Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466 
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Post by Terry on Nov 16, 2014 23:33:19 GMT
Does anyone have any helpful tips for giving oral medicine to a pony who would rather throw a major fit than open her mouth and take it?  The day she got here I was able to worm her, but it was a bit of a struggle to get her to open her mouth. Now she's on a daily oral antibiotic. The first night she struggled, but she eventually opened her mouth and took it. Last night hubby and I tag-teamed her (he tried to hold her while I tried to get it in her mouth). She wound up throwing herself to the ground, running backwards out her stall dragging hubby along with her, etc. I eventually got most of it in her, but some of it wound up on the wall. Tonight I decided to try it alone again because she behaved much worse when we tag-teamed her. I tried putting a little honey on my thumb before I stuck my thumb in her mouth, hoping that would encourage her to open her mouth. It didn't work. We even put a little honey on the end of the syringe, but again, it didn't work. This time I ended up wearing it, she ended up wearing it, and it's all over the wall and the window of her stall. I don't think I got any of it in her.  Since I don't think she got any of it tonight, I'm going to mix it in her grain tonight and hope she'll eat it that way. I'm frustrated and don't know what else to do. She's doing great with the warm compresses on her jaw, and spraying Vetericyn on her jaw, but she HATES having anything squirted in her mouth and she just clamps that mouth down tight and the rodeo begins!  My big horses don't like being wormed, but they deal with it. The pony just goes crazy! Somebody needs to invent a horse treat that you can fill with the medicine, because then she'd gobble it up. 
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Nov 16, 2014 23:46:22 GMT
For starters you can make a twitch out of a halter rope. Wrap it around her upper lip and have hubby hang on to that. Put the medicine in with some corn syrup and some water to make it a little runnier. Put the syringe in the side of her mouth where the bit would go so she can shut her mouth but you can still get in there and angle it back so it shoots into her mouth and she has to swallow it, not spit it out.
If you need to practice a bit just use corn syrup and water. |
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Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
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Post by Terry on Nov 16, 2014 23:57:31 GMT
I'm trying to stick the syringe in where the bit would go, but she's got that mouth clamped tight, and she sticks her tongue in the way so I haven't even been able to force the syringe in there (large syringe).
I feel stupid asking, but how do I go about making a twitch out of a halter rope?
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leli
New Member
Posts: 57
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Post by leli on Nov 17, 2014 0:31:19 GMT
My BO showed me how to tie them in the stall and you stand on the other side- wrap the lead around one of the bars a few times making sure to cross the rope over itself. This should make it so if they pull back they can't go anywhere. Snub the horse up tight to the front of the stall. Then you can reach through the bars and get the syringe in their mouth. Sometimes I have to stand on the lead rope and use my other hand to hold the halter.
My horse used to pull all the time and that was the only way to get anything in her mouth. After almost three weeks of antibiotics (had to make a solution from them, wouldn't touch her grain if I put it on it) and bute, she can now be dewormed without any fuss or having to be tied. She just needed to learn that it wasn't going to kill her.
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Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
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Post by Terry on Nov 17, 2014 0:44:19 GMT
I went ahead and put the medicine in her grain and mixed it up real good. So far it seems to be working. By the time I'd left the barn she had already finished most of her grain! Hopefully by morning it will all be gone.
She's only been here a week today, and it's been a rough week for her with us worming her, putting medicine on her, having the vet examine and clip her, and us trying to get medicine in her, so I'm trying to cut her some slack right now, especially since she's been so very good with my granddaughters, but I sure hope that, once she has a chance to settle in here, she'll stop fighting me so hard on some of this basic stuff. It's very frustrating.
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Post by horselady on Nov 17, 2014 1:20:02 GMT
I do not fight the little horses. they are strong and when they get their adrenalin up than there is no convincing them they are going to be ok.
as you found out just put it in the food. and mix in some apples or carrots. i had one horse that loved chocolate eclaires and when he was presribed meds he hated the thought of them. and being 1200 pounds i put the meds into a piece of creamy pastry.
