# Getting Pony to take Powdered Meds



## TerryR (May 20, 2012)

Any easy way to get pony to take her powdered meds?
She smells it, and won't eat it!
Yogurt won't work.
Applesauce worked yesterday, today NO WAY!
Thanks for any tips!
Terry
PS Its 2 tablespoons of powder. 
Not in pill form.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

TerryR said:


> Any easy way to get pony to take her powdered meds?
> She smells it, and won't eat it!
> Yogurt won't work.
> Applesauce worked yesterday, today NO WAY!
> ...


Take a large barrel syringe (biggest you can find) cover the end, pour in the powder and mix with a little water until it's a suspension, put the tip (you may have to cut it to make it a bit bigger) in the side of her mouth and tilt up, and depress the plunger while holding her head up. This is much easier with a pony, imagine a 16+ hand warmblood with a long neck and me standing precariously on a bucket. :happy2:


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## TerryR (May 20, 2012)

Irish Pixie said:


> Take a large barrel syringe (biggest you can find) cover the end, pour in the powder and mix with a little water until it's a suspension, put the tip (you may have to cut it to make it a bit bigger) in the side of her mouth and tilt up, and depress the plunger while holding her head up. This is much easier with a pony, imagine a 16+ hand warmblood with a long neck and me standing precariously on a bucket. :happy2:


Thanks IP, I'll go to Farm & Fleet and get a syringe.
She really needs this stuff bad. She sounds terrible! Lungs are full.
She was the one diagnosed with Pneumonia.
thanks Terry


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

TerryR said:


> Thanks IP, I'll go to Farm & Fleet and get a syringe.
> She really needs this stuff bad. She sounds terrible! Lungs are full.
> She was the one diagnosed with Pneumonia.
> thanks Terry


No problem, can you tell I've had to do that a time or two? It helps if you back them into a corner so they can't wiggle around too.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I put a little molasses (it doesn't take much) in the syringe, add the powder and just enough water put my finger over the end and shake to make it all blend together. 
The horses have actually come to think of it as a treat even if bitter Bute is in it. I can administer it without even haltering. The main trouble is to keep the horse from trying to chew the syringe.
I even have a series of little plastic caps for the end of syringes so I ccan carry them without it leaking.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

where I want to said:


> I put a little molasses (it doesn't take much) in the syringe, add the powder and just enough water put my finger over the end and shake to make it all blend together.
> The horses have actually come to think of it as a treat even if bitter Bute is in it. I can administer it without even haltering. The main trouble is to keep the horse from trying to chew the syringe.
> I even have a series of little plastic caps for the end of syringes so I ccan carry them without it leaking.


Yup, pancake or maple syrup will work too.


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## tamarackreg (Mar 13, 2006)

I mix or mist a little water onto some grain to get the powder to stick. They gobble it right down generally. If not another horse nearby can provide some "competition".


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

I use a 60cc dosing syringe and a tablespoon of plain, fat free yogurt to mix meds. I mix together in a cup, then spoon into the syringe and attempt putting the plunger in without squirting the meds out the tip It gets easier over time! I sometimes can suck up all of the mix with the shrine tip, but I hate leaving any meds in the cup so I just spoon it in usually.

I can generally top dress feed with meds with some of my guys. I just add a little bit of water to make it stick to the feed. I also have soaked alfalfa or hay cubes that I mix into the feed, then top dress the meds, they love the hay/alfalfa soaked cubes and will eat them well.


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## Alder (Aug 18, 2014)

Powdered meds mixed into applesauce spooned into a big syringe. Make the opening appropriately bigger by reaming it out with a knife. As with all oral meds, make sure the patient isn't hiding a chaw of hay between his cheek and gum so he can spit it out! 

My old red Standardbred with Cushings gets his pergolide like that every night and he looks forward to it.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

TerryR said:


> Thanks IP, I'll go to Farm & Fleet and get a syringe.
> She really needs this stuff bad. She sounds terrible! Lungs are full.
> She was the one diagnosed with Pneumonia.
> thanks Terry


In a pinch, a turkey baster works pretty well but a syringe is the best solution. 

I had to treat a gelding that was cut bad and confined to stall for several months and he got pretty cagey about certain medications. 

If the dosage is minimal, you can mix a bit meds with extra bit of molasses in a a small bit of sweet feed but if you're not cool with molasses, dampen the feed enough that the meds will stick and add a shot of vanilla extract to mask the smell. 

I've also used generic vanilla pudding to mix meds into a syringe or turkey baster, injected an apple, stuffed it into a small bit of peanut butter sandwich and out of desperation squished meds into the stuffing of an oreo cookie.


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## CountryMom22 (Nov 27, 2014)

Wow wr, if I was a horse I would want to get sick/hurt at your place!


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

CountryMom22 said:


> Wow wr, if I was a horse I would want to get sick/hurt at your place!


