Identify higher shedders
Identify horses with higher parasite egg shedding.
Equine Diagnostics & Veterinary Care
Faecal Egg Counts & Worming
Effective parasite control is an important part of maintaining your horse’s health. Targeted testing and treatment can help reduce unnecessary worming while protecting horse health.
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Overview
A targeted approach to parasite control
Effective parasite control is an important part of maintaining your horse’s health, but worming every horse at fixed intervals is not always the best approach.
At Racetrack Veterinary Services, we recommend targeted parasite control, using Faecal Egg Counts (FECs) alongside your horse’s age, management, grazing conditions and previous treatment history to help determine when worming treatment is required.
This approach helps ensure horses receive appropriate treatment while reducing unnecessary use of worming products and helping to slow the development of anthelmintic resistance.
How FEC testing helps
Identify horses with higher parasite egg shedding.
Help determine when worming treatment may be appropriate.
Reduce unnecessary use of worming products.
Support a practical parasite-control program tailored to each horse.
Understanding the Test
What Is a Faecal Egg Count?
A Faecal Egg Count is a laboratory test performed on a small sample of your horse’s manure.
The sample is examined to estimate the number of certain parasite eggs being passed by the horse, usually reported as eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces.
This information helps your veterinarian assess the horse’s parasite burden and determine whether worming treatment may be required.
Why Test?
Why Perform Faecal Egg Counts?
Not every horse carries the same parasite burden.
Within a group of horses, some individuals consistently shed larger numbers of parasite eggs, while others may maintain relatively low counts.
Regular FEC testing can help:
Guide treatment
Determine when treatment is appropriate and guide the choice of worming program.
Monitor parasite control
Monitor parasite control within a property and help investigate possible parasite-related health problems.
Reduce unnecessary worming
Reduce unnecessary worming and selection pressure for drug-resistant worms.
Individualised care
This allows parasite control to be tailored to the individual horse rather than automatically treating every horse in the same way.
Anthelmintic Resistance
Why Not Just Worm Every Horse Regularly?
Parasite resistance to commonly used worming medications is an increasing concern in horses.
Every time a worming treatment is used unnecessarily, susceptible parasites are removed while resistant parasites may survive and reproduce.
Over time, this can make commonly used worming medications less effective.
A targeted program based on Faecal Egg Counts can reduce unnecessary treatment while still protecting horses that require worming.
Test Limitations
What Parasites Can a Faecal Egg Count Detect?
Faecal Egg Counts are particularly useful for monitoring egg shedding from parasites such as strongyles.
However, an important limitation is that a standard Faecal Egg Count does not detect every important equine parasite or every stage of infection.
For example, some parasites or immature stages may require different testing or strategic treatment.
For this reason, FEC results should form part of an overall parasite-management program rather than being used as the only measure of parasite risk.
Sample Collection
How Do I Collect a Faecal Sample?
Collecting a sample is straightforward.
Collect
Collect a small amount of fresh manure directly after your horse passes it.
Seal
Place it into a clean, sealed container or bag.
Label
Clearly label it with the horse’s name and the date collected.
Keep cool
Keep the sample cool and deliver it to our team as soon as practical.
If you have several horses, individual samples should be labelled carefully so results can be matched to the correct horse.
Our team can provide further instructions if required.
Testing Schedule
How Often Should Faecal Egg Counts Be Done?
There is no single testing schedule suitable for every horse.
The appropriate frequency depends on factors including:
- Age
- Grazing management
- Number of horses on the property
- Previous FEC results
- Previous worming history
- Movement of horses on and off the property
- Climate and season
- Individual health
Your veterinarian can help establish a practical testing and treatment schedule for your horses or property.
Treatment & Management
Strategic Worming
When treatment is required, your veterinarian can recommend an appropriate worming product based on the horse’s parasite risk and previous management.
A good parasite-control program may combine:
Testing & treatment
- Faecal Egg Counts
- Targeted worming treatments
- Strategic treatment for parasites not reliably identified by standard FEC testing
- Monitoring the effectiveness of worming treatments
Paddock management
- Appropriate paddock management
- Regular removal of manure
- Avoiding overstocking
Managing new arrivals
- Quarantine and parasite management for new arrivals
- Risk-based monitoring and follow-up
The aim is not necessarily to eliminate every parasite from every horse, but to control parasite burdens while maintaining horse health and preserving the effectiveness of worming medications.
