easy way to get supplements into horse??

[FLeckenAwesome]

Hi guys,
So... my horse is needing multiple supplements for medical reasons and while he eats 3 or 4 of them without batting an eye...there are two that he just won't touch! I think they smell!! One is an herb and it definitely stinks! The other smells scrumptious to me, but apparently not so to the Mr Fleck.

Unfortunately both are twice daily. argh!!! And pricey too!!

I've tried putting them in with his grain, adding warm water to the grain, putting it in with his soaked hay cubes, mixing it with beet pulp.... nothing. He won't touch any of it if it is contaminated by the poison!

He's pretty easy to syringe although for the next 4 weeks he'll be syringed once daily already with the marquis. I'm not sure how long he'll stay tolerant. Atleast the marquis seems to taste good!

Any ideas? Mixing with applesauce, carrot baby food? I'd love to be able to feed him something without having to syringe him, but...

Thanks!

[ThoroughbredFancy]

You could try apple sauce or baby food. That works for some horses. Or mix it in with a bran mash and some molasses.

My TB is very easy to get to talke supplements.

Although he was on antibiotic pills and bute for a few weeks once and after week one he decided he was done so I had to syringe him. :lol:

If it is in pill form or in pellet I know some people who buy softly baked treats (stud muffins perhaps) or bake them themselves and stick the pill/pellets in and the horse gets it when he eats the treat. (The pill/pellets are stuck in after baking not before or during btw.)

[FLeckenAwesome]

I've tried the beet pulp so I wonder if I'd have the same results with the bran mash, but... maybe that peppermint bran mash from Smartpak would hide the taste.

it's powder...both of them!

hmmm. now I wonder though... I wonder if a drop of peppermint oil might do the trick. It does seem to be the smell more than anything. He wouldn't even try the one supplement coated stuff and the other...he atleast took one bite!

Wonder if a drop or two of peppermint oil might just work!!

Thanks!
any other ideas?

[ThoroughbredFancy]

Peppermint oil might indeed help him.

I bought my guy a bag of that mint bran mash from SmartPak also. I am curious to see if he finds it yummy. Although he is not one to pass up any kind of food. :lol:

[deltawave]

Bran mashes or beet pulp can hide a multitude of smelly things. But I figure if my horses violently turn their noses up at something, maybe I should try something else, especially if the benefits are only in the "maybe" category. They get so little "grain" that I feel bad spoiling their one meal a day with a lot of additives. :)

I don't know how much Smart Pak charges for a "peppermint bran mash" but you can find candy canes by the GROSS the day after Christmas for next to nothing. Get yourself a box of those, a bag of bran and a small hammer--voila! Peppermint bran mash. :)

[FLeckenAwesome]

My horses LOVED it :)

I think the fruity one was enjoyed also.

Wonder if smartpak has a big bag....off to go find out!

[MunchkinsMom]

I have a horse that was on some pretty strong smelling chinese herbal supplements that he would not eat. So I became the "Martha Stewart" of the equine world, and created a "no-bake" horse cookie dough that I put the supplements into, and he ate them fine.

I don't have the exact measurements, so play around with it.

You need a coffee bean grinder, oatmeal (not instant), vegetable shortening (like Crisco), brown sugar and molasses.

Grind up some of the oatmeal into a flour, add some shortening, molasses and brown sugar to make it like a drop cookie style dough (you can also add a little water if you need to). Take out enough for one dose/serving of supplements, mix in the supplements, then roll the "cookie" in the oatmeal, so that it looks like a nut covered cheese ball.

You can make up a bunch ahead of time, wrap in wax paper and serve as needed. This was a big help to my barn crew at feeding time, because I would make up a bunch for them (about a weeks worth).

You might want to taste test a small cookie first without the supplements or meds in them, some horses might not like it, but mine loved them, and he thinks anything new in his feed dish is poison.

[MunchkinsMom]

If peppermints work, it is much easier. I have found that the soft red and white peppermint balls are easier to crush and melt (for meds), and you can buy a big tub of them at Sams or Costco.

[FLeckenAwesome]

thanks guys!

I'm not a good cook, but I can whip up a mean batch of dog and pony treats, so maybe I'll give that a try!

[FLeckenAwesome]

ps...talked to my vet. she recommended maybe trying to mix the grain and supplements with a bit of coke or dr pepper. So we're gonna try that tactic tonight. Will post back and let you all know how it goes.. in case anyone else needs ideas too :)

[RealityCheck]

The trick for my picky mare is apple sauce and pancake syrup...yum! Another thing to try would be the flavored types of oatmeal- I've given them the apple cinnamon kind as a treat and they loved it!

[MunchkinsMom]

I'm not a good cook, but I can whip up a mean batch of dog and pony treats, so maybe I'll give that a try!

Oh that was the big joke in my house, I can't cook people food unless it comes in a box with explicit instructions, yet there I was mixing up "horse cookie dough" from scratch!

[Mariequi]

My old mare wouldn't fall for any of it - and I tried everything. The current young one doesn't like anything softer than a Mrs. Pasture's cookie. Doesn't like Stud Muffins. I like the peppermint idea. About the coke or Dr. P, would the pills dissolve in it and you'd try to get him to "drink" it, lap it up, or add it further to something else?

[FLeckenAwesome]

i think with the soda...you add it to their grain and put the supplements in the grain too. That way the powders stick to the grain and the coke hides the flavor. But it didn't work for Fleck... NOPE!! He loved the coke grain but add in the supplements and it was a no go. for pills i would imagine you would let them dissolve in the coke or put it in a syringe maybe???

sigh....
My plan for tomorrow is peppermint oil and corn syrup/pancake syrup/molasses etc OR... beer :) I figured the beer might be odorous enough to hide the smell.
so we shall see!

Maybe I'll try the applesauce and oatmeal too. That's another good idea :)

thanks guys!

[Big Belgian]

http://www.mediyums.com

A friend of mine developed these when one of her horses had to be on multiple sups. They work great!

[FLeckenAwesome]

hey, those are neat!!! Might have to look into them. I just hate to keep buying stuff he's not going to eat.

argh!!! So he still won't eat them.... I tried beet pulp with peppermint extract. Nope... won't go near it. Gonna try beer tonight. maybe that will overpower the smell. I suppose I can also try corns syrup/pancake syrup, molasses etc too!

otherwise I suppose I'll be syringing him.
argh!

[MunchkinsMom]

http://www.mediyums.com

A friend of mine developed these when one of her horses had to be on multiple sups. They work great!

I've used those also, not a cheap solution, and rather messy to work with, but the horses love the taste.