Administering a medication or a paste to a picky horse can often feel like an uphill battle. Whether your horse is a selective eater or downright suspicious of new substances, ensuring they receive a paste is crucial for maintaining their health.
This reluctant horse paste guide will provide practical horse care tips to simplify the process of administering paste and ensure you and your horse stay stress-free.
Choosing the Right Paste for Your Horse
Keeping your horse healthy often requires external support through medication or targeted supplements. With so many options, choosing the right one can sometimes be daunting.
For example, if you are feeding your horse pellet supplements daily, he might benefit significantly from an additional performance paste. Performance pastes provide a variety of support. These can support the GI tract during stress, traveling, or showing. You can give him a calming paste when he is anxious or an electrolyte paste to replenish lost minerals.
In some cases, horses may require prescription paste products like bute paste for horses (phenylbutazone), which is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) used for pain relief and to help reduce inflammation.
Step-by-Step Guide for Administering a Paste supplement to your horse
This reluctant horse paste guide provides a step-by-step framework for administering paste to your horse.
1. Usage and Dosage
Always refer to label for correct dosage and use. It is important to make sure you are properly administering paste. Securely tie your horse and check his mouth for any hay or feed which may cause him to spit out the paste. Set your tube to the correct dosing amount. Place the syringe tip at a 45-degree angle into the corner of your horse’s mouth, where there are no teeth.
2. Wiggle the Syringe
When administering the dose, wiggle the syringe around the horse’s mouth to stimulate movement and spread the paste across the back of his tongue. Make sure you don’t just deposit a single lump, which he can easily spit out. Raise your horse’s head for a few seconds to encourage him to swallow.
3. Split into Two Doses
Try splitting the dose into two. For example, if it is a 30 ml dose, try providing a 15ml dose, wait briefly to allow your horse time to swallow, then follow up with the second 15ml dose. Adjust amounts accordingly.
4. Keep at Room Temperature
Let paste warm to room temperature for easier application.
5. Positive Reinforcement
Reward your horse immediately after successfully administering the paste with a treat or verbal praise. This builds a positive association and reduces future resistance.
Alternatives to Paste Supplements for Reluctant Horses
If administering paste proves too challenging, consider the following alternatives:
- Some horse feed ingredients are versatile and work well in different forms. In such scenarios, your choice depends on your horse's preference and situation.
- Try feeding powdered or pelleted forms. A picky eater might be more satisfied with a flavored pellet than a plain one.
- Observe why your horse is refusing his feed. One type of refusal could occur from day one. The other involves a gradual reduction following initial acceptance. In this case, your horse might become suspicious and reject your replacement.
- Limit the number of supplements and or doses fed at one time. Always introduce new products gradually as horse’s have a high sensitivity level to smells.
Also Read: MVP Pastes: A Guide on Performance Pastes
Paste administration techniques:
Below are the proven horse care tips and training techniques to help you administer pastes effectively:
1. Proper Administration Techniques
- Syringe Angle: Insert the syringe tip at a 45-degree angle into the corner of the horse's mouth without teeth. This reduces the chance of injury and makes it easier for the horse to swallow.
- Wiggle Technique: After placing the paste in their mouth, gently wiggle the syringe to spread it across their tongue. This encourages swallowing rather than spitting it out
2. Desensitization Techniques
- Start Slow: Introduce the syringe at a distance that doesn’t scare the horse. Gradually move closer while rewarding calm behavior to make the experience stress-free.
- Pair with Positives: Combine paste administration with rewards like treats or gentle petting. For example, reward the horse for letting you touch its mouth before introducing the syringe.
3. Shaping Behavior
- Small Steps: Break the process into smaller tasks. Reward the horse for each step, such as letting the syringe near its mouth, touching its lips, and finally accepting the paste syringe.
- Consistent Commands: Use clear and consistent cues so the horse understands what’s expected, reducing stress and confusion.
Tips for Mixing Medication with Feed
If your horse requires a prescription medication, administering it orally by adding to feed or daily ration can be a practical solution, however, may pose potential challenges if your horse tends to be picky.
If you choose to mix medication with commercial feed, follow these steps:
- Choose Palatable Feed: Select a feed your horse finds tasty to ensure the medication is consumed entirely. Molasses mixes, molasses chaffs, sugar beet, or pre-soaked mashes are often more appealing to horses.
- Dampen for Mixing: Add a small amount of water to the feed to lightly dampen it. Mix thoroughly using a spatula or stick to ensure the medication blends evenly. After dampening, sprinkle the medicated powder or granules over the feed and mix again before serving it to your horse.
- Mask the taste: Add flavorings such as unsweetened apple sauce, molasses (if appropriate), or other flavoring. Horses with metabolic disorders like insulin resistance should avoid sugary flavorings as they require low-starch/sugar diets.
- Introduce gradually: Horses are highly sensitive to smell, introduce medication gradually and/or at smaller levels and increase dose over time.
The basic principle of this reluctant horse paste guide is to avoid giving up on your horse's health if your horse still acts picky. Always consult your veterinarian for best practice.
Takeaway
The root cause of a horse’s reluctance can vary from taste aversion to unfamiliar textures or past negative experiences. This reluctant horse paste guide offers a step-by-step approach to administering paste to your picky eaters. While substitutes are available in the market, make sure you first understand your horse's reluctance pattern.
Choosing an appropriate paste can help complement and provide performance benefits to your horse's daily supplemental requirements.
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