“JUST give these powders by mouth twice daily.” Most horse owners will have experienced the “giraffe effect”, whereby an attempt to approach a horse’s muzzle with any form of medication immediately causes the patient’s neck to extend skywards.

Having eventually managed to direct a syringe into their mouth, you find yourself in receipt of a slobbery shower of medicine and saliva.

Adding the offending substance directly to the feed may not be any more successful. It is amazing how many horses are able to sort through coarse mix with their lips, leaving the offending pile of powder in the bottom of the feed pot.

Here are a few suggestions to hopefully make it easier to ensure the treatment ends up actually in the horse, rather than on the floor.

The type of medicine, tablets versus powders for example, will make some strategies more useful than others. It’s often a question of figuring out what works best for each individual patient.

ADDING MEDICATION TO FEED

Medicines that come as a powder can be mixed directly with the feed. Molassed coarse mix is a better option here than dry nuts, as its sticky texture will prevent the horse snorting the powder off, or allowing it to fall straight to the bottom of the feed pot.

Some powders are almost tasteless while others, such as phenylbutazone (‘bute’), are bitter. I’d suggest mixing a small portion of the dose with a handful of feed first of all, and offer that. If the horse eats it readily then you can then go ahead and mix up the entire dose.

Sometimes your veterinary surgeon may prescribe medication that comes in the form of pills or tablets. These typically need to be ground up before adding them to the feed. You can crush them by hand in a mortar and pestle or alternatively, a coffee or spice grinder or a small blender will achieve the same result more quickly. Whatever equipment you use should be reserved for this purpose only, and be clearly marked to ensure it’s not mistakenly used for food preparation.

Capsules can be opened by hand to remove the powdered medication inside and add them directly to the feed. This can be a time-consuming process so it may be more efficient to prepare several doses at once and store them in clearly labelled zip-loc bags.

Some tablets or capsules have a special coating that prevents the drug being deactivated by stomach acid. If these are crushed or opened before administration, they won’t be effective, so always double-check with your veterinary if you are unsure.

If your horse is still not convinced, you can try adding a flavoured substance to the feed to mask the medication. Soaked beet pulp can be helpful as the medication tends to dissolve into it. Apple juice is also good option, as most horses like it and it is much less sticky to handle and messy to clean up than the more traditional molasses.

Relatively small volumes of powder, such as a sachet or two of bute, can be added to a jam sandwich. Offer the horse small portions of bread and jam first, to get them accustomed to it before offering a medicated one. Many horses that reject bute in their feed will readily ingest it in this manner.

Avoid adding sugary substances to the feed of laminitics, overweight animals, or those being treated for metabolic diseases such as insulin resistance. Sliced apples or carrots may prove tempting and could be a better option for animals who need a restricted energy intake. These can also be helpful for generally picky eaters.

PREVENTING CONTAMINATION

Always check the feed container and the stable floor after each meal to ensure that the horse has actually received their full dose. It’s important to ensure that other horses don’t ingest the medication so it’s a good idea to feed horses who are receiving treatment on their own.

Dispose of any leftover feed by placing it into a covered bin, don’t leave it lying around. It’s a good idea to have dedicated buckets and other equipment set aside solely for mixing and offering medicated feeds.

Ensure these items are clearly labelled and/or a different colour to the normal feeding utensils. This further reduces the risk of inadvertently medicating the wrong horse and is especially important when dealing with athletic horses, who must be medication-free when competing.

Where possible, nominate one or two experienced people to be responsible for the administration and recording of all medications in the yard.

GIVING MEDICATION BY MOUTH

Some horses will be unwilling to eat medicated feed no matter how you try to disguise it and other medications must be given orally e.g. wormers. When giving medication directly into the mouth do so before the horse has access to any feed, treats or grass.

Otherwise the medicine sticks to any partially chewed feed that’s in there and is easier to spit out. A head collar and lead rope are all the restraint that’s needed in most cases. Avoid having a bit the horse’s mouth as it tends to just get in the way.

Obtain a few large dosing syringes from your veterinary surgeon. These have a wider nozzle than the syringes that a needle attaches to and so it’s much easier to push the contents out into the mouth.

Tablets and powders can be dissolved in water or mixed with a palatable liquid. Apple juice or apple-flavoured yogurt drinks can work well, and foals seem to be especially fond of strawberry yogurt.

Warming the liquid can make it easier to dissolve the medication. Shake the syringe well (with your finger over the nozzle) before giving it to avoid the tip getting blocked by any remaining particles.

The aim is to insert the syringe tip at the corner of the lips and direct it at an angle towards the back of the tongue on the opposite side of the horse’s mouth. Then depress the plunger smoothly to deposit the contents onto the tongue behind where a bit would sit.

Avoid blasting it in or pointing the syringe directly at the back of the throat, as this can cause the contents to hit the airway, potentially startling the horse and making it cough.

Pastes are typically fairly readily swallowed if you can manage to deposit them towards the back of the tongue. Liquids are more inclined to be spat out so try to elevate the horse’s head so that its muzzle is just above the vertical and wait until the horse swallows.

Some people recommend rubbing the throat or putting a finger in the corner of the mouth to encourage the horse to swallow. In my experience, this just seems to increase the risk of medication ending up in my hair/down my neck.

However, if this works for you that’s ideal: figure out a method that’s effective for you with the minimum amount of fuss for all involved.

Other things that may help include dipping the tip of the syringe in molasses or getting the horse accustomed to receiving a pleasant tasting substance, such as stewed apple. This can help the animal to calmly accept being dosed and is especially helpful if oral medication is needed for an extended period of time.

Finally, if you are familiar with clicker training this can be a very useful method to train your horse to willingly cooperate.

Karen Dunne, MA, CertEM (StudMed), MVB. Veterinary nursing programme director at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT). Member of the education, research and industry (ERI) and equine groups of Veterinary Ireland. My interests include large animal nursing, equine and stud medicine and education.