Thanks, But We'd Like to Pass

We worm our horses in the spring and the fall.  The rest of the year, I do fecal counts and we worm only if the results indicate worms.  The horses are due for their fall worming and Jackson's manure was looking suspiciously loose.  So, the other morning I collected samples and got to work.  I did Jackson first and sure enough I saw lots of roundworm larvae when I peeked in the microscope.  I gave him the last dose of pyrantel we had on hand and collected samples from the rest of the herd.

Flash, Winston, Donkeys (since they share a stall, I can't differentiate one donkey's poop from the other)

Up at the house, I prepared the slides.

Flash had a medium load, Winston a light load and the donkeys light as well.  I ordered more wormer and it arrived last night.

After the horses had their morning buckets, but before they went out into the pasture for hay, I administered the wormer.  Passage sat in the sunshine of the barn aisle and watched.  I'm sure she was feeling very smug since she wasn't subjected to the indignity of a tube of wormer paste shoved down her throat.

Flash was first.  When he was younger, worming him was very difficult but over the years he's gotten better about it.  When he sees the tube, he flings his head high in the air and tosses it around.  I hold the tube against the side of his mouth and follow his head.  Eventually, he gives up and accepts the paste.  Except for this morning.  He wouldn't give.  Finally, I had Brett come in and pinch the skin on his neck as a distraction and I was able to get it down his throat.  Flash accepted a cookie from me and I moved on.

Winston was next.  I've only wormed him once before and I didn't remember it being difficult.  However, I think he was watching Flash because he did the exact same thing.  Brett assisted.  Winston got wormed - and then he got a handful of cookies.  He is very motivated by cookies.  I left his stall with yellow wormer all over my sleeve and Winston's nose was smeared.

The donkeys were easy.  They were more concerned about having a halter put on than the wormer.  They never get cookies - except when wormed, trimmed or vaccinated -- so they were very pleased with their treat.

Jackson gets the blue ribbon.  He stood quietly, let me get the tube way in the back of his throat, and swallowed it down.  He is also on restricted cookie intake due to his insulin resistance so he was happy about to get his cookie.

We have another warm, sunny day.  Mid-morning we were already up to 76F.