Kern Road Veterinary Clinic

Young horses (under 2-3 years of age)-deworm starting at 4 weeks of age (using a safe product such as fenbendazole) and then every 6-8 weeks rotationally thereafter.
Parasite resistance to deworming products is becoming a problem.
15+ years of rotational deworming has contributed to resistance developing in equine parasites.
We can better determine frequency and product recommendations based on strategic fecal examinations.
We are also recognizing individuals that require a much less frequent deworming rotation because they have an inherent ability to better control parasites than others.

With the increasing amount of research in the field of equine nutrition many questions have been answered, but many new questions are being raised.
Many beliefs about feeding horses that have been taken for granted for years are no longer valid.
We have found that feeding practices, like so many phases of the equine industry, employ the art as well as the science of equine husbandry.
In no area is nutrition more important than in the growing foal.
Many career-ending problems that develop during growth are directly related to feeding practices and nutrition.

One question we are often asked is "How's my horse's weight?"
While body weight is an important individual characteristic, what is more important is body condition score or BCS.
BCS uses both how your horse looks and how it feels to the touch to evaluate the amount of body fat it has.
BCS is scaled from 1 to 9, with 1 being emaciated with no fat, and 9 being grossly obese.
The ideal body condition score for a horse is around 5-7 depending life stage.
For instance, the average pleasure or show horse should be about a BCS 5 - the ribs should be easy to feel but not visible, the shoulders and neck should blend smoothly into the body and the back should be flat, with no crease.

Through the spring and summer we have seen several cases of parasite infestation in horses that have been regularly dewormed.
We feel that there are several possible reasons for the increase in cases that we are seeing.
One of the reasons is that weather conditions have been dry and much of the manure in pastures has not been dissipated by rain, thus exposing parasite eggs to the elements that aid in reducing the load of parasite eggs present.
Another reason we see an increase in parasite related problems is that parasite eggs build up in pastures from year to year.

Breeding mares can be one of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of the horse industry.
It can also be one of the most heartbreaking and financially devastating times when foals are lost at birth.
Anyone who has ever had a mare abort or lose a foal during or immediately after birth knows the heartbreak and economic loss that occurs.
Any mare will have a better chance of conceiving if she is in good health.
We can contribute to this by providing clean spacious pastures, adequate nutrition, regular deworming (minimum of every eight weeks), appropriate vaccinations (encephalomyelitis {EEE, WEE WNV}, rhinopneumonitis, tetanus, strangles, Potomac horse fever, influenza, and rabies) and have her feet trimmed regularly to insure her comfort.