A survey of helminth control practices in equine establishments in Ireland.

This research paper discusses a survey on helminth control practices among horse owners and operators of equine establishments in Ireland. The study reveals that while there’s a strong awareness of the need for controlling these parasites, few owners employ sufficient measures to resist their development, which could be improved with more tailored advice from veterinary professionals.

Survey Overview and Findings

The researchers conducted a survey to evaluate attitudes towards helminth control, a crucial health issue in horses, from horse owners and business operators in Ireland. They focused on how these individuals approach helminth control and the degree of involvement of veterinarians in advising on this matter. Key findings from the survey included:

• A high awareness level among respondents about the need for helminth control, often resulting in the regular administration of anthelmintic doses to horses yearly.
• A majority (61%) of the respondents acknowledged concerns over anthelmintic resistance, but only a few believed it was a problem where their horses were housed.
• Despite these concerns, strategies to limit resistance development, such as reducing dosing frequency, employing non-drug-based control techniques, and using faecal egg counts (FECs) to determine dosing necessity, were not strategically utilized.

Role of Veterinarians in Parasite Control

The survey also looked at the involvement of veterinary practitioners in shaping the strategies for controlling equine helminth. Findings in this aspect include:

• 54% of respondents follow worming control strategies stemming from veterinary advice. Despite this, a significant majority did not see the need to revise their current worm control procedures.
• This suggests a need for increased veterinary involvement in developing and implementing helminth control programs for horses. Educating horse owners on ‘best practices’ could help manage the problem better.

Conclusion

The paper concludes that a substantial scope exists for increased veterinary contribution in equine helminth control. This additional input could lead to strategies better designed to manage helminth resistance development and ultimately maintain better horse health. The study also indicates the need for improvement in the way veterinarians provide advice to align more closely with best practices in helminth control.