Help help help!!! Tommy off his food!!

R

rushyj

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 April 2009
Messages
495
Visit site
Tom has been making huge progress only yesterday he decided to go off his food... Tried loads of diff things and he just not fussed he is in a big bay snit!! Anyway means I can't get his bute down him or his metaformin tabs....

I have tried allsorts like hollowed out carrots etc. Need irresistable please..

On the bright side he is no more lame....
smile.gif
 
The only way I can get bute or antibiotics down my mare is to get it from the vet in a syringe paste form. You can try mixing with, apple juice/molasses or yoghurt and then syringe but we find it much easier to just get it from the vet!!
 
you can mix bute with water and then syringe it down his throat, if desperate.
peppermint flavouring (for cakes) can work, but depends on the horse - some love it enough to eat whatever it's in, others are suspicious.
sugar beet's a good one, must admit that's my medicine-masker of choice!
 
My friend's horse is on Metformin...she crushes the tablets into a powder, mixes them with his feed, dampens the feed and then mixes in dried spearmint. I use Naf mint with my fusspot. Both work well so far!
 
I always use a small amount of bread with honey or treacle on it then the bute or tablets on there, then another small piece of bread on top to make a sandwich, but im not sure if thats too sugary for him due to his laminitus?
 
Ok you need to be careful with to much sugar/molasses. I would try a small amount of chaff/Happy Hoof, unmolassed sugar beet, high fibre cubes, maybe get some fresh mint (the herb) and sprinkle it over the top. You can also get dreid mint from NAF/Hilton/Dodspn & Horrell. But fresh mint and parsley you can get from your garden or supermarket in the meantime.

I know its difficult and you want him to eat but avoid carrots, apples etc too much sugar for him!
 
Thank you.... *writing notes* I have tried the sugar beet and he sort of went for it but not much... even made him carrot and stinging nettle soup yesterday and was spending so much time and effort burt the OH dinner..... he he not popular
 
Have you tried a toothpaste sandwich? Sometimes this works, or marmite? With laminitis you have to stay away from the sugar element but either of these might do the trick
grin.gif
grin.gif
 
Or you could try a small amount of bran mixed into a mash. Add the crushed tablets & put into an empty syringe & squirt down him, it shouldn't trickle out as badly as water would. However how you do that to something the size of Tommy if he doesn't want to play is beyond me I.m afraid!
 
Ok was thinking about this as I was feeding mine earlier. inca did exactly the same after about 2/3 weeks of box rest - it was the bute she wouldn't eat - tried everything but the bowl just got kicked out of the stasble -literally!! I was desperate to get it down her so gave everything but the bute which got eaten. After that I gave her bute - x which she happily ate for the next couple of weeks that she should have been on bute. I know it is not supposed to be as strong as bute but I figured that it was better then nothing - also as she wasn't leaving her stable it meant that if she felt pain she would lie down etc to allieviate it rather than keep standing and making it worse as she couldn't feel it - does that make sense??

The other thing she has when the grass is growing (is out 24/7 in spring/summer/autumn) is Global Herbs Laminitis Prone - it works as a de-tox and helps support their liver etc (important when they are having a lot of bute). The three supplements she has now are Formula 4 Feet (year round) which also smells yummy so helps with eating, Laminits Prone - except in winter when the grass isn't growing - and Bute - X in case she ever gets pottery/for emergencies. Touch wood haven't needed to use it in over a year now!!

Hope that is of some help.
 
Danilon is more palatable than bute
Have huge problems with Cuffey on ordinary bute on the rare occasions he has needed anything--feed left as with Tommy
 
It is Danilon he is on instead of bute (sorry keep calling it bute) He just seems brighter so he has finally got the hump with all the box rest I think.... I have stocked up on goodies and will do him a bloody cocktail if he wants it lol....

We are really lucky with him he never uses his size against us... thank god
 
Hi my mare is on metaformin and bute (for laminitis) I put a small bit of water with the bute in a syringe and get it down that way, the metaformin I use speedibeet, speedibeet is ok to feed laminitics as long as its not normal sugarbeet.
Good luck
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top