up egg count is completed?
• Do you require clients to have fecal egg counts performed on their horses and to follow guidelines that recommend selective treatment for parasites?
• Do you document fecal egg counts and deworming treatments on all resident horses?
• Do you take responsibility for collecting stool samples for boarders, or do you require boarders to collect their own?
• Do you require boarders to share the results of fecal egg counts with the barn manager?
• Have you seen any evidence of resistance in any horse on the farm?

Last month we said:

• If you trail ride, show, or compete, your horse might be exposed to other horses that could be carrying resistant parasites. Additionally, increased turnout time on pasture means increased exposure to parasites for your horse.

It's true that if you trail ride, show, or compete that your horse might be exposed to other horses carrying resistant parasites. However, it's highly unlikely that your horse will pick up parasites in these circumstances unless they are pastured together for an extended period of time, allowing them to ingest infective larva. A drop of dew taken from a blade of grass in a pasture may contain as many as 100 infective larva. Read more about the life cycle of strongyles.

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First, the obvious. "Worm Control News" looks quite different this month. We welcome your comments and suggestions about our new look and about content you'd like to see.

We've been out and about meeting our clients and spreading the word about testing and selective deworming. We strongly encourage you to test before you deworm your horse. Of course, we'd prefer that you use our service, but more importantly, whether you use Horsemen's Laboratory or another service, you can help prevent the spread of resistant parasites by testing and selective deworming.

We also hope that you will share our newsletter with your friends who have horses so that they, too, will understand the importance of following the new protocol.

Upcoming Events

Dr. Byrd will be speaking about parasite management during the general meeting of the Lake County Mounted Posse, a horse club based in Lake County, Illinois. Music and slide show precede the meeting. The public is invited to attend. The meeting will be held:

Date: November 9, 2011
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: In-Laws Restaurant; 720 Milwaukee Ave.; Gurnee, IL 60031; 847-336-3166.

Recent Events

Recently Horsemen's Laboratory attended two Equine Events.

• Horse Days 2011 in August at Belvidere, Illinois where Dr. Byrd spoke on Parasite Management
• Tack & Togs Extreme Cowboy Race & Equine Expo at Gordyville USA in Gifford, Illinois

Both events provided an opportunity for Dr. Byrd and office manager/wife Becky Byrd to meet and mingle with horse owners, to answer questions, and to provide testing kits. Dr. Byrd is also available for speaking and consulting about equine parasites.

Thanks for Your Business

Our goal is to help horse owners understand the role of fecal egg counts in preventing parasites that are resistant to deworming medications. We thank all of you for supporting our business, and for taking the time to become better educated about selective deworming on an "as needed" basis.

If you have questions about parasites or deworming that you would like to see covered in our newsletter, send them our way. If you have a story about deworming your horse (don't we all!) that might help other horse owners, we'll be happy to share it with others in our newsletter.

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