Since 1999 our award winning lab has been offering an easy to use worm egg count and testing service to help you keep your horses and other animals healthy.
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Friendly vet approved advice. Subscriptions, season packs, commercial services for yards of 10+. 'More than just a worm count' not only the original postal worm count service direct to owners, yards, merchants, vets and charities, but also experienced, qualified advice to help you find the very best worming programme for your horses, using fewer wormers. Friendly SQP's (Suitably Qualified Persons)
are here to help and all advice comes free as part of the service. For updates on poultry and other grazing animals such as chickens, ducks, sheep, cattle and goats please follow our sister page https://www.facebook.com/westgatelabs.smallholders
08/08/2025
๐๏ธ๐ It's not too long now until we enjoy the summer bank holiday and the last long weekend of the year before the nights draw in. If you're due to test this month, please make sure to send them before Tues 19th August to avoid the August Bank Holiday disruption.
โ โ๏ธ We have six days for a viable worm egg count result. Completing the checklist on the back of the return envelope with the date sample was taken, means we can prioritise your sample.
๐ For more info on lab opening times and bank holiday posting advice ๐ bit.ly/Aug-Bank-Hols-2025
06/08/2025
Claire from Westgate Labs joins Claire from BETA to talk about assessing your horse's parasite control risk to protect their health. They discuss what factors to consider and how to build a test based programme tailored to each yard and their individual horses.
04/08/2025
๐ด๐๐ฉ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฝ! ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐! Regular poo picking, at least twice a week, is a powerful way to protect your horses from harmful parasites. By removing droppings before worm eggs hatch, you break the lifecycle in a natural, mechanical way, meaning fewer eggs and larvae on your pasture.
๐ฟ If your pasture management allows it, not collecting all dung on a daily basis can give dung beetles a chance to break down dung piles, that act as the incubator for the parasite eggs and also then increasing organic matter in the soil. They prefer fresh dung up to 48hrs old, so start by leaving the freshest piles on the pasture and clearing them after three days ๐ bit.ly/poopicking-dungbeetles
01/08/2025
๐ค๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ? If you last tested in May or before, then it's time to test. A healthy adult horse needs a worm count every 8-12 weeks through the grazing season to monitor infection levels, only adding wormer doses as they're needed. Foals, youngsters and veterans need testing more often, at least every 8 weeks.
๐ก ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ? Did you know all our customers have a free online account? You can log in anytime to see when your last test was and make sure your reminder settings are up to date, so you never miss a testing date. It also shows the arrival of any recently sent sample and all your results. Just enter your email to log in, and if it's your first time, use the 'forgotten password' link to get started.๐ bit.ly/westgate-account-login
๐ If you're on one of our subscription plans, then no need to worry. We've got it all planned for you and will send the right tests at the right time! ๐ bit.ly/AllSeasonsSubscription
๐ Shop tests ๐ bit.ly/WestgateLabsShop
30/07/2025
Thanks to HarryHall.com for the opportunity to put some clarity around this common concern of targeted parasite control ๐ฌ๐
28/07/2025
๐ค๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ? Do you know your pinworm from your ascarid? Tapeworm may look a bit different from expected too!
๐ค Pinworm are small white worms with a pointy end, while roundworm tend to be much bigger, creamy white in colour and more the shape of a common earthworm. The adult large redworm is a darker red colour and bigger than the small redworm at up to 5cm (2 inches) long.
๐ธ If you need a parasite in dung identified, then please help us judge the size accurately by including a reference in the photograph - even your hand, a coin, or a hoof pick will do. Our experts can then help you plan the best worm control for your horse ๐
25/07/2025
โ ๏ธ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ? The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has paused independent reporting of adverse events by vets and SQPs, meaning these now need to be submitted via pharmaceutical companies.
๐ An adverse event is a reaction to veterinary products, including wormers. Any spontaneous reports from professionals and animal owners often reveal 'real-world' problems ahead of data from companies. There are concerns that issues might go unreported or downplayed as a result and delay critical safety signals. While the reasons for this change havenโt yet been made public, itโs left a gap in guidance for professionals.
