Any secret tips for sneaking prascend into super fussy pony?!

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

For like 3 months she just munched up her half a tablet chucked in with her handful of balancer (not even hidden!). Then she started tipping the feed on the ground to avoid the tablet, so I tried a sprinkle of mint on the top, dampened down a bit, which worked for about 2 days. For a while she'd take it in a slice of apple or carrot. Then she started biting treats in half to check if there was a tablet inside, and now she refuses all fruit/veg, from my hand or in her feed.

For about a week she was OK with it inside a sugar free polo (I give her one clean, then one with the tablet) but today she very delicately bit the polo in half so the tablet fell out the middle ?‍

Any other tried and tested ways to outsmart a tiny little pony?! She really does hate it- when she does accidentally eat the tablet she then spends a long time shaking her head, and sticking out her tongue, then usually goes and has a big drink, and sometimes chews the fence a bit.

In the past fortnight I've only maybe got 2 or 3 half tablets in her successfully, and already I'm noticing increase in her cushings symptoms ?

 

[AdorableAlice]

I use VV and put tablets in as I soak the feed, it dissolves nicely.

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

I use VV and put tablets in as I soak the feed, it dissolves nicely.

Excuse my ignorance, what's VV?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

You can dissolve the tablet but not in hot water or crush it then put it in the feed or syringe it, I find peppermint essence is the best thing for syringing mine love it and it has no added sugar so ok for cushings or overweight ponies, it's also a bit oily so it mixes well with powder or anything really and is only cheap from the supermarket.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I use VV and put tablets in as I soak the feed, it dissolves nicely.

As a guess veteran vitality?

 

[AdorableAlice]

Excuse my ignorance, what's VV?

Apologies, Veteran and Vitality feed manufactured by Allen and Page. A little goes a very long way.

 

[BronsonNutter]

Gelatin capsule cases ?

Or syringe it in so you know they’ve got it

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

You can dissolve the tablet but not in hot water or crush it then put it in the feed or syringe it, I find peppermint essence is the best thing for syringing mine love it and it has no added sugar so ok for cushings or overweight ponies, it's also a bit oily so it mixes well with powder or anything really and is only cheap from the supermarket.

I was always worried with dissolving that she wouldn't lick the bowl clean and get the exact full dose. But seeing as she's getting approximately ZERO dose just now, I'm realising that's definitely worth a rethink! Thanks.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Another soaked feed I am having success with is Saracen Recovery Mash. It is the only feed that my mare will take bute in. Again a tiny amount makes enough to hide drugs in.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would try dissolving it and syringing you can easily teach a horse to accept and like a syringe, use the peppermint essence or Apple flavoured stuff let them smell it and in time they will want a syringe full of anything, I can syringe anything now into my horses without even putting a headcollar on.

 

[doodle]

Friends pony gets a half jam sandwich. It has to be seeded bread and strawberry jam tho!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would try dissolving it and syringing you can easily teach a horse to accept and like a syringe, use the peppermint essence or Apple flavoured stuff let them smell it and just

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

Friends pony gets a half jam sandwich. It has to be seeded bread and strawberry jam tho!

I have actually been wondering whether anyone had calculated exactly how much sugar it's "worth" giving to get the bloody tablet down them, and how much sugar just undermines the effect of the medicine anyway. (for 2 days she'd accept a carrot sprinkled with a tiny bit of sugar ? but luckily she started refusing that anyway)

 

[Northern]

Agree with the others, having looked after a pony who required 1 Prascend and 4 Metformin tablets a day, crush them up, add water and syringe straight in. You can just use a normal luer slip syringe, just cut the nozzle off so there's a bigger opening to syringe any bigger bits through.

 

[Esmae]

Easiest way ever. Take tablet and stick it in the side of the mouth. Pull the bottom lip gently away from the gum and stick the pill right at the bottom, where the gum meets the lip. They can't get them out from there and it will dissolve away quickly. I discovered this last year and wish I had thought of it earlier. Fail safe. Good luck

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Don't

Agree with the others, having looked after a pony who required 1 Prascend and 4 Metformin tablets a day, crush them up, add water and syringe straight in. You can just use a normal luer slip syringe, just cut the nozzle off so there's a bigger opening to syringe any

Agree with the others, having looked after a pony who required 1 Prascend and 4 Metformin tablets a day, crush them up, add water and syringe straight in. You can just use a normal luer slip syringe, just cut the nozzle off so there's a bigger opening to syringe any bigger bits through.

