Wormer help

[Rhondaalaska]

Hi am having a bit of trouble with my little mare Diva when it comes to worming.

She is afraid of it because it looks like a syringe. She rears, kicks anything she can to get away from us .

Poor baby is terrified . We got one dose in her over a month ago but was wondering if there was a different way I can give her worming Meds than this. She loves her pellet vitamins. I don't want to traumatize her like this. It takes three people holing her down for the vet to give shots. It is horrible .

I don't want to have to do this to her every 2 - 3 months. Do any of you have ideas or a med that is not in the syringe. Thanks

We have tried desensitizing but it is not working.

 

[chandab]

When you get it figured out, let me know; I have one that is an absolute terror to try to deworm. She is slowly getting better, but its very slow with her. The last time, I ended up putting it on my finger and then sticking it in her mouth (which means we both wore some). It takes lots of time and patience to get them over it, many try the applesauce in a syringe trick, going for the treat first method, but it still takes quite awhile to get them to realize its ok. If you are lucky, you might be able to mix it in a little feed, and she'll just gobble it all up for you (try an apple flavored dewormer, it might help). There are a couple of pelleted dewormers, but they have limited use as they don't get as many varieties of worms.

 

[Just_Rena]

Take a slice of bread and put the wormer in the middle then fold it in half. Now you have a wormer treat for your mare, your happy - she got wormed -- shes happy - she got a treat. Win/Win

 

[Carolyn R]

Making a mash out of their grain with warm water and mixing it in always works. If you don't feed grain a few treats mashed up will accomplish the same end result. Apple flavored wormer is sometimes more appealing too.

 

[Foster Woods Miniatures]

They actually make worming pellets, I got them from my vet. I don't remember what the name was... but I'm sure your vet would

hope this helps!

 

[lucky seven]

My big horse hates to be wormed, his grain is always mashed with warm water as he chokes on dry grain. I tried putting his apple wormer in it and he refused to eat it. I haven't tried the bread thing yet, maybe I will try that but with applesauce as a treat a few times before his next wormer. I read all of the ideas with interest.

 

[rubyviewminis]

Every horse we ever had big or small nearly stampede me to be first for their *treat* when they see me with the worming syringes lol! But my first two miniatures were a lesson in figuring out how to outsmart their avoidance tactics when they spied the wormer's. I wasted a lot of wormer and feed trying to mix it in and disguise it. What did work though was every day before feeding I would have some kind of treat and an empty wormer. Eventually their little noses would stretch enough to reach the treat on my hand that was on my lap. Step by step they got used to the empty syringe, then started playing with it, then discovered it had something tasty and gooey on it, and so on. Took about two weeks. Then I would advance to rubbing it all over their neck and head, then head and nose, head, nose, around mouth. Then This little procedure would be done with something very good in it they could taste, then they could get a little squirt of it and so on until one day the good tasting syringe had the wormer in it. After worming I started the daily rubbing with the goody syringe again. It just takes patience and if at some point they seem to balk a little then go back to the previous step you were doing, no pressure. It really worked. First I sat and wrote an outline step by step of what I would do, then see if there was another step I could squeeze in the outline to break it down more. But these were the only two I had a problem with the worming so I have been lucky. Now as far as injections, I gave that up when I started getting miniatures and let my vet do it. Up until then I gave injections for everything you can think of to a large variety of animals, but I just can't with these guys.

 

[misty'smom]

I was just thinking about this today! Misty and Josie seem to be rubbing their hind end against the fence, trees etc and I am not sure I got the exact dose in that they needed last month. I did use the apple flavor and thought about putting it in their grain but the bread idea sounds like a good one. The syringe I used is marked by their weight and it says it locks on the # of pounds but the one I used didn't lock????? I am probably doing it wrong this was my first attempt since I got my 2 fillies in Sept. So any advice/info or ideas would be a help!!!!!

