Westgate Labs Horse Worm Egg Count Kit *H&H Approved*

The Horse Worm Egg Count Kit from Westgate Labs tests the infection levels of adult, egg-laying redworm and roundworm in equines, including horses, ponies, donkeys and mules. The test kit includes everything you need to collect the sample, and send it for laboratory testing, which is included in the cost of the kit.

The kit includes:
– a pot to collect a faecal sample for each horse
– an information leaflet
– a voucher for the lab tests
– a single compostable glove
– a single pre-paid envelope to send the sample(s) to the lab in one go

I’d collected samples previously, but my yard owner had just handed us the pots without instructions and it turns out I wasn’t doing it quite right – so if you’ve never read the instructions before I suggest you do so.

A compostable glove is provided

I collected five small samples (as directed) from different piles of poo using the glove provided – and put them all into one sample pot. I kept my horse in overnight to make this easier, but you can collect from the field if you know they’re fresh and don’t belong to one of your horse’s field-mates. It’s important to fill the sample pot right to the top and make sure there aren’t any air gaps.

The filled pot should have no air gaps

All you have to do then is write your horse’s name on the sticker provided (which handily reminds you to fill any gaps) and use it to secure the pot closed.

I filled in the voucher with my details and put it in the pre-paid and pre-addressed envelope along with the samples, which I could take straight to the postbox on the same day. I collected samples from my horse and his field-mate and they all went in the same envelope, which was great.

I posted on the Friday and the results arrived by email on Monday afternoon – you can’t get much quicker than that!

Both horses had a medium count. The results were explained in the email and I followed up with an Equest wormer due to the time of year. I also tested for tapeworm using the EquiSal tapeworm test – my results from this were negative, which meant we didn’t need to use the more expensive Equest Pramox. If you’re unsure about your results, there’s a free helpline you can call.

Verdict

H&H Approved – This test was easy to do and the results were really quick. Everything is provided for you and it really couldn’t be simpler. Not only is it cheaper than worming if you’re testing outside of Dec–Feb (all horses should be dosed with moxidectin wormer during this time), but testing helps to prevent wormer resistance, which is currently a significant issue, too.

In the UK? View the Horse Worm Egg Count Kit now at viovet.co.uk

Who tested this worm egg count kit?

Georgia Guerin looks after Horse & Hound’s shopping, fashion and product content. She spends her days at work researching and reviewing all kinds of products for horses and riders, and is often the first to hear about anything new to the market. Georgia owns a Norwegian Fjord horse who happily takes part in a lot of testing. She is at the yard twice a day every day and spends a lot of time in the saddle – whatever the weather – so is perfectly placed to test a wide range of products.

Find out more about how Horse & Hound tests products

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EquiSal Tapeworm Test review *H&H Approved*

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