Best way of 'feeding' tablets????

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Booga22

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I was wondering how others manage to convince their equine friends to eat their tablets??I have an insulin resistant pony, on a very restricted diet who is 'The Master' at eating around her tablets. To manage her condition, she has 10 chunky tablets twice daily, and she really does have to have them (cue laminitis/mood swings and general not-niceness)- without any molasses/treacle/coarse mix/carrots etc...

I have had to take to hand feedng them in small amounts of Happy Hoof, not the worse thing in the world to be doing, but a)it means more food than she really does need, and b) time consuming!

Considered grinding them up and squirting them down her throat in a lovely, foul tasting paste....lol!

Ideas greatly appreciated!
 
I dissolve them, mix them with pureed apple (it is the only thing my juicer gets used for), syrup/molasses/honey, whatever the horse prefers, and syringe it down, often I get most of it down.

OK, in your case, strike the sweet stuff.
 
maybe you could crush them and add black treacle to the feed or something?, also not sure whether it would work for tablets but I heard that if you freeze their medication til it's completely solid, then add it to their feed they won't be able to taste it.... never tried it with my horses so I can't vouch as to whether it does actually work or not?- maybe someone on here will know....
 
I used to have to grind up and feed 50 pred's a day to a mare! In her case, I ground them up - never used a pestle before lol, and added to her sugar beet. With yours, what about using soaked grass pellets or unmolassed beet, you won't need much just for 10 tablets?
If you syringe them down be aware it might make her worse to worm in future.
 
My mare is really fussy and she has had to have lots of drugs recently following an operation. We are down to just 10 chunky tablets twice per day now. The tablets are like small rocks and are really hard to crush, so I now put them in hot water 12 hours before she is due them and then suck them up into a syringe. The Equipalazone syringes are brilliant for this - easier to use and have outlasted any of the ones the vet gave me for the purpose. She isn't mad keen on the squirting but has got used to it after the past two months.
 
Solo - I hadn't thought of adding hot water to them. Such a palava atm having to make a little pile of happy hoof, then a bit of water , then the tablet, then a bit of chaff on top......x 10, x twice day....

MFH9 - Can't believ I hadn't thought about the unmolassed beet, that should be able to replace most of the grub she is on - apart from her balancer

K27 - I'm going to a vet talk tonight so will ask about freezing the tablets

Thank you all for you tips & advice, may go and buy a bottle of unsweetened apple juice for her and something a tad stronger for me!!!!!
 
I'm really lucky as my girl has to have 60 tablets a day and she just eats them up in her feed. Amazing really as she is a right fussy-chops.
 
I have read this thread with interest as I am starting my old girl on tablets tomorrow, and I just know she is going to be a baggage...
 
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