Getting a cushings pony to eat his prascend tablet

[chaps89]

Livery companion pony will not eat his half a prascend tablet.
I’ve tried Apple, pear, carrot, all as they are or dipped in likit, even sticky molasses likit is a no.
I had success the last 2 nights, giving it in a handful of dry feed, tonight was a hard no.
He has a history of laminitis and is quite metabolically sensitive, but when his bloods were tested in spring (when he was eating his tablet) his levels were under control.

Anymore ideas, I’m wasting a lot of tablets, and more importantly he’s not getting them consistently at the moment and I worry about that.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I dissolve it in water and mix it into his feed I have had to add a handful of soaked recovery mash as he wouldn't eat it in his feed of speedy mash and grass chaff, I have used peppermint essence with it in the past as well which worked, I find if you put enough of that in a feed I get them to eat basically anything, it's only a few quid a bottle in the supermarket and doesn't contain any sugar so it's not bad for them.

 

[EllenJay]

Probably can’t help, but I used to just drop it into his night time feed - no fuss, no bother, and he just ate it

 

[Jeni the dragon]

Mine gets hers with an extra strong mint or polo! Just balanced on top of the mint. If she drops it, quite often, it just gets added to her feed.

 

[Gloi]

We gave ours in a small sandwich and made sure they also got a sandwich as a treat at other times so it didn't always have a pill in it. We didn't have any problems with them ever taking them.
Ok they shouldn't have sweet things but better a small amount and the tablet gets eaten

 

[Cortez]

Marmite sandwich worked for mine for a while, after she started refusing it in apples, pears, etc. Eventually she wouldn't take anything from the hand at all, so we crushed and dissolved in honey water and syringed into her mouth.

 

[Northern Hare]

Hi, you could try tucking it into the middle of a couple of sugar free Polo mints.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Buy the pill Capsules from eBay. Life saver for me when nothing else worked. I put the pill in one of these then just pushed it under the surface of his feed in the middle as I was giving him it and he ate it without knowing it was there

 

[HashRouge]

Mine has Veteran Vitality and she eats both prascend and danilon from that no problem. She's not fussy about medication though, just feeds, so it just took me a while to find a feed she really liked.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I smash mine up and feed it in a couple of treats.
.
Trying to hide the pill whole didn't work at all for mine ?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I smash mine up and feed it in a couple of treats.
.
Trying to hide the pill whole didn't work at all for mine ?

Your not meant to crush Prascend tablets

 

[MuddyMonster]

Your not meant to crush Prascend tablets

Oh, I didn't know that! Thank you

Do you know why as would have thought the horse would crush it when it chews?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Oh, I didn't know that! Thank you

Do you know why as would have thought the horse would crush it when it chews?

I don't know why it must affect the drug somehow I would imagine, I'm sure it says not to crush them on the leaflet that comes with the tablets it doesn't say why though ?

 

[Honey08]

I cut a thin hollow out of a piece of carrot, put the tablet deep inside the carrot and put a “lid” of carrot back over it.

 

[Gloi]

Oh, I didn't know that! Thank you

Do you know why as would have thought the horse would crush it when it chews?

It's not because of the horse, it's because of the danger to the person crushing it from ingesting or breathing in dust from the tablet so if you crush them take care not to breath in particles or get it on your skin.
This is especially important for anyone who may be pregnant.

 

[meleeka]

I dissolve in a teeny bit of water and syringe it. My mare was awful to worm previously, but she just accepts it as part of her daily routine. I tried everything with her and she got to the point she wouldn’t eat feed or anything handfed. Now O syringe it she never refused food.

 

[Rosemary28]

P has just started on Prascend and will take it in anything - I usually put in in a bucket with a small handful of pony nuts, my mum pushes it into an apple. A friend drills a hole in a carrot and puts the tablet in. However another friend’s pony will not eat if he thinks there’s a tablet in there… she resorted to holding his mouth open and putting the tablet inside his lip - luckily he’s only a Shetland! (edited as I realised I wrote it wrong first time).

 

[planete]

I will second Cheeky Chestnut's suggestion. It was the only way I could get my horse to take it in the end.

 

[Esmae]

The easiest way by far is to take the tablet and stick it inside his bottom lip right down by the bottom of the gumline. I used to do it at the side of the mouth. Just pulled his lip out and stuck it on, it never came off and he couldn't get rid of it. Never failed.

 

[Rosemary28]

The easiest way by far is to take the tablet and stick it inside his bottom lip right down by the bottom of the gumline. I used to do it at the side of the mouth. Just pulled his lip out and stuck it on, it never came off and he couldn't get rid of it. Never failed.

Yes that's what my friend does (edited my post to be correct, I was tired last night )

 

[MuddyMonster]

It's not because of the horse, it's because of the danger to the person crushing it from ingesting or breathing in dust from the tablet so if you crush them take care not to breath in particles or get it on your skin.
This is especially important for anyone who may be pregnant.

Thank you! I had no idea, will be very careful from now on.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

They apparently taste vile that's why they are difficult to feed ?

 

[2 Dragons]

Mine is still happily eating his in bit of carrot or just from my hand if he drops it. However, I know how difficult this can be so I've copied this from the Equine PPID (Cushings ) Facebook group- a great source of information.

"Tips on giving meds.

The best way to give Prascend is to dissolve the pill in a syringe of water and shoot it down their throat. This is how Boehringer administered meds during their trials.

