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Journal article
Worm control practices used by Thoroughbred horse managers in Australia: A national survey
Veterinary parasitology, Vol.327, 110116
2024
Abstract
This study assessed worm control practices used by Australian Thoroughbred farm managers with an online questionnaire survey. The questionnaire comprised 52 questions (close-ended: 44; open-ended: 8) about farm demography and general husbandry practices, farm managers’ knowledge of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) and their importance, diagnosis, worm control strategies and anthelmintics, anthelmintic resistance (AR) and grazing management. Following the pilot survey, the link for the questionnaire survey was sent to all (n = 657) registered members of the Thoroughbred Breeders Australia on 12th April 2020. The response rate for the questionnaire was 18.5% (122 of 675). The farm managers reported a good understanding of GIN and their importance in different age groups of horses as most respondents (70% of 122) perceived worm-related illness to be more important in young (i.e., foals, weanlings and yearlings) than adult (> 3 years old) horses. Although most respondents (93%, 113 of 122) used anthelmintics prophylactically to control GIN, only 15% (18 of 122) observed worm-related illness in their horses. Just under 40% of respondents were performing faecal egg counts, with less than 20% using the results of faecal egg counts to guide deworming decisions. The interval-based deworming strategy was the most common method (≥55% of 122 respondents) to control GIN in all age groups of horses. Macrocyclic lactones were the first choice of anthelmintics for all age groups of horses. Although the majority of respondents (88%, 107 of 122) perceived resistance in GIN against commonly used anthelmintics as an important issue in managing worms in horses, only 29% assessed the efficacy of anthelmintics and 91% (111 of 122) were unaware of AR on their properties. Grazing management practices, such as manure removal, were more frequently performed on smaller paddocks (<0.20 ha: 58%) than on larger paddocks (>0.20 ha: 18%). Multiple correspondence analyses showed that the likelihood of suboptimal worm control practices on small farms (n = ≤50 horses) was greater than that of medium (n = 51–100) and large (n = >100) farms. This study provides insights into the demography of Thoroughbred farms in Australia, husbandry practices used by stud managers and their knowledge about worms, control options and AR concerns, thereby paving the way for taking any initiatives to address the problem of AR in GIN of Australian Thoroughbred horses.
Details
- Title
- Worm control practices used by Thoroughbred horse managers in Australia: A national survey
- Authors/Creators
- Ghazanfar Abbas - The University of MelbourneJenni Bauquier - The University of MelbourneAnne Beasley - The University of QueenslandCaroline Jacobson - Murdoch UniversityCharles El-HageEdwina J.A. WilkesPeter CarriganLucy CudmoreJohn HurleyIan Beveridge - The University of MelbourneMartin K. Nielsen - University of KentuckyKristopher J. Hughes - Charles Sturt UniversityMark A. Stevenson - The University of MelbourneAbdul Jabbar - The University of Melbourne
- Publication Details
- Veterinary parasitology, Vol.327, 110116
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V
- Identifiers
- 991005630999007891
- Copyright
- © 2024 The Author(s).
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Animal Production and Health; School of Agricultural Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
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- Citation topics
- 1 Clinical & Life Sciences
- 1.163 Parasitology - General
- 1.163.1022 Anthelmintic Resistance
- Web Of Science research areas
- Parasitology
- Veterinary Sciences
- ESI research areas
- Plant & Animal Science