Getting pills into a horse

[SEL]

Last night (pre fireworks - can't even blame them) my PSSM mare decided that rather than being caught for her dinner she would spend 10 mins galloping madly around the field, doing rodeo style bucks and spins a polo pony would be proud off. Drenched in sweat by the time she decided to calm down and stiff as an ironing board this morning. I could throttle her.

She has robaxin as muscle relaxants for when she's at risk of tying up. They are very large tablets and I am reliably informed by humans who take them that they taste really bitter. She used to just scoff them down in her food, but has realised that they taste nasty now and spits them out (& she's greedy so will eat most stuff). Any ideas on how to get them into her? So far we have tried

Copra - managed one tablet before she realised they were there
Carrot - slipped one in a natural crack in a large carrot. Was 'impressed' to see her eat the carrot and still manage to spit out chewed bits of tablet.
Extra strong mint - I thought this was a genius idea. Similar texture and the smell / taste would hide the robaxin tablet. Spat the whole lot out and managed to snaffle the mint before it had hit the ground.

I gave up then. Sadly grinding the pills up doesn't work because that just means she refuses to eat any of the food and I can't rescue to tablets. Syringing means I end up wearing it as a hair mask - I'm wondering if there's something I can mix it with that would mean I could get at least a couple down her before she realises.

What else can hide the taste of bitter tablets?

 

[Cortez]

A really ripe, sweet pear does it for all of mine: push the pill (or half pill, if they're large) deep into the centre.

 

[only_me]

Cover it in jam, or put into a jam sandwich.

 

[SEL]

I will try both of those (well, pear might have to wait until its softened as local supermarket ones are rock solid!). I have a feeling each flipping tablet might need a new idea to trick her into eating them. Jam sandwich we can do. Another livery suggested banana as well.

 

[BarneyTheChestnutOne]

I use empty pill capsules that you can get cheaply online for the prascend for my cushings pony. Put tablet into the capsule and then I put into a carrot or feed with a handful of treats. This works well as it disguises the bitter taste.

 

[deepblue]

Extra Strong mint /icing sugar paste sandwich works for mine with prascend tablets.
Push the pills into a ball of icing sugar / fondant paste and then sandwich the paste inbetween two extra strong mints

 

[Littlefloof]

Squidged into the centre of peppermint cremes?

 

[Merlod]

My EMS shetland has had metformin in the past, it is very bitter too. He won't eat it mixed into his feed and unfortunately due to the laminitis element most "tempting" treats are out of the question. I just ended up crushing and mixing with a small amount of diluted sugar free squash to get the right consistency and syringing it down! So much easier than picking up soggy tablets or wasting them in feeds that wouldn't be eaten. Then a sugar free polo after to take the taste away

 

[chaps89]

I used to dissolve metformin in water and use that to mix the feed with with success.
We used to use marmite or treacle sandwiches to give an old boy his pergolide. If they're big tablets maybe crush them then spread into said sandwich?

 

[laura_nash]

Marmite sandwiches often work

 

[SEL]

Hadn't thought of marmite. I'll try that - I think I'm going to be making up a variety of sandwiches for her. Sugar isn't ideal given her condition, but if its a small amount to get a tablet down then so be it. Sugar free squash is worth a try too.

What worries me a bit is quite how dexterous she was this morning at spitting out bits of pill whilst eating her carrot. I'd struggle to spit out just the pill and eat the carrot if it had been me trying to get the nasty tablet down. I used to be able to rely on copra for anything, but apparently we're wise to that now - they must taste really bad.

 

[ihatework]

When I had to get prascend into a horse that refused everything I found that crushing and mixing with apple sauce in an old gastrogusrd tube, then syringing in like a wormer worked

 

[turkana]

I had success with mixing up drugs with black treakle & then letting her lick it off my hand. For some reason licking it off my hand was the only way I could get her to take her meds, maybe it seemed more of a treat that way, I spent weeks doing this as she refused all other methods!

 

[paddy555]

I get prascend down by using molassed sugar beet. It is only half a dozen nuts soaked but it works everytime and that quantity doesn't cause a problem. Mine has been gormlessly eating them this way for years.

 

[Carrottom]

Crush tablet and mix with Ready Breck then syringe in. Usually works with bitter tasting antibiotic liquid.

 

[Casey76]

Please check with a vet of]r pharmacist before crushing and/or mixing with various liquids or semi liquids as this can seriously effect the bioavailability, efficacy and metabolism of drugs.

 

[Leo Walker]

I have previously used porridge oats and treacle. Mix it until its really sticky and then put the tablet in the middle of a little ball of it. Its so sticky its impossible to spit out just the tablet and horses go mad for it!