Cyathostome (small strongyle), is a parasite that affects grazing horses.
This parasite is particularly nasty as the larvae migrates into the wall of the intestines. Once there, they encyst, like caterpillars in a cocoon, to go through stages of their lifecycle. After some time, they hatch and re-migrate into the intestinal lumen before becoming adults.
This small parasite creates a huge immune response when it is burrowing in and out of the intestine. It can cause horses to become quite sick and they may experience watery diarrhea, dehydration, oedema, colic signs, weight loss, and increased temperature.
As they spend a lot of time in the larval stage, not producing eggs, it is difficult to pick up if there is a problem. It is therefore recommended that all horses receive a wormer in Autumn. It is important that the wormer contains moxidectin and praziquantel. If you are unsure which wormer to get have a chat to our team.
Faecal egg counts are still recommended for every horse every three months to detect all other worms.