The old rancher had a young gelding put through a fence while he was away and the injuries were bad enough that he was under restricted movement for about 6 months. 

Old ranchers can be as cagey so he hired my kids to care for the horse, first while he was working on a movie and after because they were 'doing such a great job.'

Three kids under the age of 10 tend to think outside the box better than adults and three kids under the age of 10 fighting under, over and around a 4 year old gelding tends to make for a seriously bombproof ranch horse.

It should also be noted that my kids didn't get the same treatment. They got a shot of Buckley's and sent outside to play.


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## TerryR (May 20, 2012)

Wow, this has been an ordeal!!!
Applesauce 1 time worked.
Next was syringe, (mouth injection) using molasses, water and meds. She spit most of it out, my wife and I were holding her head up as high as we could. Thought it went down, dropped her head, she spit it out.
Next day I closed her lip and nose off. It helped out great, but she fought it bad!
NEXT! Alfalfa cubes, worked GREAT! She LOVED them and meds also. Got 2 days out of that. SHE CAUGHT ON! Next batch just sat in her pale. The other horses got there medication that day!
Peppermints, YUK! Remember dad! "I'm Sassy the pony"!!! LOL While pulling my hair out!
Gonna try Peanut Butter today!
Next vet visit, I'm going to be here for shot training!
I was giving her penicillin shots, but her neck swelled up on both sides, so I wanted to give her a break.
Still got more recipes from you guys, Thanks!


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Could it be the way you are using the syringe? Although I have never had a horse spit out a molassas solution of anything after the first time.
I use a catheter type syringe, sliding it way back on the tongue. If I have a large dose, I will put it into two syringes or at least put it in fairly slowly as to not overwhelm with too much liquid. 
But as I said, it think this is unlikely as my main problem has become they try to suck the syringe dry rather than spit it out. So is there anything she really likes? Watermelon? 
Otherwise, is there an alternate med the vet can suggest she might take to better?
Does she have hay available all the time? Maybe if she were hungrier when a bucket of meds was there she'd go for it.


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## OakHollowBoers (Jun 26, 2013)

What I have done before is first switch the horse from pellets to sweet feed, take a small amount of sweet feed Ina cup and mix with water, meds, and pancake syrup. I then pour the mix over more feed. 

Now, this was with the supposedly tasteless uniprim powder.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

While we're on the subject of powdered meds, I'd be curious to know who the idiot was that concluded horses were fond of grape (ish) flavoring.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

wr said:


> While we're on the subject of powdered meds, I'd be curious to know who the idiot was that concluded horses were fond of grape (ish) flavoring.


I suspect the owner of the weird horse that was.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

cut a short length of garden hose and carefully pour the powder in one end. Insert that end into the horses mouth behind the teeth and quickly blow into the other end. But be sure not to inhale. :happy2:

It actually works quite well.


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## TerryR (May 20, 2012)

where I want to said:


> Could it be the way you are using the syringe? Although I have never had a horse spit out a molassas solution of anything after the first time.
> I use a catheter type syringe, sliding it way back on the tongue. If I have a large dose, I will put it into two syringes or at least put it in fairly slowly as to not overwhelm with too much liquid.
> But as I said, it think this is unlikely as my main problem has become they try to suck the syringe dry rather than spit it out. So is there anything she really likes? Watermelon?
> Otherwise, is there an alternate med the vet can suggest she might take to better?
> Does she have hay available all the time? Maybe if she were hungrier when a bucket of meds was there she'd go for it.


I'm using a large marinating syringe. Unscrewed the needle, drilled the hole larger.
I slide it in the side of her mouth, and get it as far back in the center of her mouth.
My syringe only holds an 1/8 cup of meds, molasses, and water. Which is half dose.
My wife and I smelled the meds, there is no smell what so ever. 
Yesterday morning we tried again, this time she reared back, and almost ran my wife over. I was on the other side hanging on to her halter and injecting.
After that mess, we made peanut butter balls. No meds. She gobbled 2 of them up. OK! So we made 2 more, (1) with no meds, (1) with 1/2 meds. She wouldn't eat either of them.
We left her in her stall and left the p-butter in her feeder. Never ate it.
I have a string net feeder hanging in the stall. She has to work for her hay.
I just talked to a buddy down the road, he asked if she's eating WHITE CLOVER?
I said yes we have it everywhere this year. He said horses down the road got sick eating white clover. EVER HEARD OF THIS?
YES, she does like watermelon! She eats everything from the garden we give her.
Problem is I'm wasting meds when she doesn't eat it.
This is CRAZY!


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## TerryR (May 20, 2012)

OakHollowBoers said:


> What I have done before is first switch the horse from pellets to sweet feed, take a small amount of sweet feed Ina cup and mix with water, meds, and pancake syrup. I then pour the mix over more feed.
> 
> Now, this was with the supposedly tasteless uniprim powder.


