Re: tapeworm

[Teddy Lancaster <Teddy@runningbear.com>]

Yes!!!!  I once "rescued" a skinny arab..loved him to death, he carried me to
my first 100 mile finish (the OD in 1976)...only to die later that year from
a ruptured cecum (worm damage).

Beware of really stressing "rescued" horses.

And people STILL think they are getting a bargain "endurance" horse when they
pay $2000 or less.  They MAY be lucky.  But, when I am told my prices are too
high ($3000 and up) for horses that are wormed and vaccinated and raised
properly.

To me the initial expense is just a VERY small part of the cost or PROPERLY
caring for, training and maintaining a good future endurance horse.

Yes, the early years are the most important as far as care goes.  Often
forgotten and much neglected.  I suppose problems like yours (and mine) are
happening FAR more than we are aware of.

I am delighted, however, that Trenton is doing well.  Unfortunately, my arab
died and it was a heart-breaker.

Teddy

Patty Lambert wrote:

> Since someone mentioned tapeworms, OK, here goes my story: Last month
> with no warning and no history of any colic in all his 22 years of active
> life, my horse became colicky. To make a very long story short (details
> available if anyone wants to hear more) he spent 3 weeks at UPenn; ended
> up having surgery to fix a strictured ileocecal opening, and is doing
> wonderfully well now - has been home 2 weeks. But I was told that even
> though there were no worms present at the time, it could be tapeworm
> damage from the past (though I have owned him for 18 years,) as tapeworms
> do like to hang out at the ileocecal opening. That's it, in a nutshell.
> The best Christmas present I ever had was having him make it through
> surgery (4.5 hours of surgery!) 3 days before Christmas. The vets said
> his endurance training gave him the strength and condition he needed to
> come through it all. Ironically, he had passed his 3000 mile career
> milestone just 6 weeks before all this happened. I had been giving a
> double dose of Strongid paste in the spring, in addition to Ivermectin
> every 8 weeks year round. Now he's on daily Strongid-C, and I'm
> investigating other worming protocols. Tapeworms in horses, so I'm told,
> do not shed segments as they do in dogs & cats, so are not easy to
> detect. I sure don't trust fecal counts any more after this. Any
> comments?
>
> Patty in PA
>
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