Understanding Worm Egg Counts

A Faecal Egg Count (FEC) is the best way to check the type of worms in your horse and the effectiveness of your wormer. Here’s how.

A faecal egg count can provide an insight into the type of worms in your horse.

For optimal results, a FEC should take place 14 days after worming your horse. However, you may also like to perform a FEC prior to worming to evaluate the effectiveness of your ongoing worming program is.

If used correctly, a FEC can decrease your reliance on worming treatments and extend the life of wormers used today.

It’s best to speak to your vet to assist you in conducting a FEC on your property and developing specific worming strategies.

Result	FEC	Risk	Comments
Low	Less than 200	Negligible	No need to worm your horse as this is an acceptable egg count.
Moderate	200 - 500	Small risk	Your horse has a burden of worms and you should consider treating. There is a small risk of worm associated disease.
High	More than 500	High risk	Your horse has a high worm burden. Treatment should be administered to reduce the risk of worm associated disease.

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