Interpretive Summary: Deworming programs for horses in the United States: past, present, and future

By: Jason L Turner

• The past: The development of a variety of effective, readily available, and easily administered equine paste dewormers in the 20th century revolutionized the practice of equine deworming and had a positive impact on equine health, but this has been accompanied by increased reports of AR in internal parasites.
• The present: Frequent reports of AR to the limited arsenal of anthelmintics available have raised awareness of the problem, and practices of horse owners appear to be changing by seeking more advice from veterinarians on deworming protocols.
• The future: New technologies from the field of genomics, gene editing, artificial intelligence, and data analytics may lead to the identification and development of new anthelmintic drugs or other control practices for internal parasites.

Developing deworming programs for horse farms based on scientific evidence has become more challenging as the concern over the development of anthelmintic resistance (AR) by internal parasites has continued to grow over the past few decades. The once simple recommendation of “deworm horses every two months” has become outdated and is strongly discouraged by many experts in the field as it is believed to hasten the development of AR in parasites which renders commonly used deworming drugs less effective. This perspective reviews historical practices of the past, the present situation, and the hope for future innovations in the field stemming from new technologies.

Read the full article in Animal Frontiers.