Are you confused about parasite control for your horses? Do you want the very best parasite control for your horses now and in the future?

Ray M. Kaplan, DVM, PhD, DEVPC, one of the top equine parasite experts in the country will present a lecture Saturday, May 21 at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Kaplan is a professor of parasitology in the department of infectious diseases in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia. He will lead a discussion about the current parasite issues facing today’s horse owners, including how to choose and when to use the appropriate de-wormer and the developing parasite resistance to de-wormers.

According to Dr. Kaplan, over the past 40 years, the availability of cheap and effective anthelmintic drugs (de-wormers) has led to an almost complete reliance on these chemicals for parasite control in animals. Chemical-based parasite control was extremely effective for many years, but we now know that this strategy has turned out to be shortsighted and unsustainable. Parasite drug resistance is now recognized globally as one of the greatest health threats to grazing livestock.

The lecture will be held at the Polk County Agricultural Development Center (at the old Mill Spring Middle School), located at 156 School Road in Mill Spring. A fundraiser dinner, held in conjunction with the lecture, will be at 5:30 p.m. for the Polk County Agricultural Development Center. Door prizes donated by Little Mountain Farm Supply and Twin Oaks Veterinary Clinic will be awarded to lucky attendants.

This seminar is brought to the public by the collaboration of Freer Equine Mobile Veterinary Services, Twin Oaks Veterinary Clinic, Rutherford Large Animal Mobile Services and Drs. Thann Boyum and Kris Woodaman.

– article submitted by Bibi Freer, DVM