Tips for getting antibiotics into horse

willhegofirst

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My lad is on antibiotics and bute twice a day for two weeks, the antibiotics is in powder form and too much to try to dissolve and syringe into his mouth, he is a fussy eater and getting it into him is being fun. At the moment I have mixed it in apple sauce into his feed, but although most has gone by the morning or evening I would rather I knew when he had actually eaten it.
The bute I mix with diluted honey and syringe into his mouth.
So any ideas that people have found works gratefully received.
 

Red-1

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If the horse won't eat the powders I usually ask the vet for injectable antibiotics. Once the vet has shown you how, injecting is not difficult. It is the only way to ensure they get them, although I am sure you will also get many recommendations for treacle sandwiches, hollowed out carrots etc.
 

ILuvCowparsely

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My lad is on antibiotics and bute twice a day for two weeks, the antibiotics is in powder form and too much to try to dissolve and syringe into his mouth, he is a fussy eater and getting it into him is being fun. At the moment I have mixed it in apple sauce into his feed, but although most has gone by the morning or evening I would rather I knew when he had actually eaten it.
The bute I mix with diluted honey and syringe into his mouth.
So any ideas that people have found works gratefully received.

It is a shame that this web site isn't used more :( ---- >> http://horse-care-and-advice.weebly.com/veterinary.html
 

only_me

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I'm feeding powder antibiotics to horse at minute as well, and he is not a fan!
So far I'm having success by increasing the amount of turmeric in his feed with the powder - I think it has strong enough flavour to mask it. Huge dolop of oil & couple of handfuls of chaff also help!
In the past he wouldn't eat danilon/bute but did this time with the added tumeric - might be wortht trying! :)
 

AShetlandBitMeOnce

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I feel like I have too much experience of this. I had to get 2 x sachets of danilon, and 3 x sachets of antibiotics into a reluctant 17.3hh everyday, twice a day for 6 weeks!!

He is super fussy with his feed, I put danilon into it once (bute he could smell a mile off), and he didn't touch any bucket feed for three days.

I also tried to following to trick him into eating it...
Yoghurt
Cored Apple
Cored Carrot
Marmite Sandwich
Jam Sandwich
Honey
Honey and Lemon
Put it between two ginger biscuits
Putting it in his feed with garlic to mask
Putting it in his feed with turmeric to mask

But there was so much of it that none of the above even nearly worked. So I had to resort to syringing it (albeit with a little Frube in the syringe). I used to make up two large syringes ready as they wouldn't fit into one, and then just had to have the battle for a week or so with plentyful reward after; I cannot even tell you how many times I walked around the yard looking as though I had showered in it. After that he was an absolute diamond!!
 

Damnation

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If the horse won't eat the powders I usually ask the vet for injectable antibiotics. Once the vet has shown you how, injecting is not difficult. It is the only way to ensure they get them, although I am sure you will also get many recommendations for treacle sandwiches, hollowed out carrots etc.

This.

My horse can smell antibiotics at 20 paces in the worlds biggest bucket of feed. She isn't great to inject but certainly easier than trying to coax her to eat it.

She also doesn't like "human" food which doesn't help.
 

Ella19

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Squash! As in fruit squash. They still don't like it but makes it a bit better. I'll get shot down in flames for this but if they're really bad grab the nose like a twitch syringe it in job done. Much easier than struggling holding a headcollar or getting thrown off the floor!
 

turkana

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I had a horse who was critically ill who had to have medication which she refused to touch - the only way I could get it into her was by mixing it with black treacle and getting her to lick it off my hands, messy but she was very thin and wasn't eating much at all, she wouldn't go near her food if it had anything suspicious in it.
I used to sit next to her crying and pleading with her to eat her damned food (although I used far stronger words than damn!)
If I tried to use a syringe she reacted like I was forcing boiling acid down her throat
 

willhegofirst

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Thanks everyone, I don't think injecting it is an option, he also doesn't like needles, I would probably get knocked into next week after a couple of times. Think I will try to syringe into him, it's 38gms so rather a lot to mix. At the moment he refuses even treats he normally loves as I am trying to poison him!
 

