Is there a horse wormer I can put in food?

Question

I have six mustangs and they live up to their name. We have never put a harness on them because..well they're wild and won't let us. The vet I talked to said I had to put the wormer directly in their mouth, this would be impossible. So is there any brand of wormer that I can put in their grain that will work?

Answer 1

Sorry but the way I read that first line was that you wanted a horse wormer so you could put it in someone's food.... eg your Hubby's!....Sorry :)

Answer 2

The Strongid Daily wormer is one option, but it can be expensive depending upon where you get it. I have found a single-dose wormer that comes in pellets like a supplement that you give just as often as you do regular wormer (every other month typically) and mix in with their food. It's called IverEase made by Farnam. Here is Farnam's site with info about it:

http://www.farnamhorse.com/product.php?pid=100803&key=200002

My parents got it once for one of their horses and I think it cost around $9. If you are interested in the daily wormer option you can look at Strongid C or Strongid C2. They are Pyrental instead of Ivermectin.

There are other options as well but they might be hard to find if you don't have large tack or farm stores in your area. A site I like to look at is SmartPak.com. It has just about every supplement known to man. This is a link to their wormers:
http://www.smartpakequine.com/Category.aspx?CATID=685&cmPreserveSource=true&cmPreserveCategory=true

I suggest that you click on both "Dewormer" and "Paste, Liquid and Granual Dewormers" because they both have examples of pellet and granual wormer that can be put on the grain.

*EDIT* and for the person above, wild/feral horses don't need to have their hooves trimmed because they are free to roam and can wear their own hooves down so that they neither get long nor curl. There were no farriers around when horses first came into being.
Curled hooves are almost always a symptom of stalled horses because even horses kept in a pasture without hoof care can still break their hooves off as they get long, they would rarely ever curl unless the horse doesn't move much.

Answer 3

You can topdress with certain types of dewormers, like Equi-Bits (fenbendazole)for one & also IverEase(Ivermectin). Mine gobble up the Equi-Bits but I have to add a bit of molasses or applesause with the IverEase. I have used the Strongid daily wormer, but my vet said it is doesn't do much for older horses;that the targeted worms from this product are the ones that effect younger horses most. You must remember that rotating will help the effectiveness of your program & you need to target for tapeworms too at least 1-2 times a year. For this, you need something like Equimax, which only comes in a tube. I don't like Quest(moxidectin)since it has gotten some bad press & caused problems with some horses who were dosed with it.

Do a search "horse dewormers" and you will find several companies like Valley Vet and others that have a unique light weight halter device for deworming. It is appropriately called a "worming halter" & sells btw $13-17 depending on which supplier you chose. It fits like a very thin light adjustable halter that has a special attachment on the side with a hollow v shaped tube that will allow you to squirt the dewormer in the tube & then it goes directly far enough back in the mouth that they cannot spit it out.
I trained mine to accept the regular dewormers in a tube by first making offers of molasses or applesauce with a bit of cinnamon from a turkey baster & squirting it in the side of the mouth. After the first taste they wanted more. Offer it like this as a treat a few times a week & then you can sneak in a wormer once in awhile. Also, you can pick up a 30cc open end syringe from a medical supply or vet supply & use this instead of the turkey baster if you prefer.

Answer 4

Yes, there are feed through supplement wormers. This is a pellet that you place a measured amount into the daily ration.

Strongid is the main brand name I am aware of that makes this product.

Answer 5

Yes, Safeguard and Ivermectrin both make a feed additive wormer.

Answer 6

There is a daily wormer that already comes with a wormer added. It's called Strongid 2X that you can buy at your local feed store.

Answer 7

You can give Strongid as a daily pellet mixed in with their food, but it only takes care of large and small stronguyles, pinworms, and ascarids. You will need to dose twice a year with ivermectin to take care of the other types of worms, and unfortunately, this must be squired in the mouth.

Out of curiosity, if you cannot halter them, how do you trim their feet? Part of horse care is keeping their feet trimmed so they don't get really long or even curl up. Are you working on gentling them?

Answer 8

There are wormers you can sprinkle on the food. Try one of the bigger vet supply places online.

Answer 9

u have to use a daily wormer like Strongid 2X if you want to have it in their food...dont listen to those who say no. there are food supplementing wormers out there. you just have to go to a larger feed/tack supply store to get them usually. good luck!!

Answer 10

no, wormer comes in a syringe that u have to stick in the side of their mouth and squeeze it into their mouth. the mustangs have lived on their own for thousands of yrs with out wormer. maybe just wait until u can handle them to give them wormer. i'm sure they will be fine with out it.