# Equitape discontinuation, can anyone explain



## Diddleydoo (7 July 2018)

I'm a longterm customer of Westgate labs and on their mailing list. I received their newsletter last night and was shocked to read that Equitape is being discontinued.

There's an article on the website but I can't see why the product is being discontinued. Can anyone explain? 

I don't understand as from what I read it's not that the product is ineffective, has high resistance or major side effects.

https://www.westgatelabs.co.uk/info...ptions-following-the-loss-of-equitape-wormer/


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## ycbm (7 July 2018)

It's probably not commercially viable for them to make it and sell it. Mixes with moxidectin or ivermectin are far more popular because they treat all worms, not just tapeworm. 

If you want to do tape with one drug only, you can use a double dose of strongid P, pyrantel embonate.


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## ester (7 July 2018)

I don't think we've really moved over to treating tapes as individual worms, I suspect when they brought it out (which must be about 15 years ago) they probably expected take up to increase year on year and that probably hasn't happened as people think they might as well use one of the mixed wormers. I think it a shame given that some do seem to find the dual praziquantel wormers problematic and that there is resistance to pyranatel.


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## Diddleydoo (8 July 2018)

ycbm said:



			It's probably not commercially viable for them to make it and sell it. Mixes with moxidectin or ivermectin are far more popular because they treat all worms, not just tapeworm. 

If you want to do tape with one drug only, you can use a double dose of strongid P, pyrantel embonate.
		
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ester said:



			I don't think we've really moved over to treating tapes as individual worms, I suspect when they brought it out (which must be about 15 years ago) they probably expected take up to increase year on year and that probably hasn't happened as people think they might as well use one of the mixed wormers. I think it a shame given that some do seem to find the dual praziquantel wormers problematic and that there is resistance to pyranatel.
		
Click to expand...

Thank you both that makes sense. 

I've tried the equisal test a couple of times so it's handy for me to be able to worm specifically with a single chemical.  Although so far she's been clear on each test. I've struggled with Pramox in the past as it seems to knock her for six a bit. 

Hopefully if she can keep up the clear results it won't present much of an issue and I'll use the double Strongid P as an alternative.


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## ycbm (8 July 2018)

Lots of people have trouble with Pramox, it's moxidectin and praziquatel. You could try ivermectin and praziquantel instead, I've not seen bad reports about that. Ivermectin is a less harsh drug and doesn't do encysted redworm.


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## ester (8 July 2018)

^^ ditto thats what I tend to do, one year on pyratape, the next with an ivermectin/praziquantel mix.  I don't want to do encysteds at the same time I want to tapes anyway.


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## milliepops (8 July 2018)

people mentioned on another thread that the tubes they had recently bought to stock up had a use by date of oct 18... I've just checked some I bought early this year and they were the same so possible that they haven't been in production for a while?  
I have also used the one combined with ivermec without a problem. Don't intend to switch to pramox, as you say ester the timing doesn't work for me.


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## JillA (8 July 2018)

Praziquantel, the active ingredient, is being withdrawn for use on its own, no idea why. It will still be available in combination with one of the others such as moxidectin but it you use that when you have no need to you are increasing the resistance problem. I'll ask my friend who is a lecturer in equine parasitology.


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## ester (8 July 2018)

edited


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## supsup (17 July 2018)

One thing that has always puzzled me, and which has made me wonder if it contributes to horses not tolerating Equest Pramox very well, is that the dose of praziquantel is not the same in Pramox as in Equitape, but 2.5 times higher.

In Equitape, the dose is 1mg per kg bodyweight (as it is in e.g. Eqvalan Duo). In Pramox, it is 2.5mg/kgBW. If it is licensed and proven effective at 1mg/kgBW, why on earth would you put 2.5 times the amount into Pramox, especially in combination with an already strong (i.e. harmful at relatively low level of overdose) chemical like moxidectin? It's one of the reasons I don't like using Pramox.


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## milliepops (17 July 2018)

ooh didn't know that supsup. Well spotted. 
My YO thought I was kicking off over nothing when I refused to use Pramox earlier in the year. I have one horse with a delicate tum at the best of times and am already worrying about how to avoid it next time


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