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We have all been there… in the urge of giving medicines to a picky eater horse. This applies to horses, dogs, cats, and husbands (just kidding). I have struggled with this over the years and also find that one route that works well does not mean it is permanent.
Take Spike. He gets a Prascend pill every day. I started off giving this medicine to my horse in a carrot. But then he decided he didn’t want carrots after a while. So, I gave it to him in a handful of grain (always over the aisle mats, so I could see if he spit it out while eating the grain). Then, he decided maybe the grain wasn’t so interesting.
So, I migrated to crushing a soft peppermint and giving the pill with the peppermint pieces. It worked like a charm until he got disinterested in peppermints. So, now I am on the German Horse Treats. I take about a third, wrap the pill in the middle, and make a ball so that he doesn’t know it is there.
So, here are some of the methods I use to give medicines to my horse:
A few helpful hints, all learned the hard way
When you are crushing pills, there are several methods:
- Mortar and pestle. This is old-fashioned, but it always works.
- Coffee grinder. Great for a bunch of pills
- When you are in a pinch, use a plastic bag and pound with a hammer (or another solid object). I also do this with my peppermints in their individual wrappers.
When you are giving medicine to your horse via a dosing syringe:
- Have on hand several 60cc dosing syringes… one is not enough because a good crunch by a horse makes it obsolete quickly.
- Find a dosing syringe with a large opening. You may need to cut off the tip if it is too constraining for the viscosity of the liquid you are using. You can also add some oil to the plunger to help it slide easier.
- Put ground pills in a small bowl.
- Fill the syringe with liquid of choice and then dose contents into the small bowl. This will keep you from overdoing the liquid and having to fill multiple syringes to give the one dose of medicine.
- Stickier liquids are messy. If you can use water, go for it.
- Mix the powder (or dissolve solid pills if applicable) completely to avoid clogging the syringe tip.
- Use a halter and lead rope when giving medicine, and make sure they haven’t just taken a big bite of hay or grain.
- Shake the syringe again before giving meds.
- Put syringe far enough in their mouth (given on the side), so they don’t chew it, and the liquid goes down. If doses are large (over 30cc), you may need to give in two pumps so that they can get all the liquid in.
- Hold their head up for up to 10 seconds to help it go down.
- If using anything sticky, consider giving the medication in a wash stall so that you can have easy cleanup.
About mixing substances
- Watch for nutritional content to make sure it is not harmful. For instance, if your horse is on a low sugar, low starch diet, avoid molasses and other sugary treats.
- Never give treats labeled “sugar-free” or “artificially sweetened.” They likely contain sorbitol and/or xylitol.
- I have seen where people have used yogurt as a mixing substance. This should be avoided because it contains calcium, which can disrupt the absorption of the medication.
And, remember, your horse can outsmart you! To make it a positive experience, try giving the mixing substance without medicine before and after giving medicine to your horse. So, if you give in a handful of grain, give a little before, a little with the pill, and a little after—same thing for pieces of carrots or apples.
The biggest thing to remember is giving medicines to a horse is an evolving trial and error, don’t give up!!
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