It’s true that, in general, we test our horses for most worms between March + November.
But you can test your horse for pinworm at any time!
What is pinworm?
While pinworm isn’t a huge threat to your horse’s health, they can be really irritating + annoying. So we don’t want to leave them untreated, driving your poor horse mad!
Unlike other worms, pinworms aren’t passed in your horse’s poo. Instead, they exit your horse through the rectum. The adult females then lay their eggs on the skin around the horse’s anus. You can sometimes see this as a sticky substance.
Eggs are ingested, then hatch + live in the intestine.
Here, they can take up to 5 months to reach maturity. Young worms are not always susceptible to wormers + may survive treatment.
What does pinworm do to your horse + what are the symptoms?
Thankfully, they don’t pose a threat to horses’ digestive systems like most worms do.
However, they do cause severe itching + irritation. Your horse will likely rub/scratch his tail on whatever he can find to relieve the itch. This can cause broken skin which can lead to nasty infections.
As well as rubbing + scratching around the tail, other symptoms can include:
- Sore/infected skin and/or bald patches around the head of the tail and bottom
- Loss of condition
- Restlessness/signs of irritation
How can you detect pinworms?
As the eggs are not passed in poo, the pinworm doesn’t show up in standard worm count tests.
Keep an eye on your horse + check for rubbing + signs of them rubbing their tail.
If you think your horse may have pinworm (or if you want to test at any time just in case!), perform a pinworm tape test.
The test is super-easy to do + the instructions are included in our test kit.
How can you prevent pinworms?
Your horse will shed worms + eggs on any surface he rubs his tail on when he has pinworm. So it can be difficult to prevent infection entirely.
Hygiene is a must!
When you know your horse is infected, keep them + their environment as clean as possible.
The worms are most active at night. So clean their bottom every morning with disposable wipes + throw them away immediately. Using re-usable cloths or sponges can lead to the infestation spreading.
Disinfect any areas they may scratch themselves on.
You can buy your pinworm test kits here:
https://www.efecs.co.uk/product/pinworm-test-kit/
And don’t forget, I’m always here to answer any worm-related questions or concerns you have!
