My horse, Dylan, has been on Doxycycline for a week to treat Lyme disease. I first tried putting it in his grain. He ate about half and refused the rest so I mixed it with applesauce and put it in a syringe. This worked for about 5 days. He’s normally super sweet and cooperative but he’s getting really sick of this stuff twice a day. I tried adding cherry kool-aid and sugar but he still hates it and is now starting to refuse to take it. I can still get it in him with a little patience but he has to be on it for two months and I can see that he’s only going to more disgusted and refuse it. Any suggestions to make it more palatable?
I was having the same issue. There’s a couple of tried/true methods for me – but first, are you adding a pro/prebiotic? I would - I’m using Biotic 8 but you can use anything, Probios would work too. Doxy is very hard on their stomachs and I have had horses go off feed with doxy because they develop ulcers.
If you want to go the syringe route, which is my preference even though it is a major PITA – add molasses. Applesauce is not enough to cut the taste and I haven’t had horses like the cherry coolaid. Doxy is very bitter. I usually add about 2 tablespoons of molasses to mask it.
Is it the doxy “powder” that is really more of a gritty/grain substance? That doesn’t dissolve well, and can block syringes, so I suggest a Drench Syringe (livestock/cattle syringe) that has a wider metal opening.
The other thing you can do, which is what I am doing ATM because my gelding has finally become indifferent (after about 4 weeks of treatment) to the taste, is buy some Twist/Seal Ziplock containers. Add the doxy and probiotic, mix with 2 tablespoons molasses, and then add a little bit of water – shake vigorously, and top-dress on grain. This method has been working really well for me – rinse the ziplock in a bit more water and topdress the water onto the grain and serve.
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Are they tablets? I have been getting my guy to eat his robaxin tablets by mixing them in with some of those small pastel mints and putting them in his feed bucket. I don’t know if robaxin is more or less palatable than doxy, but he would not eat them when I put them in his feed.
Are you using the compounded doxy powder? Switching to the capsules might be worth it–my horses have all eaten the doxy capsules just dropped into feed without complaint, even the super picky one.
Second the suggestion for a probiotic. I was on doxy last year and it was awful. I was on a probiotic but even still, my stomach really protested. I use papaya to dose most things as it has helpful enzymes to help the gut. You can get papaya puree at the grocer or my local feed store carries a horse-specific papaya juice/puree thing. I’ve never met a horse that didn’t like it, though they may want a dose to get used to it.
My non-picky horse would pick out the coated tablets. He had to be dosed. Heck my labrador would spit them out even in a peanut butter sandwich. This was the dog that ate an entire tub of Crisco and half of the container it come in. He would eat anything but not doxy pills.
These are capsules, not tablets. Maybe that’s the difference? I’ve had no problem with doxy capsules or mino capsules in any of my picky kids.
Doxy capsules: https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=6ac701b4-fe49-402b-82e2-f5cac20b06eb&itemguid=359a08da-5532-420d-94d7-e7b2ee7c774a
Mino capsules: https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=6a30725b-93ee-40dc-85e1-15c6eeecb87f&itemguid=5b7d2215-735e-4485-ac2c-f1027652d822
I have three on mino right now, wheeeeeee :sigh:
My guy ate the mino capsules just fine. I was envisioning having to open them, put the powder into a syringe, dissolve and dose, which would have been a twice a day PITA.
And I should note that he is really tough with Bute–no matter how finely I grind it, it is useless to put it in his feed, even with applesauce, molasses, whatever. Will Not Touch It. (Dosing syringe for that.)
Like Beowulf said, a liberal amount of molasses makes the job easier. When my horse was on doxy I mixed it with applesauce and molasses in a syringe, then topped it off with a tablespoon or so of molasses so that the very last thing that came out of the syringe was the tastiest.
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I got the powder and a case of kid squeezable Applesauce. Barn folks appreciated the “single serve” option and horsey cleaned it up just top dressed (after failing a number of my other usual. go tos and fearing I was headed to a month of twice a day syringing). Good luck. No fun.l
Sugar free applesauce
Be careful while training on it by the way!! It can compromise tendons! (I learned this from being treated for a UTI and then having massive tendonitis for several weeks after - not sure how the time/dose/severity translates to horses, maybe ask the vet!)
I have recently used the peppermint flavored powder. VERY palatable.
I have had horses that were crazy for “Nicker Makers” treats. I have found that crushing them up in the feed along with leaving some broken pieces encouraged the horse to finish the food. I associate those treats otherwise with good feedback intermittently so they aren’t used to them. Does your horse have a treat he loves? Can you switch out wtih ground other treats (such as those peppermint calf manna treats or whatever) to shake things up? Molasses is really messy but is palatable with an overwhelming taste and can help bind the meds to your grain (even a tablespoon mixed well in). You can try mixing your meds with molasses first and then mixing it in with your grain. I’d first see if you horse will eat molasses mixed in with your grain. If given twice daily, you can try putting your feed in tupperware ahead of time so the molasses soaks in without making it “mushy”.
If you have to do the syringe route, I’ve found that 1) breaking the meds down to a lower medication:good thing ratio works if you can dose more than 2 times/day. If not, add random “good things” syringes so your horse doesn’t fully associate the syringe with only a bad taste. I once ground carrots and used the carrot juice with meds in a syringe - game changer for that horse. Got the pulp right afterwards as a treat and other carrots only if the horse took the syringe well.
Good luck!!!
Wow, really?
I needed to know for myself, and did some googling. There’s literature on people. Didn’t find anything on horses.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4065554/
That’s concerning.
Many horses continue to work, while on Doxy.
Any idea how long it impacts possibility of tendon ruptures?
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My previous vet always advised horses on Doxy should be in light work and ramp up to full work.
I use the liquid water flavoring usually in orange or watermelon anything. Otherwise you can use peppermint flavoring that you get in the baking aisle.
I syringe with Grenadine. I’m surprised your vet only prescribed a week. Vets around here (northern Wisconsin) do 30 days as a minimum. Even people get at least 2 weeks (not that that is an adequate amount either-personal experience).
It says in the OP that the horse is on doxy for two months?
I’ve done the tablets in a coffee grinder and then mixed it into a paste with some molasses and probios