If it is pills i even poked holes into apples and stuffed the pill in it. or into slices of bread or doughnuts . i also crush the pills and mix in applesauce and watch them lick it up
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Post by Shelly on Nov 17, 2014 3:11:24 GMT
I have a few tricks that I use to give oral meds to tough horses. I will generally lie the syringe flat next to their mouth (on the side where the bit sits). While the horse panics/tosses their heads/sometimes even rear I will just stay calm beside them (never in front) and try my best to keep it in that same spot. Most horses fight for about 3-5 mins and give in right away. I will then slide my thumb in their mouth (just like if you where going to put the bit it) and just give them time to be comfortable with that. When the time is right, I will slide the syringe in and give the medication. An other thing I've had to do if they really will not let you put the syringe by their mouth is just hold the syringe against their neck and wait until they are comfortable with that and slowly work my way up towards their mouth. As a vet tech, I was always drilled by vets that unless you know for a fact that a horse will eat it all at once in their grain that giving meds orally is the ideal way to go and that way you know the horse gets it all at the same time and you don't waste any medications either. Not saying it's wrong, my horse eats meds no problem but others can be finicky eaters but you know your horse best  So if that route works for you then great! best of luck! |
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Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
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Post by Lipizzan on Nov 17, 2014 7:32:58 GMT
Just put it in the food. Don't stress her out with force.
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Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
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Post by Terry on Nov 17, 2014 13:19:22 GMT
Fortunately putting it in her food worked. I know my big horses can be finicky about what's in their food, and they probably would not have eaten it, but by this morning the pony had eaten every last bite of the grain with the medicine in it. Yay! I'll just continue to give it to her in her dinner grain until it's done. That's one less thing I'm doing to stress her out.
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mistersmom
Junior Member
Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749
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Post by mistersmom on Nov 17, 2014 14:23:52 GMT
If putting it in her food works for her then by all means do it that way. Mister is not all that great with oral meds and will NOT eat them in his food. Last time I had to give him something (nail in the hoof I think), I finally bought some molasses. Crushed the pills, mixed in a few drops of water to dissolve them a bit then mixed it in some molasses. But, he is usually will take his wormer and whatnot easily, not like your pony.
If she stops eating it in her food and will not take it orally, you may want to talk to the vet about giving the meds by IM injection. Hopefully she will continue to eat them in the food though.
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hugs
Junior Member
Posts: 2,647
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Post by hugs on Nov 26, 2014 2:41:38 GMT
I think its perfectly fine to mix medicine in with food. Perhaps it would be a good idea to change the food around a bit to keep it interesting, grain one time, applesauce the next but then again, I just thought, would it make the pony finicky? I have no idea. If the treats are all good to the horse, how could it not be easier each time? When my dog Schoenie was first on antibiotics I put the pills in brats and peanut butter sandwiches. He gained weight which wasn't a good idea but he got all of his medicine.
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Post by karencole on Nov 26, 2014 12:00:13 GMT
Just put it in the food. Don't stress her out with force. We have used apple sauce with the meds and then mixed that in with the grain. So far nobody has been able to resist it!!! |
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The day she got here I was able to worm her, but it was a bit of a struggle to get her to open her mouth. Now she's on a daily oral antibiotic. The first night she struggled, but she eventually opened her mouth and took it. Last night hubby and I tag-teamed her (he tried to hold her while I tried to get it in her mouth). She wound up throwing herself to the ground, running backwards out her stall dragging hubby along with her, etc. I eventually got most of it in her, but some of it wound up on the wall. Tonight I decided to try it alone again because she behaved much worse when we tag-teamed her. I tried putting a little honey on my thumb before I stuck my thumb in her mouth, hoping that would encourage her to open her mouth. It didn't work. We even put a little honey on the end of the syringe, but again, it didn't work. This time I ended up wearing it, she ended up wearing it, and it's all over the wall and the window of her stall. I don't think I got any of it in her. 
Since I don't think she got any of it tonight, I'm going to mix it in her grain tonight and hope she'll eat it that way. I'm frustrated and don't know what else to do. She's doing great with the warm compresses on her jaw, and spraying Vetericyn on her jaw, but she HATES having anything squirted in her mouth and she just clamps that mouth down tight and the rodeo begins! 
My big horses don't like being wormed, but they deal with it. The pony just goes crazy! Somebody needs to invent a horse treat that you can fill with the medicine, because then she'd gobble it up. 
So if that route works for you then great! 
