Updated and revised to reflect the latest approach to parasite management and reducing the growing threat of parasite drug resistance, the Safe-Guard®  Get Rotation Right deworming barn chart is available for free at www.getrotationright.com.

Safe-Guard® and parent company Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, a leader in providing quality animal healthcare products, are committed to keeping horses healthy and parasite free. Extensive research conducted by noted equine veterinarian and business consultant Dr. Edward Blach was employed to produce the Safe-Guard® barn chart that is tailored specifically for horse owners in the management of parasites.

“Combining a mix of vital information and easy to use design, the Safe-Guard® barn chart represents the best and latest thinking on parasite management,” said Dr. Blach, who also holds a master’s degree in reproductive physiology and a master’s in business administration. “It is absolutely imperative that information that is so important to the health of the animal be presented in an easy to understand manner. Extensive research has been conducted through my company Dr. Ed, Inc. and Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health to fine tune the best way to communicate and disseminate critical information to horse owners and the new Safe-Guard® barn chart design reflects that.”

The Safe-Guard® Get Rotation Right deworming barn chart is the only resource available to horse owners that outlines a comprehensive rotational deworming program that includes all three chemical classes of dewormers and some of their corresponding name brands to help horse owners rotate compounds easily and effectively.

Rotation has become a hot topic in the equine industry as more and more cases of drug resistant parasites have begun to surface. There are no new anthelmintic drugs on the horizon. Across the board there is much speculation about how to best combat this growing development, but one approach has consistently shown superior results – scheduled rotation among the three main chemical class compounds of fenbendazole, ivermectin/moxidectin and pyrantel pamoate.

" Parasite resistance is becoming an ever increasing problem,” said Wendy Vaala, DVM, ACVIM, senior technical service veterinarian for Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health. “Many horse owners think rotating products every 8 to 10 weeks, is sufficient. That is a misconception. Rotation itself is not enough. Some horse owners rotate between products within the same chemical class without realizing that they are administering the same medicine over and over again, which can lead to drug resistance among the parasites that survive. We only have a limited number of anthelmintic drugs to use so we need to prolong the effectiveness of these compounds. Another key component to reducing drug resistance is to make sure you are giving your horse the correct dose for their weight. Underdosing is common and can happen if you don’t have an accurate weight for your horse or if you have difficulty administering the full dose. Ask your veterinarian for guidance on dosing if you are unsure about the amount.”

The Safe-Guard® Get Rotation Right deworming barn chart is available as a laminated poster designed to withstand the demands of a barn environment. Easy to read with ample space to mark down important dates and information, the updated chart also contains most of the current brand names of common equine dewormers so horse owners can effectively rotate among class compounds.

“Our main goal is to inform and educate horse owners about proper rotation which is the best possible way to keep their horses healthy and free from parasites,” said Jacinthe Moreau, marketing manager for Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health. “That is why we have included the name brands of our competitors on this chart. This makes it simple and easy for horse owners to get rotation right and to effectively address localized parasite populations and seasonal pasture conditions. Safe-Guard® has long been a proven and effective product that is easy to administer and safe to use on all horses including foals and pregnant mares. We have the popular apple-cinnamon flavored Safe-Guard® 10% paste dewormer tubes, the Safe-Guard®  Power Dose™  with fenbendazole as its active ingredient which is the only product FDA-approved to treat all stages of encysted small strongyles, and the Safe-Guard®  Equi-bits™ which are alfalfa-based pellets that let you feed and deworm in a single step.  Intervet/ Schering-Plough Animal Health has consistently been an industry leader in animal health and we believe that research being currently conducted will show that Safe-Guard® ’s Get Rotation Right program is on the cutting edge of  parasite control and management. ”

Schering-Plough is an innovation-driven, science-centered global health-care company. Through its own biopharmaceutical research and collaborations with partners, Schering-Plough creates therapies that help save and improve lives around the world. The company applies its research-and-development platform to human prescription and consumer products as well as to animal-health products. Schering-Plough’s vision is to “Earn Trust, Every Day” with the doctors, patients, customers and other stakeholders served by its colleagues around the world. The company is based in Kenilworth, N.J., and its Web site is www.schering-plough.com.

Intervet is a leader in research and dedicated to the development, production and marketing of innovative, high-quality animal-health products and programs, such as Prodigy®, Prestige®, Encevac®, PreveNile®, Flu Avert® I.N. Vaccines, Regu-Mate® (altrenogest), Safe-Guard® (fenbendazole) Power-Dose, Banamine®(flunixin meglumine),  and Intervet Foal Caresm program.

For more information on Safe-Guard® and to request your free copy of the barn chart visit http://www.getrotationright.com.