Category: Our Blog

By John Byrd, DVM Our goal here is to explain how the test offered on Horsemen’s Laboratory’s website for tapeworms was evaluated for accuracy in diagnosing tapeworms in horses. Dr. Nielsen states that increased knowledge is needed to assist in the interpretation of presently available diagnostic techniques for infection by the tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliate in… Read more »

Selective breeding of parasites for resistance has been occurring since the time the first deworming medications were developed and used. As the use of these medications increase the speed at which resistance to parasites developed increases as well. This phenomenon also occurred in other fields as well such as bacteriology and agriculture (insect pest and weed control). However, this article… Read more »

Does sending your horses stool samples through the mail affect the accuracy of the count? Also, does the temperature or time of year affect this accuracy? Here is what Horsemen’s Laboratory has found out about sending horses stool samples through the mail for thirty years. The most important factor affecting the accuracy of fecal egg… Read more »

Horsemen’s Laboratory has received several emails concerning doing FEC’s fecal egg counts on horses.  A recent article has appeared to say that fecal egg counts are of little or no value in evaluating a horse’s worm control program.  However, the article does not appear to have a better way of evaluating the effectiveness of a… Read more »

By Nikki Alvin-Smith Resistance to dewormer products currently available on the market has caused the FDA to invoke a request that animal drug companies voluntarily revise their product labels for their approved anthelmintics used in livestock, including horses. This emerging crisis is very real, and it is a smart decision to take notice now rather… Read more »

By Nikki Alvin-Smith If you’ve made the smart decision to take control of your horses’ health and manage their worm control program based on actual evidence rather than blind administration of treatments, then you are probably aware that mail in laboratory options like Horsemen’s Laboratory are available. You may use your regular vet, or a… Read more »

Nikki Alvin-Smith You don’t reach the upper echelons of any sport without a lot of focus and hard work. There is also an element of luck involved too. To improve your chances of attaining the maximum potential in your horse’s performances you sometimes have to look at the stuff that you cannot easily see. The… Read more »

By Nikki Alvin-Smith John Byrd D.V.M. of Horsemen’s Laboratory is on call to answer questions you didn’t know you needed to ask about internal equine parasites. With over 75,000 equine fecal worm egg count samples processed at his laboratory from horses across the U.S.A. and Canada, and a practicing veterinarian with a background in top… Read more »

By Nikki Alvin-Smith   Give yourself a pat on the back if you’ve already taken the positive step of collecting a manure sample from your horse and sending it in for a FECT (fecal egg count test). Your report will give you an indication of whether your horse has a negative egg worm count, or… Read more »

By Nikki Alvin-Smith   Unfortunately, there is currently no simple tapeworm test for horses available in the U.S.A., and when tapeworms are present in your horse they can cause damage to your horse’s health. A test previously available, Equisal from a U.K. based company, was deemed too risky to use in the U.S.A. due to… Read more »