Getting a necessary supplement into incredibly fussy mare

Rowreach

Rowreach

Adjusting my sails
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If any of you have any bright, thinking outside the box type ideas I would be mightily grateful :)

The mare doesn't really like hard feed, but will eat cubes if she is given long enough (like overnight:confused:) to do so, as long as they are completely unadulterated. If she thinks there is anything foreign in there she won't go near the manger. She will not eat mix, chaff, sugar beet, oil etc, and will not eat the cubes if they are in any way wet. She will not eat apples, carrots, mints, horse treats, bread, roast and 2 veg (getting desperate here;)). I can syringe stuff into her at a pinch (wormers/antibiotics etc) but please don't suggest this as I am not going to do this twice a day for 3 months:().

If anyone can help I will send them the biggest box of virtual chocolate brownies imaginable :D
 
I would love to know the answer to this too. Sorry but the best I can suggest is syringing or, at a push, mixing it in molasses and smearing it on her tongue :confused:
 
have you tried different sorts of chaff? ie high mollases ones/alfafa ones etc?

i also have a fussy mare who'll not eat mixes, soaked feed, alfafa (not her choice - mine - she goes loopy on it!) i generally just fed her nuts as then she'll eat them...

i have to introduce all supps gradually - generally introducing them over winter works better - when she's more hungry...ummm.. starve her so she's hungry?! *joke*

ummm- apple juice in some chaff?!

pears? my horse goes mad for them - seems to like them more than apples...

ummmm... not sure i can think of anything else - i would say syringe... lol ;)
 
I can't really suggest anything new but I can sympathise. We syringed pills three times a day for six weeks before putting them into feed mixed with lots of molasses, which we are still doing at the moment. After another six weeks the dose is reduced to one pill a day- she will be eating molasses for life. If the supplement is essential - life threatening in our case - then syringing is the best way. For the first two weeks we not only had to syringe the pills but also syringes full of corn oil and linseed oil - seven syringes a day. It's not easy but it is do-able. I hope you can work something out.
 
Try a splodge of jam or mollasses or honey maybe? mix the supplement in and spread it on something so she can lick it off so it isn't a feed?
Ginger biscuits crumbled up i read somthing on here saying horses go mad for them ( although will admit i have never tried them with my girl!) crumble them up and add supplement.
eeeerrrrrr other than that i am a bit stumped, i am fortunate that Skye has got a real sweet tooth and although she can be fussy will eat anything on a jam sandwich!
 
Marmite!
Its the only way i have been able to pursuade my fussy beastie to eat his the funny smelling supplement I feed him.
Apparently horses like the salty taste of marmite. Anyway i mix it with some boiling water, pour onto feed, allow to cool (!) and to my amazement he eats .......
 
My mare is VERY suspicious of anything new in her feed and either won't eat it or picks out the bits she deems 'acceptable'. I got round this by chance when I left the supplement on the (damp) feed overnight and then fed it to her next morning (because I'm cheap and I hate waste!) Originally I thought it might be because she was hungry but it now works a treat every time no matter what time of day! Maybe the taste goes away if the supplement/ medicine is left to soak in??
Hope you find a solution.
 
I was going to say marmite too! I feed mine fast fibre although its mush (basically) mine seem to find it very tasty. How about a little warm bran mash? My mare would do anything for this i worked at a vets and after any surgery horses are fed this many owners would say there horse is a fussy eater but not 1 ever refused this it smells good when warm although it is another maushy thing but if you made it just dont make it sloppy! Im sure i can think of more later!!!
 
I struggled for ages with D, he would take one nibble and walk off. Now he has apple chaff, meadow mix and a (generous!) splash of mollases, and it seems to be working, hes really enjoying his food! :D

if mollases dont work, you could also try treakle or honey, or something sweet. :p

I also found that just reducing the feed helped. If its just a small handfull of feed it looks more appitising than a huge bowlfull.

Hope this helps! :D
 
I knew I could rely on you all :D lots of things to try there I think (will have a rummage in the cupboard for the marmite in a minute).

I have tried different types of chaff but she's not interested. She doesn't eat any treats at all (unless you give her a handful of cubes she won't eat anything from the hand either).

I'm really trying to avoid the syringing because I foresee a twice daily argument and I would prefer her to enjoy taking her medicine if possible (and to live longer myself:o)

Keep 'em coming! Many many thanks for your replies (virtual brownies on their way ...)
 
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