You Want Me To Give What To Who?

That’s right. . .how many of you horse owners have heard the phrase. . .”Well, they’re going to need ____medication___times a day”?  We cringe when we hear that phrase because some of our hooved babies do NOT take medicine willingly.  Here are a few tips that will hopefully help you win the fight over giving meds.

·      Ask if the medication comes in a powdered form.  Powdered forms can often be mixed with your animal’s daily rations and eaten without them even knowing it.

·      IF a powdered version is NOT available, then capsules can normally be opened and sprinkled on the daily rations with no problems; however, certain medications MUST be taken whole, so be sure to ask your veterinarian if you can open and sprinkle.

·      The tablet form of medications can be crushed (using a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder) and sprinkled over daily rations.  Again, be sure to ask your veterinarian if this method would be appropriate.

·      Feed the medicated horse alone to see if they “nose through” the medicine or not.  This will also keep other, less picky horses from eating medication that they don’t need.

·      Always check the bucket just to make sure the “patient” ate what they were supposed to and didn’t leave any of the medicine behind.

·      If your horse won’t eat their meds with feed, try hiding it in their “favorite treat”.  If this doesn’t work, and you’re able, grind down the medication and add it to an oral syringe of applesauce or some thinned out molasses.  This should make it more appealing to your horse.  Sometimes horses will tolerate the oral syringe better if the end of it is dipped or covered in molasses or peanut butter. 

If you have already tried all of these tips and still need help, please don’t hesitate to contact your local Cooperative Extension Office for more ideas.