{"id":38694,"date":"2024-09-09T09:08:11","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T13:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.flywheelsites.com\/?p=38694"},"modified":"2025-03-07T21:00:37","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T02:00:37","slug":"what-are-fecal-egg-counts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/what-are-fecal-egg-counts\/","title":{"rendered":"What are Fecal Egg Counts"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is why people have used deworming<\/a> remedies for their horses for centuries and why chemical products were developed in more recent decades. However, with any type of deworming protocol, the goal should not be to eradicate all worms from your horse (nor is this possible). Instead, we should strive to maintain a healthy parasite load.<\/p>\n

One worrisome issue that has developed due to the overuse of chemical dewormers is that of anthelmintic resistance, in which some parasites have adapted to deworming chemicals, making the products ineffective. Because of this issue, it is no longer recommended that horses be dewormed blindly. Instead, owners should find out if<\/i> their horse needs a dewormer in the first place, and, if so, what type. This is where fecal egg counts can help.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What is a Fecal Egg Count?<\/b><\/p>\n

A fecal egg count is exactly what it sounds like: it\u2019s when a count of parasite eggs<\/a> is taken from a sample of your horse\u2019s manure. The sample can help identify which types of parasites your horse has in order to<\/p>\n

devise a more targeted deworming approach. While not completely foolproof, FECs are useful for two main reasons:<\/p>\n

1.) They can determine which horses need to be dewormed by identifying the type of parasites as well as the approximate parasitic load.<\/p>\n

2.) They can determine if the product you already used to deworm your horse was effective.<\/p>\n

When using FECs to determine a product\u2019s effectiveness, it will need to be done twice: before the product is given and then 14 days afterward. If the egg count has not significantly decreased (by at least 90%) in the retest, then another type dewormer is likely needed. If using FECs to see if deworming is needed for your horse, it\u2019s generally recommended that they be performed at least twice per year: in early spring and late fall. However, doing them more frequently can be helpful too. In large herds where individual FECs may be impractical, an alternative is to take random samples within a group of horses housed together and then evaluate and treat the group as a whole. Keep in mind that FECs cannot identify every type of parasite. Two that will not show up in an FEC are tapeworm and pinworm eggs. Therefore, you\u2019ll need to ask your veterinarian about deworming for these parasites.\"Fecal<\/p>\n

Healthy Horses Start with a Safe, Secure Environment!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Monitoring your horse\u2019s health with fecal egg counts is essential, but a secure pasture is just as important<\/strong> for their well-being. At Ramm Fence<\/strong>, we provide durable, horse-safe fencing to protect your equine companion from injury and ensure a safe space for them to thrive.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc34 Give your horse the best care inside and out!<\/strong> Explore Our Horse Fencing Solutions<\/a> and create a safer pasture today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is why people have used deworming remedies for their horses for centuries and why chemical products were developed in more recent decades. However, with any type of deworming protocol, the goal should not be to eradicate all worms from your horse (nor is this possible). Instead, we should strive to maintain a healthy parasite…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":38695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"yoast_head":"\nFecal Egg Count: A Guide for Horse Owners - Your Horse Farm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Understand the Fecal Egg Count and its importance in determining your horse's need for deworming treatments and maintaining health.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/what-are-fecal-egg-counts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What are Fecal Egg Counts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Understand the Fecal Egg Count and its importance in determining your horse's need for deworming treatments and maintaining health.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/what-are-fecal-egg-counts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Your Horse Farm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/rammfence\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-09T13:08:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-08T02:00:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/WEB_Grazing-horse.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"572\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casie Bazay\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@rammfence\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@rammfence\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casie Bazay\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/what-are-fecal-egg-counts\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/what-are-fecal-egg-counts\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Casie Bazay\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/da29b2d6502cd9c9a8b2e5be35d4ca48\"},\"headline\":\"What are Fecal Egg Counts\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-09T13:08:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-08T02:00:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/what-are-fecal-egg-counts\/\"},\"wordCount\":468,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/what-are-fecal-egg-counts\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/WEB_Grazing-horse.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Lifestyle\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/what-are-fecal-egg-counts\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/what-are-fecal-egg-counts\/\",\"name\":\"Fecal Egg Count: A Guide for Horse Owners - 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