Last Updated on September 1, 2020
Choosing the best horse wormer for your horse’s needs is incredibly important but can be confusing with all the options available.
I’ve raised horses my entire life and understand how it can be confusing knowing what is best for your horse. I have reviewed the top horse dewormer currently available and after reading this article you will know my recommendations.
Check the quick list below for links to customer reviews and prices for my picks for the best horse wormer or read on for the full review:
- Equine Strongid C2X for Horse
- Merial Zimecterin Gold Dewormer Paste for Horses
- Durvet 12-Pack Ivermectin Dewormer Paste for Horses
- Equimax Horse Wormer Ivermectin
- PANACUR Dewormer Horse Paste
Horses need reliable medical care, and one type of care that they need is regular deworming. This is important to keep your horse as healthy as possible and to help extend their lives. Using the best horse wormer on the market is the only way to keep your horse looking and feeling great.
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How to Choose the Best Horse Wormer
There are a number of things that you will need to consider when looking for a great horse wormer. Because there are so many different wormers on the market, you will need to make sure that you carefully choose one that is designed to help your horse and to meet its individual and unique needs.
I recommend that horse owners work with their vets to get the help that they need to find the right wormer for their horse. Since different wormers will work on different parasites, you must make sure to match the wormer to the parasite that your horse has. Some wormers will cover a broad range of parasites, but I prefer to use wormers that are designed to treat the exact problem that you have.
The Advantages of a Quality Horse Wormer
Horses can easily get worms when they have been sharing a pasture with infected horses or when they are allowed time in an infected pasture. It’s very easy for horses that are in this situation to get worms, which means that they will need to be treated right away for the best results.
While you can easily help manage worms by managing the pasture and monitoring fecal egg counts, worming horses is the best way to get rid of worms and keep horses healthy. While managing the pasture is a great way to get rid of worms, horses that have already been infected will need the help of a high-quality wormer.
What to Look for
It can be tricky to choose the right wormer, as you want to make sure that you manage to treat the worms your horse has, but that you don’t overuse the drugs. When you overexpose worms to various types of wormers, then they can actually become resistant to the drugs after a while.
Always consider the dosage of the wormer so that you can be sure that you have the right dose for your size animal. One problem that I see some horse owners have is that they are unable to get their horse to take the entire dose, which means that they will not get the treatment that they need.
How to Use a Horse Wormer
It’s important to use a wormer correctly and to know when to use it on a horse to keep them as healthy as possible. Horse owners need to set up a worming schedule after talking to their vet about what schedule will best help keep their horse healthy and safe.
There are a few different factors that you will have to consider when setting up a worming schedule. I recommend that you start by considering the age of your horse, a fecal egg count, and whether the horse is a high or a low shedder.
Remember that younger horses that are under three years of age, are much more susceptible to parasite infections than horses that are older. It’s important, therefore, to keep an eye on younger horses and to be willing to perform worming on a more regular basis to ensure that they are healthy.
Make sure to use a wormer when the weather and climate are working for you, not against you. I like to inform people that climates and weather have a huge impact on parasite reproduction, which will play a huge role in how frequently you must use a wormer.
Some horses are more difficult to worm than others, which means that you may need to be tricky to get them to take the medication. Understanding how to control the horse, how to hold the wormer, and the best way to worm each individual animal is important.
Considerations
One thing to consider when using a wormer is whether or not you are going to rotate the classes of medications that you use. This is highly recommended, as it is believed to prevent parasites from getting stronger and surviving the wormer.
However, some studies have shown that even with rotating, parasites are becoming more resistant to these drugs. It’s important to work with a vet to determine the right schedule for your horse.
In fact, some studies have recently shown that rotating wormers to prevent parasite overgrowth doesn’t work. These studies state that this rotational practice can actually contribute to parasites becoming more resistant in certain areas, as the products may not be as effective as necessary for the type of parasite on the farm.
5 Best Horse Wormer
Equine Strongid C2X for Horse
Giving a wormer has never been easier, as this medication can simply be included with daily feed to ensure a healthy horse that is free from parasites. This makes it a great option for keeping a horse that is difficult to worm healthy and reduces the stress that horse owners feel. The durable lid snaps easily onto the bucket for storage. You can see my full review on Strongid C 2x.
