# Administering Prascend ... Without having to get in headlock?



## millimoo (21 January 2012)

Hi, my Shetland is a bit hit and miss about taking his tablet.
Hes been taking them for 12 months now, and was fine with it inserted in a carrot for about 2 months, then refused to eat them. We moved to half an apple, which was a great success for a few months, then he began spitting the tablet out. We then tried pasture mix for a day or two, but that proved to be a waste of time, plus don't really want him having hard feed like that.
We went back to carrots, and he settled into his routine... Until we got a new box of tablet!!!

He now refuses to take anything from me, and weve tried various methods.
We are currently using 'pony in a headlock' which involves slipping the tablet into the side of his mouth, and as far back on his tongue as possible, then raising his head for a few minutes so he can't spit it out.(thank god he's little)
This is working, but I'd rather find an alternative method to man handling him like this.

Any suggestions greatly recieved


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## popularfurball (21 January 2012)

Sandwiches are my fall back - usually marmite so low sugar  often just plain bread works for us - I put workig paste in a sandwich to administer


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## sueeltringham (21 January 2012)

I tried everything with the mini-shetland mare we had.  Each new trick worked for a while, until she realised the piece of carrot/apple/bread/food contained pergolide.  I even crushed it and put in a syringe with some yoghurt or fast fibre.  In the end I gave up as after a few days she would refuse it.  I used to back her into the corner, lift her head and pop a tablet onto the back of her tongue, stroke her neck and wait until she swallowed with her head up a little. It worked a treat.  She knew it was coming, but at least it didn't put her off her food.  It was the only way I could be sure she was getting the full dose.


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## Box_Of_Frogs (22 January 2012)

My veteran Section D Sunny, at 15.3 is too big to manhandle - he too susses out new tablet methods and tolerates them for a day or so, sometimes more, then gets suspicious and won't eat anything. But I've had great success in realising the following:

a) Pergolide tabs WHOLE are tasteless so there is no need for the recipients to fuss!
b) tabs are crunchy, so easy for the horse to spot as "different" and spit out or refuse...
c) so if you put tabs into a normal feed with crunchy bits in it, they can't be recognised!
d) so I make Sunny's feed as normal then add half mugful of his Baileys Lo Cal pellets (which he loves) in a little hollow on top of the feed. Then I add 2 Pergolide tabs and then a splash of Tescos apple juice to the little hollow (to make sure his mouth goes there first) then I give feed to Sunny as "normal".
e) touch wood, to date this has worked perfectly. Good luck!

PS - At £2 a day for his daily dosage of 2 x Pergolide tabs, if he spat them out I'd shove them up his backside!


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## millimoo (22 January 2012)

Thanks everyone... And box of frogs, your last comment was very funny.
I'll try the sandwich method... The carrots worked well,
and I believe the crunchiness helped hide them. However he now dissects them on the floor if my mum does it (as I say refuses to eat anything I give him)
Sounds Like ultimately the headlock may be my only option... I too keep thinking (kerching) every time one doesn't go down


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## goldypops (22 January 2012)

My mare can usually spot medication a mile off and refuses any food in it but I have never had a problem with her prascend tablets. Like above i think the key is to have some crunchy bits in the feed, I just break my tablet up into 2 or 3 bits and mix with her feed and she is fine. Reading other posts though I think I have been extremely lucky!!!


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## *hic* (22 January 2012)

I was just thinking I was extremely lucky My little loan mare came home and she's on Prascend. Her loaners used to give them to her in a tiny jam sandwich but we don't have jam or bread in the house so she has her half tablet on top of a dessertspoonful of mix in my hand. No problems so far! I should add that she is stabled next to the feed room and can see what is going on, so I feed the big horses first and then she is so cross with me for keeping her waiting that she doesn't think about what I'm feeding her.


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## Zuzzie (22 January 2012)

I have a very fussy oldie who is nearly 17hh.  Best way, as others have said, is to break the tablet in 2 and then put in some Cool Mix.  
My other old gelding, (no longer with us), was easier.  Just used to pull his lip out and pop it into the side of his gum/cheek and let it dissolve below the gum line.


