Ginger is 90% toothless and quids. 

I open the capsule and put the powder on soaked ODTB - have never tried giving her an actual capsule.  Is that the best way and then watch to see if it drops?

Other than the peanut idea Sue just wrote, or giving Pergolide in one handful soaked ODTB (was that the cap or the powder?), please what other ideas?  

I will buy grapes to try but that has been quidded before.  I try syringing but half drops out.

What about in a soft "treat" item? What do they feel safe swallowing without too much chewing?

Thanks for any other ideas!!  Either of the powder, or the whole cap.

Beverly 5/14

Beverly Texas EC8

Hi Beverly,

With Peanut I have to open the capsule and dump out the powder or the capsule just ends up coming back out as he tends to drool. I've found unopened capsules stuck to the side of the food dish or the stall wall or on the ground if I don't open them.

Hi Beverly,

No real difference other than if she likes it better she may swallow rather than drop it. Need either one to be at least damp for it to work.

I wouldn't use PB or mayo in an IR, footsore horse.

Agree, she needs to reliably get her meds in her.

Lavinia, Dante, George Too and Peanut

Jan 05, RI

EC Support Team

Our pony could not chew a grape, a small piece of celery, or even a prune and needed something small, fairly soft and not sticky so it would not get stuck in the worn down pockets where his teeth ‘used’ to be - he had severe wave mouth.   He was always very suspicious, could always “find” any hidden capsule and would spit it out promptly. The following is our method of feeding pergolide caps:

We cut 1.75 inch wide x 2.5 inch long triangles of green leaf lettuce, place the pergolide capsule at the wide end, then lightly mist the cap with water so it will soften (not as easy to "find"). We let this sit about 5 min.  Fold the wide corners towards each other, then roll it up firmly, like a cabbage roll.  Then roll another 1 inch wide piece of lettuce on top of this, or another leaf triangle, so it is not too fragile.  Fasten with a rubber band.  Feed soon after preparing, but remember to remove the rubber band!

Immediately follow with 2 handfed chasers (bits of shredded lettuce, sometimes mixed with short thin carrot peel, bits of parsley, or dandelion leaf) as a further distraction.  Have his evening feed bowl of soaked cubes sprinkled with some favorite flax ready to place under his nose while he is still chewing the treat.  This catches anything that escapes….watch him until he is eating the cubes well.  Bedding has been previously swept away from the eating area, so anything spit out is easily detected.  Always be alert for anything that is a white mushy paste.

In summer, if we think there is any chance that he would take a drink immediately after getting his pergolide, we remove his water pail until after he is eating his cubes for 5-10 minutes.  Otherwise, he might rinse out the chewed pergolide powder residue into his water pail.

Sometimes when interest in the lettuce wanes, we wrap a thin ribbon of carrot peel around his lettuce roll, and that always works. 

It also helps to have a horsey friend right there who is also excited to be receiving a treat at the same time….a bit of competition as to who is going to get the ‘treat’ can be a distraction from the hidden capsule.

The lettuce is fragile enough that he can crush it with what little teeth/gums he has, it did not stick in his teeth, rolling it in this way avoids 99.9% spitting out, and the capsule is still intact if it does find its way out.

If this was ever refused, we feel it was due to the store-bought lettuce, although we could not detect anything amiss with the taste ourselves.  He never refused our home-grown leaves.  

When available, we use purple basil, or young red raspberry leaves (watch for spines), since they are also thin, fairly fragile, but strong enough.  A leaf from a green bean plant might be suitable too.  Iceberg lettuce is too brittle, romaine can be okay if not too tough.  If the leaf wants to crack when folded, let it wilt a bit.  To add interest, we have put the capsule inside a small red raspberry after misting, and roll that up.

The only alternative was going to be sprinkling the powder from the capsule onto his food, or syringing, with the risk of losing some of the dose.   We have found the above method reliable, quicker and easier than trying to use a syringe.

I originally used this method when we first started feeding spirulina.  He just hated the taste, and refused to eat anything we did to disguise it.  Putting the powder mixed with a tiny amount of wet BP into several lettuce rolls did get it down, and he eventually would tolerate putting small amounts, then gradually all of the spirulina into his beet pulp/mineral mixture.  At that time, his teeth were much better, so I could feed larger lettuce rolls.

Eva

SW Ontario, March 2005