To help, weโve put together a simple guide explaining how to report any concerns under the current system. Read our full update and download guidance on how to report an adverse event here ๐ bit.ly/VMD-Adverse-Events-News
23/07/2025
๐ Ascarids (roundworm) are usually a parasite of young horses who are exposed to them as soon as theyโre out in the pasture, where theyโll encounter redworm and tapeworm too. The eggs of ascarids have a tough outer shell which means they can survive in soil for up to 10 years!
๐ With immature immune systems, foals need regular worm control to stay healthy. Watch for signs like coughs, pot bellies, poor weight or rough coats. Left unchecked, worms can cause lasting damage, limit growth and development as well as potentially fatal colic. Worm egg counts and treatment with the right product at the right time is essential to help protect your youngsters.
Need advice on the best parasite control for your mares, foals and youngsters? Weโre here to help! ๐ bit.ly/wormingyounghorses
21/07/2025
Do you have a parasite control programme in place on your yard? ๐ชฑ
De-worming isnโt one-size-fits-all and getting it right means a healthier horse and a more sustainable approach ๐ด
Weโve teamed up with Westgate Labs to share some top tips on managing parasites effectively on your yard ๐
๐ Find more helpful advice and information on worming here ๐ http://bit.ly/40hTrxP
21/07/2025
โ๏ธ Apologies to the squeamish! How many of these common horse parasites can you name? If you spot something wriggly or weird in your horseโs dung, would you know what it was and what to do about it?
๐ด๐ It can be tricky for some to identify between pinworm and roundworm, but weโre very used to dealing with things in horse ๐ฉ๐ and customers often send us dung pile close ups! When it comes to equine parasitology there's not a lot we haven't seen and our experts are here to help.
โ Graphic images alert, if you want to find out more ๐ bit.ly/ThingsInHorsePoo
18/07/2025
โ๏ธ Summer days with your horse are all about sunshine and long days to spend with your horse, but flies and parasites can spoil the fun. Warmer weather plays a huge role in your horseโs parasite risk, as worms become more active on the pasture.
๐ก๐ฌ The good news is that worm egg counts help you treat only when necessary, saving you money, protecting your horse and helping to slow wormer resistance. Make testing part of your horse care routine and give your horse the best chance to thrive this grazing season.
๐ Get your worm egg counts and learn more about how to protect your horse this season ๐ bit.ly/SummerParasiteControl
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Our mission is to improve the health and worm control of horses in the UK. Since 1999 our purpose built lab has been operating on the family farm in Northumberland to help vets and horse owners identify parasite burdens in their animals and target treatment appropriately.
But every year horses still die from parasite infections and thousands more are left with long term damage. Meanwhile resistance is the massive black cloud that not enough people are taking seriously. So this is what gets us out of bed every morning! Using fewer wormers slows the development of drug resistance as well as being better for the animals and the environment.
We offer an easy to use professional service and all tests include veterinary approved followup advice from our friendly team of experts. Our aim is to provide the best customer experience possible to help you navigate this sometimes complex aspect of your horseโs wellbeing.
Services include; worm egg counts for redworm and roundworm, the EquiSal saliva test for tapeworm plus pinworm, lungworm and liver fluke tests. We also offer faecal sand testing for horses to help guard against the risks of sand colic. This test measures sediment levels in the dung and gives a quantitative measure of the level found to help identify threat and assess treatment efficacy.
Easy to use collection kits, post-paid return, same day testing and results, mean it couldnโt be simpler to run a targeted worming programme for your horse. Test kits can be bought individually or as season packs so you have all you need for a year of testing. Discounts for multiple horses, commercial rates for yards of 10 or more. Alternatively choose our new All Seasons subscription service to really put the peace of mind into your horseโs parasite control.
Get started today to get the front foot with parasite control and help beat drug resistance! Our