ILuvCowparsely

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Thanks everyone, I don't think injecting it is an option, he also doesn't like needles, I would probably get knocked into next week after a couple of times. Think I will try to syringe into him, it's 38gms so rather a lot to mix. At the moment he refuses even treats he normally loves as I am trying to poison him!

did you open the link???


well here ya go past H&H advice



Administrating Medicines
Bute - Danilon - Pro Dynam
H & H MEMBERS SAY:

either Yogurt to give the bute/ Danilon
also diluting the Danilon in warm water and squirting it into mouth.
Diluting the Danilon is speedy beet juice
Give him a sandwich with Diabetic jam
is he likes chocolate you could try diabetic biscuits crushed and mix danilon in
sugar free apple juice
Mix with pureed baby food, like apple and carrot, and syringe into back of mouth. My mare loved the flavour so much that after a few days she was practically opening her mouth for me to syringe it in!
You could make your own puree by peeling and cooking apples until they are mush.
Get a bowl, big glob of molasses, little splash of water + drugs, mix it all up to a thick black gloomy paste and syringe it. I find the antibiotics (presume Equipalazone/ Norodine/ similar) take 2-3 50ml syringes full as there's just so much of it but with enough molasses they don't mind
Cut the core out of the apple and stuff it in there then give them the core after the apple to take the taste away
In molasses in their feed
Toasted marmite sandwich, the strong smell of the marmite disguises the smell and taste of any meds, is good for them and my 2 love it. (the marmite)
Warm bran mash with apple sauce mixed in it.


Taking pills


.My mare took pills this way:i bought the fattest carrots I could find. I would cut into thirds.

Then I would core the carrot, keeping the core. Then I would core a bigger hole, put the pill in, and use the first core as a "cap".
Depending on the size, you could maybe break into 2 pieces. Put 1/2 in each of the 2 bigger pieces. Feed the first with pill, second with no
pill, third with pill.I would also cut an apple into thirds, cut out the seeds. Then I would core a three-quarter hole into the apple skin kinda deep, stuff in the pill, and flip the apple skin back over the pill. If she was suspicious after the 1st piece with pill, the second was okay, then the third had the other 1/2 of the pill.


2. One thing I did to give pills to a horse before was to cut an apple into 4 quarters, then core out a small side of one of the quarters,
put the pill in and then hide it back in the apple with the cored out part. I wonder if this would also work with tossing it in a carrot or
not.I'd also ponder if there is something in needle injecting form and give her a shot instead. I hate it when the horses are major
pooterheads and won't take medicine.


3. Boil Water and add to Alfalfa, Hay, or cubes then let cool. Add crushed medication to the mix and let soak until the medication smell is gone.


4. . I have 2 suggestions for Pills: Crush it, mix in applesauce, put it in a syringe, get the wormer bit thing and put it in. Crush it, soak it in with Bran mash/applesauce or soak into beat pulp Well, that's all I got....other than I don't know if you have a bridle with a dropped nose band...use the noseband like one of those prissy dressage riders...so she can't spit it out...and keep her head up...might be a pain...but may keep her from spitting it out...Hope this might help.

5. I always crush the meds, mix with applesauce and then administer thru an old worming paste tube as I would worming paste. Keep the mixture fairly thick.
If you can, keep her head up for a few mins after administering and rub her neck so she is encouraged to swallow.
I usually administer a shot of applesauce to my horses between times just to give them a pleasant experience. That way worming time is not such a drama! I have been told that it is not the taste so much that puts them off. It is the smell. Freezing the meds for a short time before administering will, I believe,help to eliminate the smell. However, I have never tried this so can't be sure it will make a difference. If you tried this you would have to mix it with whatever medium you are going to use to administer the meds. Freeze the mixture and then feed quickly before it has a chance to warm up.


