Advice needed...Getting syringe into horses' mouth

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sjdress

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Any tips on how to get wormer/sedative syringe into horses mouth when he absolutely detests it??? To the point where he thrashes around the stable, will happily shove me out the way, squash me into a corner and go bolt uprights as soon as i get hold of his head or try to knock me out with his head???? This horse never behaves this rude in any other circumstances...
 
I had this problem. I was told when I bought the horse that he did not like being wormed. On having his teeth checked we discovered a broken wolf tooth,so at some point he must have encountered severe pain when being wormed. He is also a very sensitive horse with very strong negative memory,so 5 years on I still have to prepare him for worming.
My method is to spend time(weeks in the early days!) building up his confidence to being handled around the mouth and nose,1st without a prop,then with an empty syringe or one filled with something yummy(apple juice,carrot juice etc) In each session I only push him til I meet a little resistance,I calmly wait for acceptance and then reward by leaving him alone.
He has got better over time and is no longer dangerous.
 
I would ditto time spent densitising. However, there is also a sort of hollow plastic tube "bit" attached to a headpiece which you can buy. I've never used one, but in theory you put it on like a bit and then squirt the wormer into the end of the mouthpeice and it puts it onto the horses tongue for you... I think Robinsons sell them.

I'd be worried about them making the horse bit-shy, but may be worth a try for you.
 
I have avoided the syringes as there are easier alternatives! - i worm using tablets and then get the vet to sedate when needed using an injection..
 
Lots of things you can do -

Avoid wormer syringes but that restricts what you can use

mix into feed (sugar beet works well to hide the taste)

loop the lead rope through a tie ring and hold the end, this should help stop you being carted round the stable. Alternatively pop a bridle or chifney on, then syringe into mouth behind bit

or get an 'easy wormer': http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/Easy-Wormer/productinfo/EASYWORMER/ its like a bit, so you put it on like a bridle, then pop the syringe into the middle :)

I would also say to syringe the product in quickly, then immediately give a feed/apple/carrot etc to try and distract them
 
Mine is awful about anything in a wormer type syringe too. She will get in such a tizz about it that she is dangerous despite normally being good. I have also given up and put it in her dinner.

I've tried asking for a different type (tablet or sachet) but our vets don't stock them and our yard source wormers from the vet.

For sedatives I have her injected, she's fine with needles :rolleyes:
 
As soon as I walk towards mine with a wormer she goes vertical. It was a bit of a shock the first time :eek: She is absolutely fine to do her teeth tough - just wormers.

Luckily she loves cuddles, so I give her a few pony pats and cradle her head in my arms and then when she is all relaxed someone passes me the wormer and I slip it in - she doesn't seem to notice. Takes about 5 mins to do.
 
When I had to give my boy sedalin frequently I got him used to having polos in the side of his mouth the I put them on the end of an empty syringe and let him take them from the side of his mouth gradually he got used to it and I was able to get the sedalin in his mouth with the polos, for wormer I just mix in with a few handfuls of pony nuts.
 
I have to give sedalin for shoeing one of ours who was very clever at evading this so I covered syringe end in golden syrup then dabbed in sugar. Went in to his stable fussed around him then offered him treat then syringe... he falls for it every time. Before this he would shoot to the back of stable then wave his front end at me.
 
My mare has hysterics when presented with a wormer. In her case I don't react, keep calm and once she gets over herself give her the syringe, swiftly followed by a treat so I am forgiven!
 
my is a complete idiot to worm ,he simply stands on hind legs and throws himself all over the place ,i twitch him with a good old fashioned rope twitch (nose) makes the job so much easier ,cheaper (don't end up wearing it) and safer
i start playing with his nose for a few days before as he is wise to the twitch ;)

easy wormer thingy was no good to me he wouldn't let me any where near close enough with the wormer to use it ,practicing with jam or treacle in a syringe didn't work with mine either ,i think he could smell it and the only ones i could get him to eat in his feed were the equmax tablets crushed with lots of garlic and crushed polos
 
I use an Easy Wormer on my horse, I bought it from Robinsons for not very much, it is invaluable she using a syringe calmer or wormer :D :D
 
I've had a couple like this. there's a knack: if you hold the syringe at an angle near their face, parallel with where their cheekpiece would run, with your left hand, and anchor your hand against the headcollar noseband, until they stop pratting about, and then push the syringe nozzle into the top corner of their mouth, and when they accept that pressure (don't push any contents in yet), swing the end of the wormer round, keeping nozzle held firm in corner, and gentle push it into the gap between their teeth until they open their mouth... and then gently push it in and squeeze contents out. you keep the contact on their mouth until they accept it, at every stage. this works and it gets easier every time.
 
