Best way to give metformin!

[vannersrus]

my mare has recently been diagnosed with EMS and prescribed 8 tablets twice a day .
has anyone got any good ideas of how to fool her into taking them ? They seem impossible to crush and don’t want to dip them in honey or anything ?

 

[paddy555]

dissolve and syringe. They take a while to dissolve but it does work.

 

[andytiger]

put them inside a jam sandwich My friend used to do this her horse was terrible at taking tablets from feed even crushed up??

 

[Auslander]

Has she actually refused them? We have a mare here who happily ate the tablets whole in her feed!

 

[vannersrus]

Has she actually refused them? We have a mare here who happily ate the tablets whole in her feed!

Thank you - I’ve just cut them in half and tried this in her usual handful of safe and sound plus Bute and she gobbled up the lot ??‍
I guess there’s a reason they usually need the metformin in the first place ?
It’s such a bitter medicine though ?‍

 

[teddypops]

My pony had apple flavoured powder which I had to syringe into her initially but she then ate it quite happily in a feed.

 

[vannersrus]

My pony had apple flavoured powder which I had to syringe into her initially but she then ate it quite happily in a feed.

Interesting- was that metformin too ?

 

[GreyDot]

Get yourself a pestle and mortar, grind them up, add some water and some apple puree for babies (Ellas Kitchen is great because it's small and resealable) and then syringe in. That way you are definitely getting it in.

 

[vannersrus]

Get yourself a pestle and mortar, grind them up, add some water and some apple puree for babies (Ellas Kitchen is great because it's small and resealable) and then syringe in. That way you are definitely getting it in.

Thank you - would they increase her sugar levels much though do you think?

 

[teddypops]

Interesting- was that metformin too ?

Yes

 

[ITPersonnage]

Pestle & mortar as above but I didn't find it necessary to add apple juice, but did add dried mint to feed (always had that to mask the Forage Plus balancer).

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

my mare has recently been diagnosed with EMS and prescribed 8 tablets twice a day .
has anyone got any good ideas of how to fool her into taking them ? They seem impossible to crush and don’t want to dip them in honey or anything ?

Might be an idea here. https://h0rseservices.weebly.com/veterinarymedicines.html

 

[scats]

Pill crusher from Amazon (you have to cut them in half first, I use pliers)

 

[vannersrus]

Might be an idea here. https://h0rseservices.weebly.com/veterinarymedicines.html

Thanks for that - some really good ideas there !

 

[Britestar]

I blattered them in a coffee grinder.
Hellish noise and I did break one grinder ?

 

[vannersrus]

I blattered them in a coffee grinder.
Hellish noise and I did break one grinder ?

I don’t know why they can’t provide powder for horses lol

 

[Britestar]

I don’t know why they can’t provide powder for horses lol

There is an apple flavoured powder, you need to ask your vet about it. It just didn't exsist when I was using metformin.

 

[Archangel]

I bunged them in the feed with a few crushed up sugar free polos. They are just so big aren't they.

 

[Baroque]

Coffee grinder with a sugar free polo. They don't touch the sides!

 

[HollyWoozle]

Pestle & mortar as above but I didn't find it necessary to add apple juice, but did add dried mint to feed (always had that to mask the Forage Plus balancer).

This is what we always did too, pestle and mortar and then added to low cal chaff with dried mint.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Crush dissolve in water peppermint essence and syringe

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

also some use thunderbrook orange powder, smells yummy oranges https://thunderbrook.co.uk/shop/herbs/orange-peel-powder-1kg/