Quest and unthrifty horses

[motorgypsy]

We've had our 23 year old for about six years and she's never been as plump as the rest of the horses - not thin but just a bit hippy. Last year she got fairly thin. Finally after going to a seminar about wormers and listening to some studies on parasites who no longer were affected by many of the common paste wormers in particular except for Quest and its generic equivalent we decided to go ahead and worm her with Quest even though she's been on daily wormer and rotated paste wormers. We do have a forum friend who lost five horses to a strange strongyle that was not killed by ivermectin and was only finally killed by Quest (moxidectin sp??). Well one week ago we wormed her with Quest. She had no reaction to it at all. But honestly in one week's time she appears to have already gained weight. It's quite amazing to us to see the difference already.

Bonnie - age 23
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v99/motorgypsy/IMG_1416a.jpg

[Abejita]

Please note that the MG's pointed out that she WAS on a daily product and rotated other dewormers..Do not give Quest or probably Equimax or similar products to horses that are unthrifty due to having not been dewormed or ones you know have a high worm load.The sudden kill off could cause colic ..but I do use Quest in my Rotational program and have never had any problems..

[ErinC]

when it first came out my Vet worned us away from it, told us not to use it that the "inside studies " were bad news.

I have never used it.

:?:

so now I am still afraid to.

[motorgypsy]

It is the only wormer that kills certain small strongyles and those worms can kill horses.

Here's the info on it and why you are warned. The safety factor for wormers like equimectin is about 6X the normal does. The safety margin for moxidectin is more like 2.5 times so if you don't know the weight of your horse you can see it would be easy to overdose. Ft. Dodge who also is probably the most widely respected vaccine producer is the manufacturer and there is a generic would not have it on the market if they didn't have plenty of documentation that it was safe as directed. A lady in Texas lost probably five of her horses (She was on one of our forums during the diagnosis, deaths and treatment of her horses) from small strongyles. They were a resistant variety brought in by a new mini at a far next door. Quest saved the rest of her horses and some were at deaths door. It was terrible because the horses kept on eating and just lost weight and died and none of her vets could find out why until they did a fecal separation and found the adults and tested the wormers on the live adults and found that only Quest (moxidectin sp?) would kill them. So I would definitely consider it again if you have one who had been checked out and has no other problems but is just unthrifty. We were amazed at our mare's improvement. And yes - use the other womers first before you hit one who hasn't been wormed with the "mother of all wormers" or you can cause an impaction colic when they dump all those dead worms.

[Pam M]

I use Quest twice a year in my rotation and I'm VERY happy with it. I've had no bad side effects and my guys seem to thrive after it. My vet recommends only twice a year or I'd use it more! Note: I haven't used it on my yearling and probably won't till she's a full two.

[ErinC]

thats the other question, when is it safe to use on a young horse.

and can you use it on FAT horses, my 7 yr old is very fat,
or should you only use it when you notice a horse thin, and dont know why.
:?:

[motorgypsy]

I think the directions say not to use it on sick horses, under a year old and minis but I do wonder if the problem with minis is that the owners tend to overestimate their weight and with the safety factor being lower than with equimectin you can see that it could cause problems if they did. So sure it's fine with fat horses. Again I'd paste worm with one of the others first, wait a week or so and then use the Quest. It's just more expensive so people with fat horses figure they must not have much of a parasite load if they're fat. ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) But remember that one of the big problems is when the larvae migrate and cause colic so it seems like a good idea to use it on everyone in your rotation.

[Abejita]

being fat will have no effect..(except needing more because he is heavier)

I have given Quest to yearlings with no problem. I also give it twice a year at least..I have given it since it came on the market with no problems.But I deworm every 6 weeks .

[CarolU]

I also rotate Quest in and give it to yearlings, but nothing younger. When you get a new horse and are unsure about the worm load, worm at least twice with other wormers FIRST to decrease the worm load. Then use Quest. It is a very safe product.

I have only heard of it causing problems in foals (under 1 year) and impaction in older horses IF the horse has a very heavy worm load at the time of worming.

[motorgypsy]

Here's the link to all the info on Quest

http://www.wyeth.com/products?product=/wyeth_html/home/products/animal_health/QUEST%C2%AE%20Gel/QUEST%C2%AE%20Gel_overview.html
Quest Plus kills tapeworms also.

