Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXVII, Issue 2
Written by Anca BULGARU, Dragoş LUPU, Horia DINU, Elena NEGRU, Mihai DANEŞ
Endoparasite control is one of the major challenges of equine health management, and requires constant surveillance. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of intestinal parasites in an Arabian horse breeding farm. Of the 115 samples examined by flotation and sedimentation methods, 69 (60%) were positive for parasitic infestation. The prevalence of Strongylidae was 35.65%, Parascaris equorum 19.13% and Eimeria leuckarti 23.47%. An initial treatment with ivermectin paste (20 mg/ 100 kg) was administered to all the animals positive for helminth infestation. Two weeks after the treatment, samples were collected and examined again, using the same methods. The prevalence of Strongylidae decreased to 6.95%, while the prevalence of Parascaris equorum remained close to the initial value, at 18.26%. Horses tested positive for Parascaris were treated with fenbendazole paste (7.5 mg/kg), leading to a decrease in prevalence to 2.60%. The remaining horses received a second dose of ivermectin, which had no effect on the prevalence of Strongylidae infestation. As a final result, we changed the control program for endoparasites from scheduled prophylactic treatment "in blind" every three months, to a control program based on diagnosis and monitoring of therapy.
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