Treatment Effectiveness
Faecal Egg Count Reduction Testing
In some circumstances, we may recommend testing before and after worming to assess whether the selected treatment has been effective.
This is known as a Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test.
Why it matters
Comparing egg counts before and after treatment can help identify whether parasites on a property may be developing resistance to a particular worming medication.
This information can be particularly valuable on properties with larger numbers of horses.
Performance & Racing
Parasite Control for Racing & Performance Stables
Properties with frequent horse movement can present additional parasite-management challenges.
Racehorses and performance horses may regularly move between:
Training facilities
Regular movement between training environments.
Spelling properties
Changes in grazing and management conditions.
Competition & sales
Competition venues and sales complexes.
Other properties
Interstate facilities and agistment properties.
A structured parasite-control program can help manage risk without simply increasing the frequency of worming treatments.
Racetrack Veterinary Services can work with trainers and property managers to develop practical parasite-management protocols for individual horses or larger groups.
Biosecurity
New Horses Arriving on a Property
New horses should be considered when developing a property's parasite-control and biosecurity program.
Depending on the situation, your veterinarian may recommend:
- Reviewing the horse's worming history
- Performing a Faecal Egg Count
- Appropriate treatment
- Follow-up testing
- Temporary separation from resident horses
- Specific manure and paddock management
This can help reduce the introduction of resistant parasite populations onto a property.
Young Horse Care
Foals & Young Horses
Young horses can have different parasite risks from healthy adult horses and may require a different approach to parasite management.
Foals, weanlings and yearlings should have a parasite-control program designed around their age, environment and individual risk.
Individualised guidance
Speak with our veterinarians about an appropriate worming and monitoring program for young horses.
Property Management
Paddock Management Matters
Worming medication is only one part of parasite control.
Good property management can help reduce parasite exposure.
Strategies may include:
Manure removal
Regular removal of manure from paddocks.
Stocking & rotation
Avoiding excessive stocking densities and rotating paddocks where practical.
Reduce exposure
Avoiding feeding directly from heavily contaminated areas, managing new arrivals appropriately and monitoring higher-risk horses with regular FEC testing.
Combining veterinary monitoring with sensible paddock management can reduce reliance on medication alone.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Faecal Egg Count tell me?
A Faecal Egg Count estimates the number of certain parasite eggs being shed in your horse's manure. It helps determine whether treatment may be required and assists with monitoring parasite control.
Does a low Faecal Egg Count mean my horse has no worms?
No. A low count does not mean a horse is completely parasite-free. Some parasites and immature stages are not reliably detected using a standard Faecal Egg Count.
Should I worm my horse before doing a Faecal Egg Count?
Generally, an FEC is most useful before treatment when assessing whether worming is required. If you have recently wormed your horse, let our team know when submitting the sample.
Does every horse on a property need to be wormed at the same time?
Not necessarily. Horses can have very different egg-shedding levels. Targeted treatment allows higher-risk horses to be treated without automatically treating horses that may not require it.
How soon do I need to bring in the manure sample?
Fresh samples are preferable. Keep the sample cool and bring it to our team as soon as practical after collection.
What if my horse has a high egg count?
Your veterinarian can recommend an appropriate treatment and may suggest follow-up testing to confirm that the worming medication has been effective.
Can you develop a worming program for an entire property?
Yes. We can help owners, trainers and property managers develop a practical parasite-control program incorporating FEC testing, targeted treatment and property management.
Have questions about parasite control for your horse? Contact our veterinary team.
Book a Faecal Egg Count
Book a Faecal Egg Count
If you are unsure when your horse was last wormed, want to reduce unnecessary worming or would like a more targeted approach to parasite control, a Faecal Egg Count is a useful place to start.
Racetrack Veterinary Services can provide Faecal Egg Count testing, worming advice and tailored parasite-control programs for individual horses, racing and performance stables and multi-horse properties.
BOOK A VET ☎ 03 5975 6586