QUEST® 2% EQUINE ORAL GEL

Fort Dodgemoxidectin

NADA 141-087, Approved by FDA

Contains 20 mg moxidectin/mL (2.0% w/v)

DEWORMER & BOTICIDE

FOR ORAL USE IN HORSES AND PONIES SIX MONTHS OF AGE AND OLDER

INDICATIONS

QUEST (moxidectin) 2% Equine Oral Gel when administered at the recommended dose level of 0.4 mg moxidectin/kg (2.2 lb) body weight is effective in the treatment and control of the following stages of gastrointestinal parasites in horses and ponies:

Large Strongyles:

Strongylus vulgaris - (adults and L4/L5 arterial stages), Strongylus edentatus - (adults and tissue stages), Triodontophorus brevicauda - (adults), Triodontophorus serratus - (adults)

Small Strongyles (adults): Cyathostomum spp., including Cyathostomum catinatum, Cyathostomum pateratum; Cylicostephanus spp., including Cylicostephanus calicatus, Cylicostephanus goldi, Cylicostephanus longibursatus, Cylicostephanus minutus; Cylicocyclus spp., including Cylicocyclus insigne, Cylicocyclus leptostomum, Cylicocyclus nassatus; Cylicocyclus radiatus; Coronocyclus spp., including Coronocyclus coronatus, Coronocyclus labiatus, Coronocyclus labratus; Gyalocephalus capitatus; Petrovinema poculatus

Small Strongyles:

Undifferentiated lumenal larvae

Encysted cyathostomes

Late L3 and L4 mucosal cyathostome larvae

Ascarids

Parascaris equorum - (adults and L4 larval stages)

Pin worms

Oxyuris equi - (adults and L4 larval stages)

Hairworms

Trichostrongylus axei - (adults)

Large-mouth stomach worms

Habronema muscae - (adults)

Horse stomach bots

Gasterophilus intestinalis - (2nd and 3rd instars), Gasterophilus nasalis - (3rd instars)

One administration of the recommended dose rate of QUEST (moxidectin) 2% Equine Oral Gel also suppresses strongyle egg production through 84 days.

QUEST is indicated for use in horses and ponies, including breeding mares and stallions, and foals six months of age and older.

STRATEGIC PROTECTION PROGRAMS

Consult your veterinarian for assistance in the diagnosis, treatment, and control of parasitism. For best control of parasites, all horses and ponies should be included in a strategic treatment program, with particular attention given to high performance animals, brood mares, stallions and foals. In foals, initial treatment is recommended at 6 months of age, after which they should be included in a recurrent treatment program. Because QUEST provides effective control of the mucosal stages of small strongyles (encysted cyathostomes), it is useful in reducing the frequency of treatment required for successful strategic equine parasite control. A veterinarian can assist in preparing the best program for your needs.

QUEST 2% Equine Oral Gel when used at the recommended dose rate suppresses strongyle egg production through 84 days following a single oral administration. This residual strongyle control reduces pasture contamination and provides a period of protection from reinfection for horses and ponies maintained on the same pasture.

MODE OF ACTION

QUEST 2% Equine Oral Gel acts by interfering with chloride channel-mediated neurotransmission in the parasite. This results in paralysis and elimination of the parasite. Moxidectin is safe for use in horses and ponies because it does not have the same injurious effect on the mammalian nervous system.

ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

QUEST (moxidectin) 2% Equine Oral Gel is specially formulated as a palatable gel which is easily administered to horses and ponies.

QUEST Gel is packaged in ready-to-use SURE-DIAL® syringes (see diagram of the SURE-DIAL® syringe below). The syringe is calibrated in 50-pound increments, up to 1150 pounds. This enables the administration of the recommended dose level of 0.4 mg moxidectin/kg body weight by choosing a setting consistent with the animal's weight.

HOW TO SET THE DOSE

Since the dose is based on the weight of the animal, you need to use a scale or weight tape to find each animal's weight before treating with QUEST Gel. Once the weight is known, set the dose for each horse or pony as follows.

1. Hold the syringe with the capped end pointing to the left and so that you can see the weight measurements and tick marks (small black lines) as shown in the diagram below. Each tick mark relates to 50 lbs. of body weight.

