Is it Okay to Mix Horse Dewormer Into Grain?

Worming your horses is an important part of preventative health care. Horses are subject to a number of parasites, and those invaders can cause real problems if left unchecked. Paste wormer provides an easy and inexpensive way to keep those parasites at bay, but many horses do not like the taste and refuse to take their medication. If you have a horse like that, you can use a dewormer that is simply added to the daily grain ration.

  1. Daily Dewormer

    • If you want to mix deworming medication in with your horse's grain, you can do so by purchasing a daily deworming product. These products are designed for use as feed additives, and they provide a steady dose of medication to prevent parasites from taking hold in your horse. A number of daily dewormers are on the market and sold at tack shops and feed mills. Check with your vet and ask for a product recommendation before purchasing.

    Paste Wormer

    • Traditional paste wormer is not designed to be mixed with grain, and it is not a good idea to use it as a food additive. For one thing, the horse will easily spot the medication in the grain, and he will most likely ignore and eat around it. In addition, it will be difficult to get the proper dosage of paste wormer into your horse if you add it to his feed. It is better to use the paste wormer as intended, by adjusting the dosage for the horse's weight, placing the end of the tube in his mouth and pressing the plunger to give him the dose. The paste wormer has a sticky texture, so the horse cannot spit it out.

    Checking for Residue

    • If you do choose to use a daily dewormer, you need to check the horse's feed dish carefully after each meal. Some horses get quite good at detecting the foreign substance, and they find a way to shake it loose from the feed. If you find residue from the deworming medication in the feed dish, you may need to go back to standard paste wormers.

    Corn Oil

    • One way to make that daily deworming medication more palatable and harder to separate from the feed is to add a cap full of corn oil to each feeding. The moisture from the corn oil permeates the feed and the deworming medication, and that can prevent all but the most determined horse from picking that medication out of the food. Corn oil also promotes a shiny coat, so using it can have other benefits as well.