A New Solution
Previous Parasite Treatments
Until now, effective and safe means of preventing and treating equine tapeworm infections have been hard to come by. Current deworming methods simply don’t address the tapeworm threat, for one basic reason.
There is a vast difference in anatomy and physiology between cestodes like the tapeworm and nematodes like the strongyle and the roundworm. This makes it impossible for one anthelmintic compound to treat all equine parasites.
Ivermectin’s Action
Ivermectin is a dewormer familiar to most horse owners in the United States. It is a member of the avermectin family of macrocyclic lactones – a group of anthelmintics. Ivermectin works by disrupting the neuromuscular functions of parasites such as small strongyles, pinworms and bots. The dewormer causes paralysis and subsequent death of nematodes.
Ivermectin’s Efficacy
Ivermectin has excellent efficacy against a wide range of equine parasites, including such well-known threats as large strongyles, small strongyles, ascarids and bots.
Praziquantel’s Action
Praziquantel is a member of a different chemical family than ivermectin – called the pyrozine family. It is 100 percent effective against Anoplocephala perfoliata, the most prevalent equine tapeworm. While its exact mode of action isn’t known, this powerful dewormer is thought to work by damaging the tapeworm’s absorptive outer layer, or tegument. When this is accomplished, the parasite is vulnerable to the horse’s immune system, resulting in detachment and disintegration of the tapeworm.
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