Equine

Zoetis launches new campaign to help combat encysted small redworm

vetreportFebruary 27, 2014

London, UK, 27 February 2014 – Zoetis is helping horse owners understand the serious risks of encysted small redworm with the launch of a new awareness campaign. The educational initiative is centred on a new website, www.esrw.co.uk, which contains an informative video, a quick quiz and an advisory leaflet that can be downloaded.

Encysted small redworms are one the most common and harmful worms found in horses.  They are the larval stages of the small redworm that have buried into the lining of the gut where they lie dormant for some time.  They pose a potentially fatal health risk but won’t show up in a standard faecal worm egg count.

Encysted small redworm must be treated properly during late autumn or winter, otherwise they may develop and emerge en masse from the gut wall in the early spring, causing diarrhoea and colic with a mortality rate of up to 50%¹.

Zoetis vet Wendy Talbot said: “Continual education is imperative to make sure every owner knows how to keep his or her horse healthy. The short video on www.esrw.co.uk succinctly explains the threat of encysted small redworm and how to minimise the risks. Owners can then test their knowledge with the quick quiz and download a leaflet, before discussing the best treatment options with their vet or SQP.”

Visit www.esrw.co.uk and speak to your vet or SQP about responsible worm control, or to find out more about year-round worm control visit www.wormingyourhorse.info. You can also download Stable Mate, the horse health management App from Zoetis. It is available from the iPhone App Store and Google Play Store: text Stable Mate to 80800 to download.

¹Dowdall S.M.J. et al (2002) Veterinary Parasitology 106, 225-242