Help with tube wormers

[Marsha Cassada]

Since my horse's encounter with the porcupine this summer, he relates the white banamine tube to quills. He is taking the bit nicely again and lets me handle his mouth, including rubbing gums and even clipping, but if I approach with a tube, he appears terrified.

I've tried having my husband hold him while I slip in the banamine tube. My thoughts were, once he realized it wasn't so bad, he would relax. But we were not able to hold him, and his obvious terror made force seem unreasonable. Husband suggested I try letting him lick it off my hand, and that has worked. He loves to lick.

What tricks can I try, as it is time to check for parasites, and if I have to administer the wormer, what can I do? Would he lick the wormer as well as the banamine? He is very comfortable being handled all over, but the white tube has certainly freaked him out.

 

[whitney]

Put something sweet into the tube applesauce, karo syrup. This worked for me with a 16 hand Q.H. mare now all I have to say is DOOOODLE and she bites the tube.

 

[jbrat]

Put the wormer on his favorite treat/s. My guys love bread ~you could try a wormer sandwich,

Put the wormer on your finger and rub it onto his tongue or into his mouth.

Good luck!

Maybe hide the white tube in a towel or glove.?

 

[Jill]

Yep, I was going to suggest a slice of bread with the dewormer folded inside. That "Bicmectin" brand of Ivermectin is apple flavored an my horses LOVE it. To put that on a slice of bread for them would be what was happening -- like an apple turnover for them

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Thanks for the sandwich suggestion!

I might also try the glove. If he thought I was just going to put my hand in his mouth, he probably wouldn't care. I could cut the finger end out of an old glove.

 

[jleonard]

Is there a way you could just put an empty one in with him, where he could acclimate himself to it, rather than you approaching him with it. Maybe make a toy out of it. Once he realized that there was nothing scary about the syringe, he might not mind you coming up to him with it.

 

[jayne]

I have a 17 hand clydesdale who becomes 47 hands when he sees a dewormer tube coming. Like Jill, I discovered the Bimectin brand of ivermectin that is green apple flavored. I just squirt two full tubes(!) in his evening grain and he never even seems to notice. My baby donkey practically sucks the stuff out of the tube so it can't be too bad.

If you look on any horse supply website, you can also find pelleted versions of dewormer as well. I have used them occasionally, but prefer the Bimectin. It's cheap at usually under $3.00 a tube. I go through 4 tubes every time I deworm, so that's not too bad.

Hope that helps!

Jayne

 

[DrivinTime]

Many good suggestions! I know I'll need to try one or more at some point...

Marsha, I'm amazed that your horse will lick pain meds off your hand - I'm told they taste terrible!

But, to get back to your original question, because there may come a time when "the dreaded tube" has to be used on your horse... I would suggest desensitizing, with an empty tube (or one with applesauce in it, maybe) and let the horse come to check out the tube, rather than you bringing the tube to the horse. Having treats in your pocket helps with motivation, in my experience. But basically, ala John Lyons, you show the tube to the horse at a distance he's comfortable with. Then stick it in your pocket or whatever, and give him a scritch. Then take out the tube again, and put it away before the horse can move off... Then maybe a treat... Get a bit closer, and show him the tube again, then put it away. Etc. ad nauseam until you can get close to the horse with the tube. And maybe touch him on the nose with it. If you can make it a game, it helps a lot.

I spent many (short but interesting!) sessions getting my older mare (who had previously been given just daily wormer in her grain) to accept the tube of wormer/banamine/whatever... It was a struggle, and she had never had a run-in with a porcupine! She wasn't afraid of the tube until I put it near her mouth. So, I practiced asking her to touch it with her nose. Then I'd hold her halter and get closer and closer to her mouth. Then I'd stick my finger in her mouth. This took...oh, I'd say...months. But I didn't work on it every day, and probably should have. Nowadays, she gives me the "mom, do I have to?" look, but she takes her meds like a really good girl. And of course she gets peppermint treats after to take the nasty taste away.

Oh, just one cautionary note re: Giving an empty tube to a horse... My gelding really liked that apple-flavored wormer, so much so that he snagged the tube - as I was trying to find the cap - and bit the end off it. Crunch, crunch... So I ended up covered with wormer because of course I had to pry his mouth open and try to get that plastic piece out of his mouth... I never leave anything within reach of this particular (or not-so-particular!) horse because he will eat, chew, destroy, or at the very least crush and poop on, anything he can get his teeth on.

Good luck!

Lori

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

I am working on the desensitizing, also. It is on-going.

Will check into the apple flavor. Sounds as though I could try just putting it into the feed dish. He ate his powdered antibiotic every day for 3 weeks that way just fine.

This boy is teaching me a lot!

 

[Alex]

If all of these great suggestions dont work out, they do make pelleted dewormer!

 

[Casnos Minis]

I just mix it into their feed and they eat it that way. They do eat all of it, but you could also add some applesauce to it to make sure they eat it all.

christy

 

[shorthorsemom]

I spent alot of time just squirting applesause in their mouth with a big syringe. They began to equate the syringe with the applesause. Yum yum. It did help alot with the attitude and acceptance of the syringe.

 

[Miniv]

When it comes to Ivomec........We buy it in liquid form and squirt it on grain with the horses who are difficult to worm.