Pros
- Quickly cuts down on itching from parasites
- Great taste is perfect for picky eaters who may refuse other options
- Easy to measure and add to daily meals
- Includes plenty of protein, fiber, and fat
Cons
- Not the best option for treating a severe parasite problem
- Can be difficult to measure intake when several horses share the feed
Merial Zimecterin Gold Dewormer Paste for Horses
While this medication is great for treating larger animals, the clearly marked plunger makes it simple to treat smaller animals, as well, without giving them too much of the medication. It’s easy to push it back into their mouths to ensure that the medication will go down the throat, resulting in very little waste and ensuring that the process is clean and easy.
Pros
- Lower price is great for handling a large number of horses
- Easily treats horses that are up to 1250 pounds
- Treats bots, tapeworms, and roundworms with one dose
- Easy to dispense, thanks to the durable plunger
Cons
- Terrible taste that a lot of animals don’t like
- Some horses have a severe oral reaction to the medication
Durvet 12-Pack Ivermectin Dewormer Paste for Horses
This paste is a great option for any person who needs to treat a lot of horses, as it comes in a 12 pack for ease of use. The medicine itself is surprisingly tasty, which is great for horses who tend to refuse other medications due to the way that they smell or taste.
Pros
- Bulk buy makes this a great option for owners who have multiple horses
- Not only removes worms, but also bots
- Marking on the syringe plunger makes it easy to provide the correct dose
- Apple flavor is great for horses who refuse other medications
Cons
- Can be difficult to keep them at the correct temperature
- Syringe can be difficult to hold onto when wet
Equimax Horse Wormer Ivermectin
Oral medication can be tricky for some horses to take, which is why opting for one with a pleasant flavor is important. This apple flavored medication is a good choice for horses that may otherwise refuse to take an oral wormer. The single dose means that it is easy to treat a horse without a lot of struggle, as only one syringe must be used for each treatment.
Pros
- Treats horses up to 1320 pounds
- Easily removes both bots and worms
- Can also remove tapeworms and other internal parasites
- Single dose is easy to use to treat one horse
Cons
- Some horses refuse to take the medication
- Shorter syringe can be difficult to control
PANACUR Dewormer Horse Paste
Being able to provide the correct dosage of worming medication is imperative and will prevent horses from suffering or getting sicker. This medication makes it easy to find the right dosage for each horse and to set the syringe to provide the right dose, ensuring that every horse taking this medication is fully treated for parasites.
Pros
- Comes in a three pack, making it easy to have medication on hand
- Delicious apple-cinnamon flavor is appealing to most horses
- One syringe can easily deworm an 1100 pound horse
- Dial ring on syringe makes it easy to provide the correct dosage
Cons
- May not work well on strongyles
- Some horses do not easily take this medication and will spit it up
For more horse health guides and tips read these articles
- All About Nutrition: Horse Feed
- Stave Off Boredom: Toys for Horses
- Don’t Be a Pest, Keep the Flies Away
- Best Vitamins and Minerals Supplement for Horses
- Top premium fly masks
While each of these wormers are a great option, I recommend the Durvet 12-pack Ivermectin Dewormer Paste. I like how easy this medication is to give to horses and the fact that it comes in a large pack, which means that it is ideal for treating multiple horses or for having the medication on hand that you need for treating a single horse for a long time. The apple flavor makes it much easier for horses to take this medication, which means that less will be spilled and wasted. The markings on the syringe make it easy to determine the correct dose for safety and optimum health.
Here is the quick list for my picks for the best horse wormer again. To see prices and customer reviews view the links below.
- Equine Strongid C2X for Horse
- Merial Zimecterin Gold Dewormer Paste for Horses
- Durvet 12-Pack Ivermectin Dewormer Paste for Horses
- Equimax Horse Wormer Ivermectin
- PANACUR Dewormer Horse Paste
Fred is the editor of Equine Ridge. He grew up raising horses and has been riding, training, and competing for almost four decades. Fred started out performing on the AQHA and PHBA circuits. Fred trained other competitors in English and Western riding disciplines and today offers free riding lessons to youth who would otherwise not be able to afford lessons. When not working with horses he can be found backpacking or trying to brew the perfect cup of coffee. Email Fred at fred@equineridge.com