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## Tammytoo (22 January 2012)

How about changing the method every day so he doesn't get used to one method?  Carrot one day, apple next day, marmite sandwich  etc  (I know you don't have bread in the house, but how about keeping a sliced loaf in the deep freeze and taking a slice out when you need it?)  I know someone who puts her tablets in a slice of garlic bread!


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## millimoo (22 January 2012)

Hi Tammytoo... Mixing up won't work. He refuses to eat apples at all now. 
The carrots are dissected on the floor - mum has watched him, and he's very good at it apparently.
I gave him his tablet this evening - opened his mouth and lobbed it as far back as possible, then rested his nose on my chest and kissed and smooched his nose (much to his disgust) 
He stood like a lemon, really annoyed, but pretty resigned... I think the tablets must dissolve and stick pretty quickly, as I don't have to keep his nose in the air very long at all - he's not managed to spit anything out to date.
Oh well, this may have to be the solution for now, however any other ideas are very welcome


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## lelly (22 January 2012)

Hi, I have the same problems with my shettie. I get round it by dessolving the tablet in a small amount of water and putting it on a small amount of food. I have to keep changing methods when she stopps eating it. She is on herbal mix at the minute, she likes the smell of it. She is very suspicious about taking things from my hand now. I read on the prascend website that you shouldn't crush the tablet but it is ok to dissolve it. I manage to keep her ACTH levels right like this.  
Good luck


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## splashgirl45 (22 January 2012)

i find that a slice of thick wholemeal bread works(at the moment)  i put the tablets in half of the slice and give her a normal piece first then the piece with the tablets in and then anogther normal piece.  i did try apples but that only works very occasionally, also i use a carrot if she seems to be not quite so keen on the bread.  have been doing this since august and so far havent missed a day(fingers crossed)....good luck with yours...


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## Sophstar (22 January 2012)

My pony is on pergolide and luckily he's easy peasy to give it to he got a bit suspicious of me just handing him a piece of carrot before he got his breakfast but now just popping it in a small hole in a chunk of carrot with a tiny blob of black treacle to make the tablet stick to the carrot (so he can't seperate it out!) thrown in his feed...job done!


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## fatpiggy (23 January 2012)

Guess I'm actually really lucky!  My old girl takes 18 tablets for another condition every morning, so two half tablets of Pracend just go straight down the hatch without any problem.


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## fuggly (23 January 2012)

i put mine down the hole of 2/3 sugar free polos ,


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## millimoo (23 January 2012)

Hadn't tried polos... So obvious, but I think youre a genius fuggly.

Off to buy polos - will report back when I'm back from my business trip


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## ILuvCowparsely (24 January 2012)

does he like barley rings??

 you could

1  put the tablet inside like the center of a polo

2 jam sandwich
3   make the pill into a paste and mix in feed
4   crush it in some apple puree
5    liquidize it and syringe it in
6 crunch up some polos and the pill so mixed together then feed by hand or mix in feed
7 crush it to powder mix it in with natural yogurt and syringe it in 

  thats it for the moment
 my brain isn't awake yet


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## Old Bat (24 January 2012)

I have 2 ponies on Prascend (2 out of 4, not bad!) and they both have a tiny handful of Lo Cal balancer each morning with their pill in the handful. Never had a problem and as its the only time they get hand fed anything, they don't get snappy for treats.....


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## Milanesa (24 January 2012)

I also give mine a ''mix" as part of her feed and always eats the pergolide and metformin tabs as they are all crunchy so can't tell difference. Just a small amount of mixes enough to mix it with.


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## applecart14 (25 January 2012)

I normally worm my horse by grabbing his tongue and holding it out to the side of his mouth.  This then leaves you access to the back of his throat (my God its a long way!)  I usually dispense my worming syringe down the back of his throat that way, remembering to have a good grip on it!

A horse can't bite you by accident if you have half a pound of fleshy tongue between his teeth.  It works really well.


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## LifeofRiley (25 January 2012)

I have the same problem but just disolve it in a little water and syringe it down his throat like a wormer! I think he has resigned himself to this now and no longer puts up a fight!


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## Wagtail (25 January 2012)

Just administered the first one to my mare this morning. So far so good, though she may get wise to it as won't normally take any meds except danilon.


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