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A recent study from the University of Bristol has validated the superior ease and accuracy of undertaking faecal egg counts using the FECPAK method versus the traditional McMaster method used by veterinarians and laboratories around the world.

This paper has been accepted for publication by the Veterinary Record - a highly respected journal, published weekly by the British Veterinary Association. The abstract has also been accepted for publishing by the British Equine Veterinary Association. Click here for more on the paper.

Also, in January 2004, FECPAK hosted Dr Gerald Coles from the University of Bristol, who presented his research on parasite burdens in horses, what is being used to control them, issues surrounding the development of resistance and alternative treatment options. Click here to read more.

Horse owners can now monitor their horses' internal parasites using the latest, world-leading technology, designed to reduce anthelmintic (drench) costs and improve overall animal health and performance.

In January this year, FECPAK launched an equine faecal egg counting system onto the market, designed to enable the horse owner/trainer/enthusiast to monitor the worm burdens in their animals, and as a result, treat the animals at times when they need it most.

FECPAK have spent many years in the sheep and cattle industries helping farmers increase their production returns and improve the animal health status of their properties, while monitoring their drench effectiveness in order to avoid a drench resistance problem.

With the development of the equine system, FECPAK can now offer horse owners the opportunity to have instant and accurate on-farm knowledge of the unique worm status of their animals and pastures.

By eliminating unnecessary treatments, this can lead to savings in time and money and you can use a product you know is effective. It may indicate that you are not dosing at the right times, so the system allows you to monitor burdens and eliminate them when they start to rise, minimising the damage the worms are doing to your animals and your pastures.

One very important problem emerging with equine treatments is the development of drench resistance. This occurs when worms within the animal have been exposed to anthelmintic and survive, going on to further infect your horses and your property. FECPAK have been fortunate to host Dr. Gerald Coles from the University of Bristol in the UK to present his research findings to an audience on the importance of detecting drench resistance. Dr. Coles has been recommending the FECPAK system, as it is far superior and more accurate when compared to the traditional methods of faecal egg counting.

Using the FECPAK faecal egg counting system, Dr. Coles' research has uncovered an alarming rate of drench resistance development, from which his presentation outlined seven recommendations that can be taken to slow the rate of resistance and should be undertaken if owners are serious about their animal's health. They are:

• Treat based on faecal egg counts (FECs) - Treat only when levels are high enough
• Check for anthelmintic resistance - Ensure the treatments you use are effective
• Do not rely on one anthelmintic type - And risk a drench resistance problem
• Use alternative methods of control - Manage your worms, pick up faeces
• Manage your pastures - Cross-grazing and resting pastures reduces the larval challenge to the horses, drenching requirement and therefore the risk of developing resistance
• Monitor incoming horses - Quarantine drench to avoid importing a drench resistance problem from someone else's property
• Concentrate on wormy horses - Do not breed from them. Failure to FEC means that an opportunity to identify and treat particularly wormy horses is lost, and these horses are left to pollute the pasture, meaning more treatments for all horses grazed on common areas

The FECPAK system is an important, yet simple tool to use in order to avoid resistance issues in the future, allowing you to have instant results on-farm, and thus dose with your choice and preference of effective dewormers and ensure you are providing your horses with the best health treatments possible.

For further information on the importance of controlling worms in horses and the need for change - please click here

How do we find out more?

Phone: 0800 FECPAK (332 725) within New Zealand or Email Us