Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ's on Worming
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Biochemist Recommended Horse Worming
Q.) Explain the reasoning behind your worming recommendations?
A.) Addressing the worming recommendations- The individual chemicals selected are the best taken from their chemical classes or families, so as not to duplicate the same drug under a different trade name, as happens so frequently. For instance, Zimectrin® and Eqvaalan® are the same exact item, in the same exact dosage.
The time of rotation, has to do with the length of time in the life cycle of the worms, so as to catch them at their peak times BEFORE they reinfest the host. The "beginning of the month" is just an easy way of remembering, as you pay your bills on the first of the month. Yes, it would be better to do it under a full moon, but even I don't remember to do that! The common wormers that we have today are also used in human medicine. Strongid paste is used in human babies UNDER 2 years old! The molecules are so large and of the type that they don't absorb into the body much at all, and only serve as a "pass through kill" in the digestive tract alone. This makes them quite safe to use frequently.
All parasites are nothing more than reproductive machines. The average female roundworm, for example lives about 11 mos and can lay about 1,000 eggs per month! So, with that in mind, we can see how they have the ability to adapt quickly to any new conditions, as well as drugs that would kill them. The double dose of Strongid paste (pyrantel pamoate) was known to kill tape worms about 8 years ago, but as long as 5 years ago, I have heard of resistance to this dose, with numbers of them found on autopsy at veterinary hospitals in horses on which the double doses were used. Since then, the recommendation has been a triple dose.
I have found that it makes the difference between a successful and unsuccessful GI and ulcer treatment with our Nutrient Buffer® clients too. The double dose just doesn't get it, and can even invite MORE resistance. For this reason, I would never recommend using the Strongid in a single dose. This info does NOT apply to Strongid C, (pyrantel tartrate), a different chemical form. This is the only drug and the only dose that has been proven to kill tapeworms, to my current knowledge. We desperately need to develop something else. If we understand the lifecycle of the common worms affecting horses, then we can see the reasoning for the program I have developed.
Once the egg is consumed, it hatches in the gut and immediately burrows through the gut wall to begin migration through the tissues of the body. No tissue is immune, even the brain is at risk. Their migration can last many months, like strongyles (blood worms) which travel through the body for 10 to 12 months, growing in size, before returning to the intestine through the mesenteric artery, causing aneurisms there, contributing to colic. Once in the intestine, they then complete their development and begin laying eggs to start the infection process all over again.
During the migration process, these larval stages give off waste products in the tissues that are allergenic and inflammatory. They also suck nutrients from the areas they migrate through, as well as do traumatic damage to the tissues, allowing other, less invasive organisms easier entry to the interior of the body. They can feasibly facilitate the migration of protozoa through the body too. They carry organisms like bacteria and yeasts in their digestive tracts that they are able to inject, in a way, directly into the tissues they enter.
Sooo, understanding that we do not have ANY drug or natural substance that will kill the migrating ones, we only have that window of opportunity when they are in the gut, AFTER they complete their migration and return to the intestine to complete development and begin the egg laying process. ANY worming program is really only an after the fact sort of program, but that's the best we can currently do. So staggering the drugs, and using only the best and newest drug in each chemical class is what I have done, to prevent the buildup of resistance as best we can. I have used this technique for the last 25 years, with no side effects whatsoever, and have put new lifetime marks on old race horses! I change the program only by adding and subtracting new and old drugs as they come to market, but the principle remains the same. Even my EPM horses can safely use this program, even the ivermectins, as the intestinal permeablilty problems have been addressed.
Q.) There have been some concerns about Vita Royal's protocol regarding the worming program, can you comment?
A.) First let me address the worming question. There have been reported a few adverse reactions to wormers containing ivermectins, i.e. Quest®, Eqvaalan® and Zimectrin®. I have never had anyone report any severe adverse effects to me of this regarding horses on our Vita Royal Environmental llness program. I do know that these drugs have a higher ability to penetrate the gut and enter body tissues than other wormers and if the horse has severe leaky gut syndrome, the toxicity of these drugs would be markedly increased. I believe that this is the reason for the adverse reactions reported.
Our program addresses this as a prime factor in susceptibility to opportunistic infections in the first place, so it is also understandable why we don't hear of sever problems in this program. I also don't recommend invermectins as the first wormer on the rotation to use, as well, to allow time for the gut to heal and seal normally! These are powerful worming agents and kill some species that others don't. This is why we need to include them. I do begin with Pyrantel Pamoate which is so safe that it is given to human babies under two years old.
Q.) What about the season of the year for worming for Bots? Doesn't it make a difference?
A.) Actually, you worm for bots every third month with the ivermectin family of which Quest® is in, so the cycle is continually repeated. With the fluctuations of the weather, and the difficulty of knowing when the last frost will be, or even if there will be one, this program covers this variation. One thing that I failed to include is that when you use the ivermectins, you should smear the paste all around the oral cavity, under the tongue and in the cheeks as the ivermectins will kill the instar larvae encysted in the oral mucosa. They often encyst there first. Take the water bucket out for a while and hay too so that the horse can't wash it down right away.
Q.) Which drug in this program substitutes for the five day Panacur® treatment they say gets encysted strongyles?
A.) As far as getting encysted larvae the way Panacur® does, I can only say that there have been horses who have been on this program that have been lost to accidents during racing or put down for wobbler's syndrome, severe cuts from barbed wire fencing, EIA and other unrelated health, and had quite clean GI tracts as evidenced upon autopsy. I kept tract of this when I first formulated this program, as I was trying to develop one that would work best & most economically for consumers. So which of these drugs works like Panacur, I can't say. I really think that it is a factor of this program as a whole, and vigilance in maintaining this schedule. I have also had some racing standardbreds that showed continual worm problems, where the owners did use the five day Panacur several times without success. These horses also responded positively to this program, performance improved and several set new lifetime marks after that. Interestingly though, an observation that owners most commonly report with this program is respiratory improvement.
As far as ivermectin use causing flare ups of autoimmune disease, it has also been reported to cause excerbations of EPM as well. I believe that this is because of increased toxicity of this drug if it is absorbed through the gut wall. Our program was developed for environmental illness, autoimmune diseases, Herpes and EPM and addresses "leaky gut syndrome", which I have identified as a major factor in all these syndromes.
With this program, ivermectin and Quest can be used safely, without side effects. I have not had anyone using our program according to correct protocol, report any negative effects after using either of them. Often owners are very pleasantly surprised! With the capabilities these parasites have to adapt for survival, we need all the ammo we can muster. Sooner or later, they will develop resistance to all we have now.
Q.) Can you judge the effectiveness of a wormer by the dead worms in the manure, and a negative fecal for worm eggs following worming? I used Piperzine® and didn't see anything.
A.) Piperzine® is considered by most practicing authorities, to be pretty obsolete against many parasites. They are continually adapting resistance to our every attempt to kill them! I consider fenbendazole in this catagory too, as many have reported no effect from use, but a good effect after use of another wormer of newer status. Just because you see no eggs, does not mean you have no worms! Worms may just be made sick enough to not lay eggs, but not to die! AND, just because you see no dead worms, does not mean no worms either. If they are smaller species, the body may digest them for food.
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