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Thief of Health and Hearts...
Last year, 14-year-old Ryan McMillan almost lost the best roping horse -- and one of the best friends -- he has ever known. A thief stalked Ryan's gelding 24 hours a day, seven days a week, unseen and unheard, until the otherwise healthy horse almost lost his life to the vicious criminal. Frighteningly, the same thief lurks in your barn. As one of the smallest members of a well-known gang, many researchers now believe he is its worst and most persistent felon: the parasitic encysted small strongyle (cyathostome). Most horse owners today understand the importance of regular deworming, especially in a prescribed annual rotation. In fact, Ryan's horse was dewormed regularly, and appeared healthy before he was struck by larval cyathostomosis, a disease caused by encysted small strongyles. Unfortunately, many people simply don't know about the grave problems that encysted small strongyles can cause -- or about the only over-the-counter dewormer, in a specified dosage, that is amazingly 97% - 98% effective against all three stages of the encysted form. Life Cycle of Destruction
According to D. Craig Barnett, DVM, the adult small strongyle doesn't really cause the horse much trouble. "However, the larval stage burrows into the lining of the horse's colon where it can cause significant inflammation, as well as weight loss, diarrhea, and even death in severe cases." The adult lays eggs that are passed in a horse's feces. These eggs eventually mature into that third-stage larvae (L3), at which point a grazing horse picks them up. The L3 larvae migrate into the lining of the horse's colon, and forms a cyst - thus the term encysted small strongyle. About 75% of these are early third-stage larvae (EL3), which may remain in the intestinal lining for eight weeks to two years, compromising the nutrient absorption especially vital to health. Eventually, EL3 develop into fourth stage (L4) larvae, emerging from the cyst and enter the lumen of the large colon. From there, they develop into adults, and the cycle begins again. It is when the L4 larvae burst through the colon wall that those murderous little thieves are the most dangerous. When thousands, or millions, of larvae emerge at once, severe damage can result, added Dr. Barnett. At the very least, this occurrence might cause your horse to seem a bit "off", with a dull hair coat, listlessness, or an irritable attitude. He looks OK, but that Grand Champion edge just isn't there. More severe symptoms, such as Ryan's gelding demonstrated, might include diarrhea, weight loss, colic, edema of the legs and ventral abdomen, and even death. A downright scary prospect. |
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