6. I have yet to meet a horse that does love bananas. Just shove the pill in a big hunk of banana, and it should go right down - because they are kinda slimey, they tend not to chew it, and because they are sweet, they don't notice the pill, because it's in the middle!
Have you tried desolving a sweet hard candy in warm water or just melting sugar in warm water to make a concentraed syurp? If she will take that with the vicks on her nose she may not detect the crushed pills,
I would even go so far as to make a white bread 'dough' that is taking whitebread and kneeding a slice- no crust- and it becomes soft and mushie. Then mixing it with the sugar syrup and the very very finely crushed pills. she may just take that.

7. Try Cocosoya oil, it smells and tastes very palatable (Charlie DID taste it). You may be able to get smaller quantities. I got a sample from Uckele. It can very easily mask the taste of meds. I mix any of Bambi's meds (crushed pills) into her feed and mix it with oil so that it sticks. If Misty is that picky though, you need to mix it in with a flavored oil or sauce or syrup, etc. Try bute paste. Because you only give such a small amount, there is virtually nothing left for her to spit out by the time she figures out what you've done lol. Bambi always tries to give me the OMG WORMER!!! look and goes to spit it out but then gets a puzzled look


8. mix with peanut butter then put it in her mouth using a wooden spoon preferably on her palate, then she has to eat it I had a horse here who's personality was the same. Wouldn't take treats even. So when I had to give him antibiotics I tried about everything. Including buying colon syringes and mixing molasses and applesauce to squirt in the crushed pill but the p.b. worked the best. If she bites the wooden spoon the dollar general sells plastic wooden spoon look


9. I have one suggestion.... try a ball of peanut butter and grain in your hand, like a gooey cookie. Not a huge ball, and do not encourage her to eat it all at once... I used this with my silly gelding and this is the ONLY way he would take pills. I would crush them a bit, mush them into the peanut butter and roll in some grain. I hand fed them like a treat, and sometimes with no pills. It is hard with a horse not accustomed to treats!


10. my old guy who will take nothing in a syringe or if it looks like it may have meds. Take about a cup of grain (I use safe choice) Mix it with about a tablespoon of vegetable oil and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Crush the pill as fine as you can and mix it together. Then mix that with her regular grain. My guy only gets 2 cups a day. I have not found anything he will not take this way.

11. Try melting the pills in water, mixing it with apple juice, and soaking her grain with the apple sauce/water mixture. I mean, really soaking it, so that the ratio of meds to liquid/grain is very low.

12. I also use Gatorade to hide or flavor medications. When I give a medication as a paste, I put in a fair bit of powdered Gatorade to help conceal the flavor. Dissolve the pills in strawberry Kool-Aid mix and water. I'm told some horses will slurp this right out of the bowl. Another friend reports that her picky eater loves his medicine if it's mixed with vanilla yogurt.

13 Mix bute with mint-flavored Maalox - in addition to making it easier to administer, the Maalox coats the stomach and helps protect it against the effects of the medication. Mix to a consistency of toothpaste and it will be easier to dispense.

14. I have a friend that used a coffe grinder to grind up the pills, it made them into a fine powder and then used a syringe w/syrup, etc. The other thing I've had luck with is peanut butter w/the pills ground up in them.

15. I used to work for a lady who raised show halter horses. When we needed to give meds, we would crush the pills and add them to yogurt (the yogurt was good for tummy enzymes too). The yogurt was them loaded into a syringe that we had cut the end off of. We then poked the syringe in the corner of their mouth and as far back as we could, before pushing the yogurt in. The colts seemed to like the yogurt (most of the time) and it made our lives easier.
 

furrycat

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My horse is fussy so whenever I've needed to give her antibiotics I get the paste version, it's more expensive but much easier. I've also used the injections but it was a challenge as the volume that has to be injected into the muscle is obviously very painful for the horse!
 
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