Silver Linings Herbal Dewormer
I cannot leave a positive review on Silver Linings Herbal Dewormer for Horses for the following reason: I have a dead 4-year-old Spotted Saddle Horse filly whose death occurred coincidentally while using Silver Lining Herbal Dewormer for Horses.
My filly had a high parasitic load that my vet and I struggled with how to reduce the parasitic load and better manage the parasites. My filly was undergoing fecals every 6 months while we attempted to better manage the situation.
After doing research online regarding “natural” dewormers, I decided to put my filly on Silver Linings Herbal Dewormer. My vet was not particularly supportive of my decision as she feels there is not enough evidence/research/literature around the effectiveness and safety of herbal dewormers at this time, but she understood my decision as we had tried so many OTC dewormers without any lasting success on my filly.
I started my filly on the herbal dewormer (which has a very strong smell) in February 2025 while following the specific deworming calendar Silver Linings provides.
My filly returned home from the trainer on April 28, 2025. Spring herd work was conducted on May 5, 2025, wherein blood was drawn as I felt that my filly was just not herself. I noticed that her behavior had become agitated (which was very concerning) when I started her on the deworming cycle that began May 3, 2025.
My filly began biting on wood (not chewing), was agitated and while riding her in mid-May 2025, she started bucking, which is something she had never, ever done while at the trainer. She was a horse that loved everybody. She experienced a colic episode on May 12, 2025 (the final day of the May dewormer cycle), and the vet was able to save her. She would not be so lucky 3 ½ weeks later. I had huge concerns by May 12 that the natural dewormer was the problem.
On May 17, 2025, I found a pool of reddish-orange urine from my filly (blood?). I had the vet back out to draw more blood to run a CBC as we frantically tried to problem solve on why my filly, a beautiful young healthy horse would have such noticeable behavioral changes, and why she would go through a colic episode. Upon receipt of the lab results, I sent it to my equine nutritionist for input.
My filly went into a second and final colic episode on June 7, 2025, and could not be saved. She died a horrible, miserable death in front of me. I had *not* started her on the June dewormer cycle as I had begun to suspect in May that the dewormer was the problem.
I saw the email from my equine nutritionist the day after my filly was put down. She advised me to *immediately* stop using the herbal dewormer stating that the cascara (burdock) was too harsh and could be the cause of what looked like blood in the urine and suggested an alternative treatment method for my filly’s parasitic load that would have likely been better tolerated by my filly.
I have had direct contact with a representative from Silver Linings who expressed sorrow for my loss and stated they wanted to see what they could do to make things right. Thanks, but that does not return or replace my filly. I returned some of the unused herbal dewormer to Silver Linings at the rep’s request. It was tested supposedly and found to be fine so Silver Linings has washed their hands of me and the loss of my filly.
All I have left is a dead filly and 2 years of memories. I spent thousands to purchase my filly, thousands to care for her before she went to the trainer, and thousands for her to go to a trainer. I had a total of 2 trail rides on her before she died. My vet is still in shock over the death of my filly and is kicking herself for not performing a necropsy. I realize there are no guarantees in life but my filly’s death was something we did not see coming. The biggest change in her life was putting her on the Silver Lining Herbal Dewormer. This will remain the biggest mistake and regret of my life regarding my horses.
In closing, I cannot ever under any circumstances, recommend that anyone use this product on their horse. If you choose to use Silver Linings Herbal Dewormer, do so with caution and watch for abnormalities in your horse. I encourage you to work with your vet and equine nutritionist to find a safer way to resolve your horse’s parasitic issues. I will never, ever get the image of my filly writhing in agony on the ground out of my head. Never.
7 June 2025
Unprompted review