Your not meant to crush them though

 

[Northern]

Don't

This mare was medicated perfectly adequately for years using this method, and was okayed by her vets. Boehringer do not recommend crushing them due to increased human exposure, which is easily remedied by wearing gloves and not exposing the medication to skin.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I have actually been wondering whether anyone had calculated exactly how much sugar it's "worth" giving to get the bloody tablet down them, and how much sugar just undermines the effect of the medicine anyway. (for 2 days she'd accept a carrot sprinkled with a tiny bit of sugar ? but luckily she started refusing that anyway)

Peppermint essence has no sugar added but I syringe just water and something nice then they just think a syringe means something tasty l, and one of my horses he is incredibly fussy I am struggling to get him to eat a feed at all because the hay is really good

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Agree with the others, having looked after a pony who required 1 Prascend and 4 Metformin tablets a day, crush them up, add water and syringe straight in. You can just use a normal luer slip syringe, just cut the nozzle off so there's a bigger opening to syringe any bigger bits through.

I was always told to never crush the tablet I don't know why but that's what my vet told me

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Friends pony gets a half jam sandwich. It has to be seeded bread and strawberry jam tho!

Yes that's fine but jam i

This mare was medicated perfectly adequately for years using this method, and was okayed by her vets. Boehringer do not recommend crushing them due to increased human exposure, which is easily remedied by wearing gloves and not exposing the medication to skin.

I was always told not to crush prascend so I didn't and I won't

 

[Boulty]

I was advised by vet to just dissolve in water & syringe in. Pony used to rear up when being given wormer so my initial response was maniacal laughter but said I'd give it a good. He soon learnt that if he opened his mouth for the syringe treats & dinner would follow. He was on & off with how much feed he'd finish so hiding it in there was a no go really & I figured he'd learn how to pick it out of treats so I didn't even try to outsmart him, just introduced the idea that nice things followed the horrible thing. He didn't really seem to have an issue with the taste of the actual tablet though. Random thought but I think you can get it as a paste as well which I think has a different flavour? May be worth looking into

 

[Boulty]

Re the not crushing it's to do with human exposure & possible effects of breathing in / ingesting the crushed stuff by accident. If you take the syringe to bits, pop tablet in, put syringe back together, suck up 10-20ml water depending on how many tablets, leave 5 mins & then give it a shake then it should fully dissolve with no need for crushing. You can also dissolve in the water in a small cup or something & then suck the whole lot into a syringe if you're averse to taking them to bits. Catheter tipped syringes are best (ie same sort of end as wormer syringes)

 

[hollyandivy123]

Marmite. ...hides the taste of anything. .yuk

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Poked into a piece of soft liquorice from Aldi.

 

[Jeni the dragon]

Don't use Veteran Vitality. I'm sure it isn't actually recommended for cushings, which seems completely bonkers!

 

[meleeka]

I tried everything but for the last couple of years have been syringing it in a small amount of water. It dissolves quickly and my pony is fine with it as part of her daily routine (I don’t need a headcollar). She won’t take any treats anymore and leaving her feed was becoming an issue.

 

[ihatework]

This is a very common scenario and progression with trying to get prascend into them!

After I’d been through the feeds, mashes, apple/carrot, marmite sandwich, polo tricks I eventually had to resort to syringing it in. I used an old gastroguard tube (although an old worming tube if it has a decent open end would work too), and squeezy baby apple food with the tablet in (which dissolves). Worked well

 

[Jeni the dragon]

We used to use a handful of Roger's favourite feed in a hand with the tablet in the middle. He used to love Top Spec Fibre Plus so we just hid it among a few.
We went through the progression like so many but he did go back to eating it with feed rather than treats.

 

[meleeka]

This is a very common scenario and progression with trying to get prascend into them!

After I’d been through the feeds, mashes, apple/carrot, marmite sandwich, polo tricks I eventually had to resort to syringing it in. I used an old gastroguard tube (although an old worming tube if it has a decent open end would work too), and squeezy baby apple food with the tablet in (which dissolves). Worked well

I bought some syringes on Amazon but didn’t realise at the time that it was a box of 100! I have them everywhere and I’m sure of anyone looked in my car, where I take them out of my pocket, they’d think I was an addict ?

 

[paddy555]

https://www.moleonline.com/dosing-disposable-syringe-60ml-1002265

I syringe it into my pony, dissolved in a cup in a tiny amount of cold water then the above syringe which is 90p plus vat. At least that way you are sure it has gone home.