Coconut and onion could be natural horse dewormers

One of the challenges for horse management is control of worm burden. Of course, worm burden in horses isn’t bad when under control. But, all sorts of health problems can result from heavy worm burdens. Unfortunatley, many of the commonly used dewormers either have or are starting to lose their efficacy.

Researchers in Germany reviews literature and saw that onion on coconut have proven highly effective against worm burden in mice, sheep, and horses experimentally. They wanted to see if onion and coconut would be effective in treating naturally infected sheep and horses. And it was!

The study had two parts. Treatment group 1 involved 700 grams of 40% micronized onions, 40% coconut flakes, and 20% glucose and sugar beet. Treatment group 1 involved 1.2 kg of 25% coconut flakes, 25% micronized onions, and 50% horse feed muesli (a granola-like feed produced by the German company Hoeveler). Both treatment regimens resulted in significantly lower fecal egg counts!

Please note: This research is for horses and sheep – onions are toxic to dogs, so don’t try this at home!