HOW IN THE HELL DO I FEED ANTIBIOTICS TO MY PICKY HORSE

[europa]

So my horse got stitches and is on stall rest with antibiotics. He is soo picky he can smell them a mile away. Tried apples, apple sauce, beet pulp and mixing with feed. Nothing works. I have decided that some very smart person needs to develop an alfalfa based antibiotic like the ones for worming. They could make a mint if they did this and it would sure alleviate alot of worry for us owners. Finally had to just squirt it down his throat but would love some suggestions.

[grayarabpony]

Put it in a syringe with molasses. Easy.

[Dalemma]

I have to use a syringe with a couple of mine.

Dalemma

[ChocoMare]

Two suggestions:

1- Carrot Baby Food
2- An older banana, smooshed

Take a piece of uber soft white bread, put blob mixed with meds in the middle and then mold the bread around it, forming into a ball. Pop into horse's mouth :)

[merrygoround]

If you are dealing with SMZ's, get a dose syringe, add about 5cc, cold water, for every tab, shake quickly, they dissolve fast,and squirt it in his mouth.

If you insist on using flavored dewormers check with your vet. Some of them are worthless.

[Texarkana]

Dose syringe. Mixing antibiotics in feed isn't the best way to ensure they receive them all, anyway.

[kcmel]

Grind, mix in applesauce diluted in water and squirt in mouth with a large syringe. I know, it is a pain!

[goeslikestink]

jam sandwich

[pds]

I grind up the SMZs, add a little Coca Cola for flavor and administer with a dose syringe.

[HelloAgain]

Haha, I was just thinking about hard dosers today (had to grind up some antibiotics and mix it with beef baby food for my cat). The hardest doser I ever knew, you had to grind em up and mix it with straight corn syrup in a dosing syringe. Then down the hatch (and hope *most* of it ended up in the horse as she flung her head about in outrage).

[greysandbays]

I don't even bother to try putting medication in feed. Straight into some corn syrup and a syringe it goes. Squirt -- and it's done.

If you do it right, they think they've gotten a goodie...;)

[kelser01]

My gelding ripped his shoulder open this summer and needed antibiotics. He was pretty bad about taking anything in paste/syringe, and because it was at the point of his shoulder I didnt want him yanking his head up to get away from me and reopening the wound. He got very picky and I had to swap up what I put it in almost daily. He loves sweet feed and does not get any on a normal day, so that worked for 3 or so days but after that we had to get inventive. I did crushed carrots, alfalfa mash with soaked cubes, apple sauce and molasses. If it was not the same "treat" he got the day before he was fine with it. And it helped that I feed him lots of treats so he would not turn his nose up at his medicine.


After he healed I pasted him with apple sauce every day until he got over that whole issue.

[Simkie]

I have the world's pickiest horse. She doesn't like molasses, corn syrup, applesauce, carrot baby food, peppermint, jello...the list goes on.

What she DOES like is cream cheese frosting. So I mix her meds with frosting, add a tiny bit of water to thin it a little bit and use a dosing syringe. It works great.

[sporthorsefilly]

Get a plastic 20+ cc syringe from your vet... pull out the plunger, put in the pills, add some warm water, put the plunger back, put finger over the end, shake well, give to horse by mouth. This works fantastically well.

[2DogsFarm]

Sigh...I have Food Tester too :rolleyes:

For ABX I take no chances, they go in a dose syringe - dissolved in water - along with some sweetener (corn syrup, molasses, etc) to make sure at least a large percentage of the recommended dose goes down the throat instead of down my shirt.

confession:
I taste a teeny bit of whatever I give my horses and I can testify that bute, wormer & SMZ are godawful bitter on your tongue! :dead:
I just needed to know if all the fuss was justified...it is

[GallopingGrape]

Ditto on the syringe and molassas down the throat. My horse LOVES his medicine this way.

[luvmywalkers]

...
confession:
I taste a teeny bit of whatever I give my horses and I can testify that bute, wormer & SMZ are godawful bitter on your tongue! :dead:
I just needed to know if all the fuss was justified...it is

I do too! And agree...it is godawful!

[luvmywalkers]

Syringe and molasses works best for me, uh, my horses :D

[IsolaBella09]

Syringe and molasses, applesauce, mashed banana, or mashed carrots.

[kahjul]

IF he likes peppermints: 1 mint per pill together in the coffee grinder. It's the only thing that works for my girl.
Also, like the Nascar Hell-thats where I live too most of the year!!

[Blinkers On]

Syringe, apple juice... you name it.

[Coobie]

I am in the same exact boat right now. An incredibly brillant woman suggested to me to grind pills in coffee grinder with about 1/2 cup of sugar(put sugar in grinder too). Then add to food. She attests that her pickiest eat will eat it. I haven't tried that yet. What I'm trying right now is: I got a 10 lb bag of carrots, grinded in food processor mixed 1 1/2 cups with grain. Also got a big bag of apples cut up in small pieces added 1 cup. Throw in a few mints. Mix well. After all that work I hope it works!

[MunchkinsMom]

IF he likes peppermints: 1 mint per pill together in the coffee grinder. It's the only thing that works for my girl.


I use peppermints also, I get the softer round ones, they crush easier, then I melt with some hot water, add the ground up meds and pour on the feed.

I have one horse that does not eat peppermints, his method is a heaping tablespoon of raspberry jello mix, hot water, then the meds, mix and put in a dosing syringe, he loves his meds that way.

Another option that is messy but works:

http://www.gcoopersmith.com/EquineMediYums.asp

I've used them myself, the horses love them!

[Pippigirl]

I have the world's pickiest horse. She doesn't like molasses, corn syrup, applesauce, carrot baby food, peppermint, jello...the list goes on.

What she DOES like is cream cheese frosting. So I mix her meds with frosting, add a tiny bit of water to thin it a little bit and use a dosing syringe. It works great.

Hmmm...I'm curious! How did you find out your mare likes cream cheese frosting???