Help feeding bute to pony

holt889

holt889

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Pony - 26 - sadly has laminitis and suspected cushings. He is in and has to have bute twice daily but is also on cushings meds.- just been on it 3 days- and his appetite has gone !! He is picking at his soaked hay but he is very off when it comes to hard feed with the bute in. I've tried apple cider vinegar, garlic, molasses, warm food etc and he is not having any of it. I will have to ask vet for bute paste if everything fails ..... I have thought about syringing it in... Any one know the best way to do it ???Any other ideas welcome !!!
 
Not good for laminitic but I put bute powder onto teaspooon of jam and chop apple into soaked pony nuts. I either put in a plastic container and let it all soak in and he eats the slop. Now he is on apple and soaked pony nuts. He wouldnt touch it before when I put it in pony nuts on its own. Am sure he could smell it!
 
Thanks for all the suggestions .. I'll try the sandwich, then the syringe if the sandwich fails. I'll speak to the vet and ask about danilon... Thanks all !!
 
Marmite sandwiches all the way. Has never let me down once!

Mine are fed Fast Fibre and that is good for meds as it's soaked. I have also put a little golden syrup mixed in with it to hide the taste, though that isn't so good for laminitics of course. Maybe FF and marmite would be good!!
 
With Jay i am putting a small handful of his chaff in a bucket, adding apple juice and just before i give it to him mix his bute in, if i put it in his actual feed he will not eat it.
 
Does pony like bananas? If so mash one up with bute & stick it in a bucket, if you need to can mix a tiny bit of honey in. Worked for a lami pony my friend had
 
Give him a mini feed with bute in before his proper med free dinner.

Of make it into a paste and shoot it down his neck, that way at least you know he's had it.
 
Another vote for danilon :) my mare is so fussy and she happily ate her feed with danilon and sedatives in and a splash of apple juice when she had laminitis!
 
a small feed with grated carrot, my lad was on two sachets of bute twice a day
Tried everything, apple juice, golden syrup, changed to a small feed with grated carrot and apple in and left him for ten minutes it worked, then he had his main feed.
Unfortunately he died before I could test this method long term
 
Flirtygerty- sorry to hear your boy didn't make it :-(. I like the idea of grating carrots and apples though so I'll take the grater down today. I have half my the items from my kitchen cupboards in a bag to take to try him with today... Hubbie thinks I'm mad !!!
 
ask your vet for a plastic syringe around the 50/60 ml size

add some luke warm water (to 30ml mark)and then the bute mix well and just syringe into pony that way you know they have got it in their system

i wouldn't be feeding jam etc.. to a laminitic
 
Well, he turned his nose up at the marmite!!! He wouldn't even touch grated carrot or apple but will eat it whole !!??!! So I made a paste and syringed it in .. At least I know he's getting the whole dose & then I can leave him a little feed to eat that tastes normal ! It is definitely the cushings meds messing with his appetite.
 
horsedreams said:
i wouldn't be feeding jam etc.. to a laminitic
Click to expand...

How much effect do you think that a smear of jam on a bit of bread is going to have? Fair comment if people were suggesting half a mug full!! There's probably more sugar in grated carrot/apple etc.

OP said she didn't want the battle of syringing (although she has since changed her mind, which is cool because it's the best way by far) If it takes a bit of jam to get essential medication into a horse, then so be it.
 
my vet told me to put bute in freezer as this reduces the bitterness then if you need to take it to stable keep cool bag with freezer packs then sprinkle on jam sandwich, ive got a fussy eater who goes by smells as well as taste.
 
My mare won't take it at ANY cost. Have tried everything and anything. Best thing to do is get a large syringe from your vet, add a small amount of water to the bute and mix it into a milky paste.
 
Same as above, we have a lot like this at work.
If not we carve out the centre of a carrot then put the powder in that, or an apple.
 
For one old mare on our yard they've had recent sucess mixing bute with very runny baby food (the kind that comes in vac packed pockets with a screw top) and syringing it into her mouth.

My lad on two bute a day was getting very fussy and wise to honey, apple juice etc. He was disagnosed as anemic and put on Haemavite B Plus a couple of weeks ago - he now *licks the bucket clean* so it must taste pretty good and hide the bute.
 
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