We offer two levels of Worm Egg Count Plans for your horses – a Standard and a Plus.

The Standard Plan comes in two versions:
1.  Standard – where you drop the poo off yourself for your worm egg counts
2. Standard Postal Kit – where we provide you with a kit for the years worm egg counts that you can post back to us by Freepost.

Tapeworm tests will be posted out in October whatever plan you are on.

All plans cover a 12 month period from sign up.  

You can now also sign up online by annual direct debit by clicking on the Join up buttons below, or you can sign up in the practice on our tablet.

Alternatively if you want to pay by card, please call the team on 01653 618303.

It is no longer appropriate to just worm horses/ponies on a regular basis without testing.

Each time a wormer is used, the surviving worms are resistant to the drug used. The more you use wormers the more chance there is for resistance to develop in the worm population. Resistance is indicated by a reduced egg reappearance period, and/or ineffective worm egg count reduction in response to treatment.

• Only 21% of horses having WECs at Station House Vets last year needed treating
• 80% of the worm burden is carried by 20% of the horse population

Worm egg counts are important as they confirm whether  wormer is required or not, depending on the level of the egg burden at the time.  It avoids over worming and potentially causing more resistance by maintaining the number of worms in ‘refugia’, those that are still sensitive to wormers.  It is therefore recommended that instead of just worming on a regular bases, worm egg counts should be initiated.

The optimum time to perform worm egg counts is in the main grazing season between early March and late October.

The first WEC is done in early March and then every 2-3 months through to October.  If you’re on the WEC plan you don’t need to worry – we’ll remind you!

The number of eggs in different faecal piles is fairly consistent, BUT it varies within the faecal pile, therefore it is very important that you take at least 3 x pinches from different areas within the same pile.

The total sample taken across the 3 samples should be around golf ball size.

We need your sample from the freshest faecal pile available (ideally less than 12 hours old). Place the sample in a zip lock bag, removing as much air as possible.

Or if you are on the Standard Postal Kit Plan – we provide you with everything you need to take and package your sample – and then simply drop it in the post box the same day.

Keep refrigerated once collected unless you are bringing it or posting it straight to us.

Your (refrigerated) sample needs to be dropped off with us at the practice as soon as possible after it has been taken (ideally a week day rather than a weekend) – or posted to us the same day if you are on the Standard Postal plan.

Please let us know that you are dropping a WEC sample off or posting one back to us if you are on the postal plan (the day before or on the morning of taking the sample) so we know about it in advance – call 01653 618303 or email us on reception@stationhousevets.co.uk

Samples ideally need to be tested within 48 hours of being taken, so it is important that we know the sample is coming to us in advance, so we can organise the testing within the required timeframe.

Whenever possible, your results will be available within 48 hours (except for over a weekend).

Our equine team will give you a call with the results and advise on appropriate treatment once the WEC test is processed.

The results are reported as the number of eggs per gram.

If the WEC is:
– less than 250 eggs per gram there is no requirement to treat
– more than 250 eggs per gram, our veterinary team will advise which wormer is required

If your horse needs treating, 10-14 days after the wormer has been administered Worm Egg Count Reduction Test is required.

If your horse needs treating due to a WEC result of 250epg or greater, we advise a WEC reduction test is preformed. You can collect a sample in exactly the same way as for the WEC test – taking 4 x samples from different areas of one faecal pile.

We perform a WEC in exactly the same way on this sample. The difference between the WEC results before and after treatment is then utilised to calculate the percentage reduction in these WEC results. We are looking for a 90-95% reduction (depending on the treatment drug used) in the WEC between tests. This indicates there is no resistance to the worming drug used for treatment.

If resistance is detected, then this is important to your horse and any oc-grazers as it indicates resistance within the worm population.

• All of the reduction tests done at Station House Vets in 2021 came back as 100% reduction.

Horses under 6 years old and over 16 years old are more susceptible to worms. Some individuals seem to have an increased susceptibility to worms, accounting for 80% of the worm burden being carried by 20% of the horse population.

Horses & ponies of all ages should be regularly tested and treated where necessary.

There are three reasons why we test during this period:

1. Exposure to worms is increased during the main grazing season from March to October when horses are turned out more often and for longer periods
2. Conditions are more favourable for parasite development to occur on the pasture during the grazing season
3. Egg shedding from horses  is higher during these months than in the winter.

This is a test that you can perform yourself very easily and then post the swab directly to the laboratory. All you need, including a prepaid envelope, is included in the kit we give you.

It is important that your horse has not eaten or been exercised for 30 minutes before taking the test.  This is to ensure the sample collected is not too dilute as salivation increases when eating or being exercised. This test is performed once a year, usually in Autumn.

Find out how to perform the tapeworm saliva test.

Research shows less than 50% of adult horses in the UK are infected with adult tapeworms.

Only 22% of horses tested for tapeworm by Station House Vets in 2021 needed treatment.

This is blood sample which must be taken by one of our vets. It is done once a year, usually between September and December.

Results are usually back within a week and one of the equine team will call you to advise if treatment is required.

When you are on one of our Worm Egg Count Plans, we will remind you that your test is due.

• Discounted rates for being on the plan rather than paying for each treatment individually
• Annual one-off charge of either £55 for the WEC standard plan or £85 for the WEC Plus plan
• Regular checks to determine if your horse needs treating for worms or not
• We’ve got you covered – we will send a reminder when your  next WEC test is due!
• Peace of mind that you are not over worming or under worming your horse
• Do something positive for your horse, your pasture and the planet!

You can join the plan at any point in the year and your renewal will be due the same time the following year – a reminder will be sent out just before you are due to renew.*

* T&C’s apply
Worm egg count plans terms and conditions

You can now sign up online and pay by direct debit.
Paying annually makes it more cost effective.
Click on any of the Join a worm egg count plan buttons on this page.

Alternatively, if you want to pay by credit card, give the team a call on 01653 618303 to sign up.