2. Turn the green dial ring until the left side of the ring lines up with the weight of the animal. In the diagram below, the dial ring is set to dose a 500 lb. animal.

HOW TO GIVE QUEST GEL TO A HORSE OR PONY

1. Make sure there is no feed in the animal's mouth.

2. Remove the cap from the end of the syringe. Save the cap for reuse.

3. Place the tip of the syringe inside the animal's mouth at the space between the teeth.

4. Gently push the plunger until it stops, depositing the gel on the back of the tongue.

5. Remove the syringe from the animal's mouth and raise the animal's head slightly to make sure it swallows the gel.

5. Replace the syringe cap.

SURE-DIAL® Syringe

TREATING A SECOND HORSE OR PONY WITH THE SAME SYRINGE

If the first animal you treat weighs less than 1150 lbs., there will be gel left in the syringe. You can use this gel to treat other horses or ponies. To set the next dose, add the weight of the animal you want to treat to the dose setting already on the syringe. For example, if the syringe was first used to treat a 250 lb. animal, the green dial ring is set on 250 lbs. To treat a 500 lb. animal next, move the green dial ring to the 750 lb. marking (250+500=750). You need more than one syringe to treat horses weighing more than 1150 lbs.

Each syringe of QUEST 2% Equine Oral Gel may be used to treat more than one animal especially when dosing ponies and growing and lighter breeds of horses. The table below will help estimate the number of horses or ponies the contents of each syringe will treat.

Age Ponies Light Horses Heavy Horses

Weight Treated Animals

Weight Treated Animals

Weight Treated Animals

(lbs)(kg)(per syringe)

(lbs)(kg)(per syringe)

(lbs)(kg)(per syringe)

6 months 200 (91) 5 400 (181) 2 550 (250) 2

9 months 250 (113) 4 500 (227) 2 700 (318) 1

Mature 450 (204) 2 900 (409) 1 1300(590)


*

* A full syringe plus a portion of a second syringe is required to treat horses weighing more than 1150 lb.

ANIMAL SAFETY

QUEST (moxidectin) 2% Equine Oral Gel can be safely administered at the recommended dose of 0.4 mg moxidectin/kg body weight to horses and ponies of all breeds at least 6 months of age or older. Transient depression, ataxia and recumbency may be seen when very young or debilitated animals are treated. In these instances, supportive care may be advisable. Reproductive safety studies demonstrate a wide margin of safety when the product is used in the treatment of estrual and pregnant mares and breeding stallions.

To report adverse drug reactions or to obtain a copy of the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) call (800)477-1365.

ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY

Care should be taken to avoid the release of significant volumes of moxidectin into either ground or free-running water since moxidectin may be injurious to aquatic life. SURE-DIAL® syringes and their contents should be disposed of in an approved landfill or by incineration.

PRECAUTIONS

QUEST 2% Equine Oral Gel has been formulated specifically for use in horses and ponies only. This product should not be used in other animal species as severe adverse reactions, including fatalities in dogs, may result.

WARNINGS

Extreme caution should be used when administering the product to foals, young and miniature horses, as overdosage may result in serious adverse reactions. Do not use in sick, debilitated, or underweight animals. (talk to your vet here and be sure you have the correct weight for your horse). Not for horses or ponies intended for human consumption.

HUMAN WARNINGS

Not for use in humans. Keep this and all drugs out of the reach of children. Do not ingest. If swallowed, induce vomiting. Wash hands and contaminated skin with soap and water. If accidental contact with eyes occurs, flush repeatedly with water. If irritation or any other symptom attributable to exposure to this product persists, consult your physician.

HOW SUPPLIED

QUEST 2% Equine Oral Gel is available in one syringe applicator size. Each SURE-DIAL® syringe contains 0.4 oz (11.3 g) of QUEST 2% Equine Oral Gel which is sufficient to treat a single horse weighing up to 1150 lb, or two or more lighter animals with a combined body weight of up to 1150 lb. Available in 20-pack displays and 50-pack bulk.

NDC 0856-7441-03 - 0.4 oz (11.3 g) syringe - 20 mg moxidectin per mL

Store at or below 77°F (25°C). Avoid freezing. If frozen, thaw completely before use. Store partially-used syringes with the cap tightly secured.