Alternative ways to give Ulcer/GastroGuard and more!

[DannyBoysMom]

My guy (Danny) is currently being treated for presumed horrible ulcers and recovery from horrible salmonellosis (see my other posts). Please be kind. I am doing all this under vet supervision and we are doing our best. Still in quarantine and full self care by me only.

We’re doing full tube GastroGuard first thing in the morning. Sucralfate and misoprostol an hour later for breakfast, and again at dinner. Those are added to his grain. We also added Metamucil (orange flavored)
We’re about 3 days in.
Danny has become EXTREMELY syringe aversion.
Yes, I realize I can train him out of that but now is not that time. So the GastroGuard has been going into
Dimples muffins. But he’s figured out and hates them now. If there’s any of the paste on anything he won’t touch it.
It’s gotten to be so that if I offer him ANYTHING from my hands he sniffs all over and won’t touch it if he even suspects there’s a med in or near or recently touched.
He’s slowed up dramatically on eating his grain (with all the other meds) but eventually does.
I think the Metamucil has possibly pushed him over the edge so I may try leaving that out tonight.

I’ve read and gotten ideas from tons of other posts, including the easy wormer headstall (should arrive tomorrow).

So I’m asking for other ideas… for the paste, for the Metamucil….
Gimme your best meds ideas that don’t involve:
Applesauce (we apparently hate it)
Maple syrup (ditto)
Syringes (the devil)

Thanks!

[lenapesadie]

Karo syrup (unhealthy af, but if it works…)
Kool aid powder
Cocosoya oil

Good luck! I’m sure others will have more ideas

[DannyBoysMom]

Thanks!!
I have dark and light Karo…. Which? Both?
I saw kool aid suggested elsewhere… what flavors work best?

[Pico_Banana]

I hate to say it, but I was in the same boat (couldn’t hide it in ANYTHING) and I just stuck it out with the syringe. I was using Trazodone pills, so I would dissolve and add Equi Sweet – peppermint flavor. It is flavored with Stevia so better than some of the other options.

She hated it, but I would wait until I took her out of her stall to go to turnout. So I already had her halter on. Would just take a snug hold of the halter and she would make her really unhappy face and try to get away, but eventually she just realized she was going to have to put up with it.

Good luck! Try the Equi Sweet! I know someone who owns a boarding barn and she swears by it, too.

[lenapesadie]

I’ve used the light Karo and black cherry kool aid.

I’m sure the dark Karo and other flavors of kool aid will work too

[fourfillies]

Could you switch to human pantoprazole? Three capsules a day easily hidden in a German horse cookie then taper. Your vet may say this is anathema but much cheaper and without scope proven ulcers I’d go there first. And, a lot cheaper. There is a great bookmarked thread.

[DannyBoysMom]

@fourfillies

pantoprazole

Hmmmm I’ll ask. But I’ve got like 16 tubes of UlcerGard right now sooooo

[Displaced_Yankee]

A long time ago my friend used to give her syringe averse horse an oatmeal creme pie (the Little Debbie ones) every day she went to the barn. When it was time to de-worm she would scrape out the frosting and replace it with dewormer. Worked like a charm.

Now…deworming is significantly less often than Gastrogard. But perhaps it is sweet and smelly enough to mask some of the flavors…or he gets pieces of regular oatmeal creme pie at lunch/dinner/night check to keep the suspicion down.

Hey…you asked for alternative ideas

[DannyBoysMom]

Hahahha I actually tried that this morning!! He ate the pieces I gave him first (normal pies). And then I piped the GastroGuard onto the regular filing and even mixed it a bit.
No dice. He took one sniff and turned away. I was forced to stuff it into his mouth which also meant I was wearing a lot of it.
I kept saying “DUDE THIS IS LIKE $38 right here!”

[Feathered_Feet]

Why don’t you ask your vet about the injectable omeprazole? I think it’s slightly less effective, but if tubing is so bad that you’re wearing half the medication by the end perhaps it is the lesser of the two evils?

[fourfillies]

Can you ask your vet to “buyback” the unused Gastroguard. When I’ve used it way back each syringe came individually wrapped. Then shift to the pills. You won’t regret it.

[Bogie]

@Feathered_Feet

Why don’t you ask your vet about the injectable omeprazole? I think it’s slightly less effective, but if tubing is so bad that you’re wearing half the medication by the end perhaps it is the lesser of the two evils?

This! My vet was out of the injectable when I treated my girl last winter which was a shame. She figured the syringe out on day 2 and hated it but was a trooper. I had to make sure to soak the tubes in warm water to make sure they were easy to syringe. Once I got it into her mouth, I had, literally, one shot.

[PamnReba]

I use the Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies to deliver a dose of Bute, mainly because it’s usually so damn hard to get it out of the tube! Being able to depress the plunger with both hands and deposit the glob of paste into the cream filling works so much better (for me) than trying to make sure they get one tiny blob direct from the tube. I break one in half, put the paste in one half and feed the real one first, the doctored up one second. They usually never even slow down on the second one.

I also used them to give Reba her daily dose of Previcox, just shoved the quarter pill into the cream of one half, and did the same with it. It was the only way I could come up with where I know she truly ingested the pill, as no part of the cream pie left her mouth. And she was suspicious eater too, nothing got past her that she didn’t approve first and the quarter pill would be spat out if I just put it in her feed… The Bute delivery did NOT work with her, however, she caught on to that one immediately.

So I realize that doesn’t help with a whole tube of Gastroguard, but those OCP help to dose a lot of bad meds.

[DannyBoysMom]

This morning I sucked it up and tried a method I saw on another post. I stood on his right side facing forward, hooked left thumb into mouth and jaw on bar on left side, let him relax and syringes it in.
Heavy praise and some apple slices.
Not sure he’ll let me do it again tomorrow but I know he got a FULL tube today!

[Malda]

One or two cups of oatmeal mixed with a packet of Gelatin, any flavor your horse likes, just don’t use sugar-free. Put the medicine stuff in and mix with water and let it sit for a few minutes. The sharp, tangy flavor of the gelatin should cover up any of the nasty flavor.

It’s worked on all my horses except my current one who’s very picky.