Horses and other animals have worms

That is normal and generally not harmful to your animal. In the past horses and other animals were preventivally treated with deworming agents. This method proves not to be effective anymore since the animal's body is regularly exposed to large amounts of (heavy) poison, and the environment of the animal as well (with its plant and animal life). More important, some worm species have developed or are developing resistance against some deworming agents. This means that worms that could be eradicated by an agent in the past, have now produced a stronger population that survives a treatment. These resistant populations are no longer sensitive to (some) deworming agents and pose a threat to our weaker horses (or other animals).

Dung research

Deworming blind with no diagnosis of worm infection has therefore become oldfashioned. A better method is to (let someone) perform a fecal worm egg count (dung examination) for your animal. In this way you check if the animal is infected with worms and judge whether it needs to be treated or not. Another advantage of only treating the animal when needed is that an animal, that sheds few worm eggs, becomes cheaper to keep.

When I perform a research I consider the health of the animal as the most important, and after that the prevention of more resistance in worm populations. A low worm infection doesn't need to be treated, because in general a healthy animal is not bothered by it. The prevention of further resistance has priority. Because if we continue to deworm blind, no deworming agent will work anymore against a worm species within a few generations. From that moment our weaker animals with heavy worm infections can not be helped anymore. 

Services

• Dung research for horses and donkeys (including foals).
• Dung research against very low prices (see below), due to being not commercial .
• Examination after delivering a small dung sample, collected with a specific procedure (see below).
• Reliable worm egg counts from fresh dung samples. Therefore deliverance and examination is done by appointment.
• Besides checking for worm eggs, I pay attention to other health signs in the animal's dung. Such as sand in the gut, signs of very bad teeth, or securing your suspection of (else) something being very wrong in the animal's gut or entire body (as far as I can see). In case of abnormalities, I will notify this. You can always ask me.
• I set up an advice in which I write whether your animal needs to be treated or not, what deworming agent is needed, and how to do it. I set up this advice by combining the results of the worm egg counts, and a few details about your animal. The owner/contact person will provide me with those details by filling in a question form (received by email or downloaded from this website).
• After deworming I can examine your animal's dung once again to check whether the treatment did its job or not, or whether your animal is a carrier of resistant worms.
• Low charge of collecting the sampes at your stable. You can always bring the samples to me (Julianadorp of we meet each other somewhere).
• After receiving an advice with deworming you should contact your own veterinarian. I don't sell deworming agents. With my advice and results you can also turn to your vet to (discuss what is the best to do and in that way) get the needed deworming agent. 
• If the vet wants to see evidence of the worm eggs that I found, I can deliver pictures of the worm eggs I found. Please notify me in advance.
• Furthermore, I can try to answer all your questions about worms and worm management. I regularly study scientific literture about worms, dewormng agents, and other related cases. 

Prices

• Per examination/animal Nafl. 10,-
• A final control examination costs Nafl. 5,- per animal. This control must be done within the adviced (ver short) term after deworming.
• Front fee of Nafl. 1,- per km from Julianadorp (or my route that day).

If you are you interested in letting me perform a dung research for your animal(s), please contact me.

Procedure

It is best when the dung is examined within 24 hours. In the hours following the dung will slowly fall back in quality, especially on warm summer days (which is always the case at Curacao). Therefore it is important that the dung sample will arrive at my place soon after collection. I also have proper cooling to stop the worm egg development.

If bringing to me is not possible on very short term, please store the sample refrigerated as much as possible (for example in a fridge, do not freeze!).

You will receive the result and a set up advice by email within a week.

For this setup I also need information about your horse(s)/animal(s). Together with delivering a dung sample, you need to fill in one question form per animal (see below).

Taking a dung sample:

1. Bring with you 2 new (sandwich/freezer) bags, a name tag/paper, and a pen.
2. As soon as the animal poops, put your hand in the first bag. Take 1-2 whole dung balls that did not touch the ground.
3. Turn the bag inside out. Push as much air out of the bag as you can. Tie a knot to close the bag.
4. Put the second bag around the sample, so the first bag cannot tear.
5. In the second bag you can put the name tag/paper. Write on that: (1) the name of the animal, (2) date, and (3) the time the animal has pooped.

Question form

Per animal, please fill in one form completely being the owner/contact person.

You can fill in the digital or a paper form, choose whatever you prefer.

With the button below you can open the digital form. After filling it in you can send it to me by clicking one button. If you need to fill in forms for several animals, a new form for the next animal will appear automatically after you send the first form.

To fill in a paper form, open the PDF-file on the top right of this page, print it, fill it in, and bring it to me together with the sample.