Another with one that goes up.

I have tied her securely to a post before producing the syringe but now put it in the feed as it is easier for everyone.

When the vet suggested this, I told him she would not eat it. He rolled his eyes skywards and suggested hunger might fix that problem. It did!:D
 
Dry rot, the first time I failed to get a syringe down mine I put it in a feed and left her with it. I came back to find a "dirty protest"! I'm more subtle now!
 
I'm a bit of a freak and love worming horses.

I guess I use a similar pressure method to Kerilli - although I've never really thought about it. The knack is getting the wormer close to the face and keeping it there!

I always worm immediately before feeding, and always make sure the horse is hungry and feed is a yummy one with carrots in. I put headcollar and leadrope on the horse, wrap rope around nose on the bolshy ones, bring feed into stable and put on floor in front of horse so they want to eat it, as they dive towards their feed I squirt wormer into the back of their throat and then catch what they spit out in the feed bucket. Horse then eats feed and spat out wormer. Success!
 
I've used the easy wormer, and it's OK but I do have to use sleight of hand to get the worm dose into the bit, then again to get the plunger in that pushes the meds into his mouth.
Mine also won't touch feed with wormer in it so that's not an option either. I did hear of someone who had success worming in the dark! So that the horse couldn't see the syringe...

I do struggle with worm syringes, I find they are too long for me to use comfortably (and my hands are of average size). This would be OK if I had a horse who was OK to worm but when you have one who is fighting it there just isn't a spare hand to press the plunger down.
 
LD&S said:
When I had to give my boy sedalin frequently I got him used to having polos in the side of his mouth the I put them on the end of an empty syringe and let him take them from the side of his mouth gradually he got used to it and I was able to get the sedalin in his mouth with the polos, for wormer I just mix in with a few handfuls of pony nuts.
Click to expand...

I did this but with carrots - got a few in my hand and poked them in the side of his mouth one after another (after he'd chewed them up) and then just slipped the syringe in and then a couple more carrots after that for good measure! :)
 
sjdress said:
Any tips on how to get wormer/sedative syringe into horses mouth when he absolutely detests it??? To the point where he thrashes around the stable, will happily shove me out the way, squash me into a corner and go bolt uprights as soon as i get hold of his head or try to knock me out with his head???? This horse never behaves this rude in any other circumstances...
Click to expand...

Make sure you don't have the syringe within sight, go for his head and grab his tongue, pull it to the side and pop the contents of the syringe down his throat. There is nothign else you can do.

It may be that he can smell the wormer, so you might like to pop the syringe in a tub of garlic powder for a couple of days before hand. Try not to creep up on him or look to guilty either. Horses are excellent at reading body language! :D
 
just want to say, that grabbing the horse's tongue is a really bad idea, you can damage the hyoid bone/apparatus (i'm not sure of the correct term, sorry).
there's no need either... if you just empty the syringe onto the back of the horse's tongue and then push his chin up for about 5-10 secs until he swallows, he won't spit the wormer out. works for mine. nobody here to video how I do it unforch, but there's a knack that's pretty easy really...
 
Our mare is a bit of a cow about this. It was a nasty shock when we first got her home and tried to worm her. I find twitching her upper lip, just with my hand, until she relaxes works for her. I agree with Dieseldog that some horses just know when you have it in your hand, and you are best to handle them for a bit and then get someone to pass the syringe to you.
 
Depending on the horse, I use 2 different methods; for my nervy pony, who was head shy when I got her and hates any downward pressure on her head, I just have to be really speedy and gentle with her. If you exert any pressure on her she just goes up and gets stressed. I've found stroking her chin and round her mouth helps, as then she gets used to that and slipping the wormer in isn't too difficult, provided she hasn't already seen it.

With my sister's connie, he sticks his head up and throws himself around/leans on you, but not because he's scared or nervous, just doesn't like the wormer! With him, we chuck a towel over his eyes so he can't see the wormer, and then worming him is then very simple and no one gets hurt :p
 
I used a syringe and peppermint cordial in water to get my mare used to being wormed :) She hated it to begin with and sounds like your boy, threw me around and squashed me but she wouldnt eat it in her tea.

I eventually started taking hold of her tongue and squirting a little cordial in her mouth, she liked that and when she let me she got the cordial then a bit of carrot. The a bit more and a bit of carrot and eventually she was letting me put the whole tub in whilst i had her tongue then she got her carrot.

I never could do it without showing her the carrot and taking her tongue but other than tht she would take it this way :)
 
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