Because the FWEC is not a reliable way of measuring tapeworm burdens, due to the fact that tapeworm eggs are released sporadically causing false negative readings, an antibody test is used. For this test, a sample of your horse’s blood is taken, and the level of a specific tapeworm antigen is measured.

Antibody tests are not able to indicate the number of tapeworm present and cannot distinguish between non-infected horses and those with low infections. There is also a potential for false positive results, as the test may not reflect a recent effective treatment.