Worth a try! I have a bag of alfalfa cubes sitting here, not helping me.
Sweet feed will be eaten either way.
I guess so will the alfalfa cubes.
I tried feeding straight alfalfa cubes to her with no meds, so she could just eat it. 
She wouldn't touch it. 
The other horses loved it.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

The only clover problem I've ever heard of is slobbers. It's not the clover itself but a fungus that can grow on it that causes massive amounts of drooling. 

This website does say that it can cause difficulty breathing but that it's not common. http://extension.psu.edu/animals/eq...es-rhizoctonia-fungus-on-white-and-red-clover


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## TerryR (May 20, 2012)

Success this morning! Molasses, meds, & watermelon mashed up!
I shot it in her mouth w/out my wife. Sassy was reluctant, but when she tasted the watermelon YUM! YUM!
Next dose is tonight! We'll see how this goes, before I call it success!
Thanks again for your input and tips! I was going to cut a hose and use that next!
HAPPY 4TH of JULY!
My 1st Granddaughter, turns "1", today!
Her nickname is BOOMER!


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

TerryR said:


> Success this morning! Molasses, meds, & watermelon mashed up!
> I shot it in her mouth w/out my wife. Sassy was reluctant, but when she tasted the watermelon YUM! YUM!
> Next dose is tonight! We'll see how this goes, before I call it success!
> Thanks again for your input and tips! I was going to cut a hose and use that next!
> ...


I'm glad something worked out for you. My barrel horse when I was a kid loved watermelon, she'd even eat the rind. 

My first grand baby turned 4 the beginning of the year, aren't they great? She was followed by a brother (he'll be 2 a couple months) and there is another little brother on the way.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I hope it lasts. Horses have sheer mass on their side. 
I don't know how big a basting syringe is but could it actually be so large as to be uncomfortable for her? The syringes I use hold about 60 ccs. I can slide it over the bars without the horse opening her mouth.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

TerryR said:


> I just talked to a buddy down the road, he asked if she's eating WHITE CLOVER?
> I said yes we have it everywhere this year. He said horses down the road got sick eating white clover. EVER HEARD OF THIS?
> !


He could be referring to Alsike clover which also has a white blossom. 

It causes photosensivity and in larger amounts, liver damage. 

I had horses get into it and the white on their faces were horribly sunburned. 

The vet diagnosed it and they have not sunburned again nor had they before.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

No one has tried the powder in the hose method? I was surprised by how easy it was.


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

If meds are going to be an ongoing thing you might order you one of these.

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=1a3816d2-48a4-4913-a9be-f2f72d5cb347

It did the trick on my gelding that liked to spit his wormer back out and a mare that would put up a fight anytime she had to take anything (another one of those that didn't care what you mixed a sulfa tablet in she was having nothing to do with it).


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## RideBarefoot (Jun 29, 2008)

Here's a tip if you use a syringe and anything sticky- to keep the plunger moving smoothly, spray a shot of Pam (the non-stick baking stuff) in the syringe first.
Makes the "plunging time" very quick- helpful if you have a beastie who objects


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## TerryR (May 20, 2012)

basketti said:


> No one has tried the powder in the hose method? I was surprised by how easy it was.


Well after a long 4th of July day enjoying my granddaughters 1st B-day, I was wore out to give Sassy her second dose of medicine, last nite.
So this morning after reading your post how easy it was, I just had to try this!
Cut my hose 12" long. Put a cork in each end, perfect fit.
Put the whole 1/4" cup of meds, and then the 1/8" cup of antihistamine powder.
Sassy saw that big hose and said "OH NO, here we go"! HEE! HEE!
I put molasses on the end, when she tasted it no problem inserting it in.
Pulled the last cork out, and BLEW IT IN!
Just a very small puff of powder blew out her mouth. The rest stayed right in there.
She licked and licked her mouth for 10 minutes. Then went and got her a drink, and off to the pasture for grass.
That was the most easiest method to get the meds in her!
Thanks very much for that tip!
And again THANKS everyone else for your help!
Now I just need the medicine to work for us! 
Take care, Terry


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

TerryR said:


> Well after a long 4th of July day enjoying my granddaughters 1st B-day, I was wore out to give Sassy her second dose of medicine, last nite.
> So this morning after reading your post how easy it was, I just had to try this!
> Cut my hose 12" long. Put a cork in each end, perfect fit.
> Put the whole 1/4" cup of meds, and then the 1/8" cup of antihistamine powder.
> ...


So glad it worked for you!


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

It is my fondest hope that I don't have to administer powdered meds to a horse anytime in the near future but I'm darned sure going to bypass cookies, sandwiches, pudding, dampened sweet feed, etc and go straight for the hose method.


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