Tucking the pill into the cheek beside the teeth is another simple way. Hold them for a minute in case they spit it out but it doesn’t take long to dissolve.

It is best to not put it in with food as that can affect their appetite and put them off their food.

Capsules are often a good way to keep the smell and taste of medications from being noticed by your horse if you do put it in food or a piece of apple. They can be purchased at most druggists; pharmacies; etc. They can also be ordered from sites like Amazon. Size 00 is the best for 1 Prascend. Try for vegetable based if possible but the amount of gelatin (animal product) wouldn’t be much for the gelatin ones. The pill can be inserted into any of the methods below. Some toss it is the feed but it can still could put the horse off feeds and you may find it on the floor days later if they spit it out.

If your horse doesn’t syringe well, spend a couple of months getting them used to a syringe by using it to give a treat like a small squirt of unsweetened applesauce or another yummy sauce-like treat, pumpkin; yogurt; pureed baby food like carrots; etc. Start first with a bit on your finger and tuck it into their lip. Do that daily or twice daily for a while until they are comfortable and looking for their treat. Then have the syringe in your hand while putting the finger with applesauce on it into their lip. Gradually let them feel the tip of the syringe. Wait until that is well accepted by them. Then have the applesauce on the tip of the syringe, be careful not to poke them in the gums or anything that will put them off. Then try putting it in the syringe and squirting it in beside the gum first and then into the mouth. Progress very slowly and don’t be anxious or impatient. You are working on the end goal of all this effort. It will pay off in the long run any time you need to get any medicine in. Your horse’s life might actually depend on it at some time.

Other methods from the members on here. Always make sure they do not spit the pill out.

Drill a hole in a carrot or treat and put the pill in it. Try apples, pears, apple; banana, any fruit, bread, jam sandwich, Treacle sandwich, peanut butter, celery, licorice twist, figs, Peppermint Fondant Creams (non-chocolate covered version), Jelly Babies, Nutrigrain bars,

Use sugar free or no sugar added products when possible.

Push pill inside a sugar free fig newton, only need ½ newton or wrap in fruit leather.

Inside a sugar free Polo mint.

German Horse Muffins or stud muffins but only the smallest amount as they are very high in sugar.

A few dry pony nuts in a hand with Prascend broken in halves in it or any “treat” feed.

A half tablet in the Purina “berry good” senior treats with the hole in the middle.

Dissolve the pill in either unsweetened applesauce; fruit juice; half water/half milk; yogurt; etc in a syringe, squirt far enough back they can’t spit it out.

Roll the tablet into rice paper then when you pop it in the side of the mouth, it sticks to the gum and by the time they finish trying to get it out its dissolved.

Wrapping grass around the pill but make sure the pill doesn’t fall out. "


Hope you find a solution that works.

 

[claracanter]

It has been really difficult to get my 19year old Cushings boy to take his tablet, even when he was reduced down to half a tablet ( yay). I have tried every trick and treat recommended by others. It’s so frustrating, isn’t it? My boy is a fatty on restricted grazing but he still won’t eat a treat, with or without prascend in it. He is just so suspicious now. However, recently I have had a breakthrough with these. The tablet just pushes into them and at the moment when he sees me coming he walks over to me and takes it. It’s such a relief!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/97531148170869731/

I’m not sure how healthy they are, they do have molasses in them but the vet said getting the tablet down him is the most important thing. I’m thinking about trying to do some homemade ones to keep the cost down.

hope this helps.

 

[chaps89]

Thanks everyone - I’ve definitley found that something works for a while then it becomes a hard no, and he won’t even eat that item without a tablet in. Carrots are now items to be sniffed at disdainfully and ignored as an example.
Bread has worked this week, as has a bit of (human) cereal bar and there’s a few other suggestions to try so I think I will try to rotate around options and hope that works for a while ?

 

[Gloi]

Thanks everyone - I’ve definitley found that something works for a while then it becomes a hard no, and he won’t even eat that item without a tablet in. Carrots are now items to be sniffed at disdainfully and ignored as an example.
Bread has worked this week, as has a bit of (human) cereal bar and there’s a few other suggestions to try so I think I will try to rotate around options and hope that works for a while ?

Give the item more times without the tablet to lull them into a sense of security before the one with a tablet.
We always wrapped them in bread though.

 

[Boulty]

Give up dissolve in water & syringe into the suspicious gob followed by a tablet free reward afterwards. I managed to convince my Welsh D who reared at the sight of a wormer syringe that it was better for everyone if he stuck his head over the door & opened his mouth for the syringe (& that if he wanted his bucket feed he needed to take his meds like a good boy). He would take it straight with water but it should still work with a little apple juice in the water to improve the taste of required. He was far too smart to play the hiding it game with & seemed to respond better to me straight up admitting that I had meds for him but they would be followed by something nice (I did use treats as well as hard feed initially but he eventually twigged that breakfast immediately followed meds time & that was enough of a reward for him)

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Will he eat a marmite sandwich? My sister's ponies love them and taste should hide most things.

 

[Indy]

I just shove them on his tongue and wait until they dissolve and then give him his dinner or a treat. I tried being nice and hiding it in all manner of treats but he wasn't having any of it and he also started refusing to eat his dinner, I think because he thought I was hiding them in his dinner. He doesn't seem to mind doing it this way. He hasn't strongly objected anyway