Antibiotics and the fussy horse

[HashRouge]

My very elderly mare currently has extremely painful cellulitis. She's had antibiotics since Tuesday and is becoming increasingly reluctant to eat them. As of today, we also have steroid tablets to add to the mix. I'm going to try mashed banana tonight, but what are your top tips for tempting fussy eaters to eat their medication? I've been recommended Saracen recovery mash but none of my local feed stores have it in stock.

 

[Otherwise]

Saracen re-leve is quite good but if they're super fussy I just syringe it down them.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I syringe them with mint essence and a bit of water.

 

[KittenInTheTree]

I add a bit of apple sauce and/or honey. Failing that, I syringe in the medication.

 

[oldie48]

When my old boy had cellulitis I syringed mixed up with orange cordial. It was very important that he got the full dose and I knew he'd avoid food if I mixed it in

 

[doodle]

Soothe and gain made up with warm water gets my horse to eat nasty stuff. At one point he was having 3 meds in it including abx and would lick the bucket clean.

 

[Peglo]

I melted extra strong mints in warm water and then mixed the antibiotics into it and added in a bit of chaff. My TB was so fussy with anything added into her feed so I gave this separately. It wouldn’t work with my new one however as she doesn’t like mints.

 

[Griffin]

You could try it in a separate bowl with grass chaff and apple juice. If your mare will eat tumeric, that is very good for hiding the taste of medicine (or supplements they are not keen on). Otherwise, mix with apple juice and syringe.

 

[ycbm]

I resorted to a syringe for trimethoprim, it makes quite a good smooth paste.
.

 

[AandK]

Honestly, I’d just syringe it unless your horse has a massive aversion to being syringed. Saves wasting a dose in the feed and you know they’ll get the full course. I mixed the powder with a bit of water and honey for my older chap recently, he usually eats them in feed but had a bit of a fever and was only picking at his food for the first couple of days.

 

[HashRouge]

She ate it in a banana sandwich tonight and another livery is going to lend me a syringe for tomorrow. I like the idea of mint essence or honey. She had the steroids no problem, I just pushed the tablets into a piece of banana and she gobbled it down.

 

[ycbm]

Take it slow with adding water, I didn't find it needed much. I put too much in the first time and ended up with 2 syringes when one 30ml worked fine.
.

 

[Zoeypxo]

Mine will eat it in sugarbeet only

 

[HashRouge]

Take it slow with adding water, I didn't find it needed much. I put too much in the first time and ended up with 2 syringes when one 30ml worked fine.
.

Do you dissolve the ABs in water and then draw them up into the syringe?
I really hope the steroids help her feel more comfortable. I've read posts about cellulitis before but really didn't realise how painful it is for them.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Do you dissolve the ABs in water and then draw them up into the syringe?
I really hope the steroids help her feel more comfortable. I've read posts about cellulitis before but really didn't realise how painful it is for them.

That’s what I do. I tried EVERYTHING to get her to eat the ABs last year and she wouldn’t touch it. Everyone on the yard was letting me try different feeds. Same as bute. Have to syringe everything. Much easier if they eat it!

Hope they start to work soon OP x

 

[Tronk]

Mix it with molasses in feed.

 

[HashRouge]

That’s what I do. I tried EVERYTHING to get her to eat the ABs last year and she wouldn’t touch it. Everyone on the yard was letting me try different feeds. Same as bute. Have to syringe everything. Much easier if they eat it!

Hope they start to work soon OP x

Thanks HF. She has been eating it, but it's a bit harder work each day and this morning was pretty painful. The banana sandwich worked really well but it was a bit messy and I think syringing it might just be easier.

@Tronk I tried treacle this morning, but it wasn't super effective!

 

[Carrottom]

I find mixing abs into apple sauce first then mixing this into feed (fast fibre, micronised linseed and a few high fibre nuts) worked well for my fussy tb.

 

[Archangel]

I mix with natural yoghurt put in syringe and then a dollop of yoghurt on top.
That way the bit left in the nozzle is only yoghurt if that makes sense.

 

[twiggy2]

My other halfs sister, opens a banana leaving a skin on, cuts a slither out of the banana, puts slither back in, adds a dollop of jam and puts the skin back over, horse takes it no trouble.
I have had to syringe watered down antibiotics in before.
Also had success with marmite sarnies

 

[ycbm]

Do you dissolve the ABs in water and then draw them up into the syringe?
I really hope the steroids help her feel more comfortable. I've read posts about cellulitis before but really didn't realise how painful it is for them.

Yes, but only a little bit of water turned it to a "wormer" consistency paste.
.

 

[magicmoments]

As well as syringing it in (mixed with water), I also gave a thin slice of apple between each squirt. She really enjoyed the game. It worked a treat.

 

[Surbie]

I mix with natural yoghurt put in syringe and then a dollop of yoghurt on top.
That way the bit left in the nozzle is only yoghurt if that makes sense.

I put some fruit baby food in the syringe, meds layer then finish with baby food again. Apple & mango/raspberry/banana work for me - apple on its own isn't strong enough.

 

[soloequestrian]

When I have to give Domosedan (for the dentist) I do two syringes of apple sauce and then the drug syringe. Gets her excited about the syringe so it's easy to get her to take it. I use old wormer syringes.

 

[onemoretime]

Soothe and gain made up with warm water gets my horse to eat nasty stuff. At one point he was having 3 meds in it including abx and would lick the bucket clean.

I would second Soothe & Gain. I use it for my old companion pony who hardly has any teeth left but my competition mare loves it so if she needs anything mixed up I give her this.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I mix with natural yoghurt put in syringe and then a dollop of yoghurt on top.
That way the bit left in the nozzle is only yoghurt if that makes sense.

Yes, I've used yogurt or custard to mix in a syringe, holds it together well.

 

[BronsonNutter]

Syringe syringe syringe. If it is karidox (the yellow sticky liquid) then add some yoghurt to the mix before syringing as it can be a bit acidic.
Most of the time they eat the steroid tablets no bother in feed/treats so hopefully that won't be too much stress for you. Fingers crossed she is feeling better soon.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Apple sauce is a good disguise

 

[Auslander]

My oldie has any meds mixed with Schweppes peppermint cordial - he's wise to all the other ways I've tried to get drugs down him, and he's a pain to syringe stuff into. The peppermint cordial works a treat

 

[HollyWoozle]

Spillers Senior super mash hides a multitude of things. Otherwise I have always resorted to marmite!