Ridecamp: Re: [RC] worming questions

> Peggy
> Have you looked into any of the natural alternatives for deworming - such
> as Diatomaceous earth, wormwood, garlic, various other feedstuffs and the
like?
> My understanding is that the worms are less likely to develop resistance
to
> the natural methods and the horses are less likely to have a negative
reaction.
> Perhaps Susan G may be able to shed some light on this?
> Dana


Well, my opinion is that the herbal/homeopathics should be considered an
adjunct to pharmaceuticals, not an alternative or total substitute.  Someone
more into this may be able to provide a source of reliable, objective data,
but I've yet to see anything demonstrating that herbals are anywhere near as
effective as ivermectin, fenbendazole, etc.  I might be more interested in
the alternatives if I had any concerns whatsoever about the safety of the
commercial antihelmintics.  With the exception of Quest, which I have
reservations about, the antiparasitic drugs mostly have a VERY wide safety
range---the only way to essentially harm a horse with the stuff is to drown
him in it.  And the risk of damage from dewormers isn't even close to the
damage done by the parasites during through migration through the GI blood
supply, through the liver and lungs, through loss of nutrients and through
impacting and rupturing the small intestine.  Now THAT'S nasty.

So, I guess my opinion is if you want to add homeopathics to the ration to
help discourage reinfestation or make the GI tract a less hospitable place
for worms, go for it.  But I would NEVER recommend using it as a replacement
for regular deworming.

JMO.

Susan G



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