 

[candycar]

The bread/wormer sandwich works wonders! I add a little molasses to the mix so they don't taste the wormer. I use it to give meds too. It even works on my picky, leary mini mule. No more fighting to get wormer in them for me!

 

[chandab]

My hardest to deworm don't eat bread, so the "sandwich" trick doesn't work.

Man, I sure miss those ivermectin granules they had out a few years ago, they were great for the difficult to deworm, especially hubby's 16+H gelding that hates it. Just mix with a little grain and down it goes, I didn't have anyone refuse the granules.

 

[MBhorses]

what type of bread white or wheat?

 

[Rhondaalaska]

I love the bread idea.

She is such a food motivated girl that I am sure she would eat it.

Thank you so much.

Now how often do you worm.

And on her syringe it says 250 lbs increments

If she is 300 lbs should I give just the 250 or the 500 amount.

I gave her the 250 last time.

I gave her Duramectin ( ivermectin)

Should I do a different one this time.

 

[targetsmom]

Ours are on daily wormer so they only get the paste every 6 months and I (knock on wood) never have trouble with any of them. As a matter of fact in April I had the 4-Hers (including our special needs member) each do one. I am pretty sure that the Ivermectin wormer I used is flavored, so that might help. I also insert the wormer in the RIGHT side of the mouth, not the left, which is the most obvious if you stand on the left side.

I have also just been through 2 weeks of having to give meds to 2 weanlings, up to 6 times a day, and they got so used to it that I don't even need to halter them. But I also added Stomach Soother (papaya) to all the meds except the Ulcergard, so they couldn't really object to the taste. I think that helps a lot. So I would say try a flavored wormer.

 

[chandab]

I love the bread idea.

She is such a food motivated girl that I am sure she would eat it.

Thank you so much.

Now how often do you worm.

And on her syringe it says 250 lbs increments

If she is 300 lbs should I give just the 250 or the 500 amount.

I gave her the 250 last time.

I gave her Duramectin ( ivermectin)

Should I do a different one this time.

I would talk to a vet local to you that would know what is the best timing for deworming in AK. I'm sure it'll be different with the climate there; such a long winter and such long days in summer, I'm sure it affects timing. You should be fine using the ivermecting again. it makes it hard to keep track, but there are notches between the numbered lines, either try to add a couple notches to the 250# dose or go up to 500#, as you don't want to under dose (ivermectin has a high safety margin for dosage).

 

[O So]

Just want to say thanks for the tip. My guy's aren't that hard to deworm with the syringe, but today I tried the sandwich tip and I have to say it was a lot easier. I didn't have to put them in their halters or anything. Just walked up to them with the sandwich and they both took them like nothing else. LOL Made deworming so much easier!

I think I will try this to give my guy his other meds I need to give him!

 

[disneyhorse]

Always give more wormer by weight, never less.

 

[Rhondaalaska]

The bread sandwich trick worked great. Diva loved it

Thank you so much

This was so easy to give the Meds to her with.

No fight at all. She even looked for more.

 

[Lil Eowyn]

Hello =)

I have a same problem with my mare, Sweetheart. Problem--she's not a mini. She's a big 16 hh paint.

When ever I take the wormer out of the box she goes absolutely CRAZY! She acts like I pulled out a huge snake! So I squirt it in my hand and then sprinkle oats over the top --enough oats that she can't see the wormer. Then she'll eat it and if there's some left over I'll do the same thing--she falls for it every time! Otherwise, with my mini Eowyn--she after I worm her she keeps licking the wormer and 'asks' for more! XD Good luck! =)

 

[Sandee]

A little messy but if you put molasses or honey or jelly on the tube's outside, they quickly get the idea that you're giving them a treat. It works with getting them use to a bit too. I have one that I taught that way from baby on and she picks up a bit willingly and comes for wormer or anything in a tube without a halter on her. She had a bad incident with shots so you can't even come close to her with a needle without a fight.

 

[Rhondaalaska]

We did honey on the bit for diva as well.

And as for shot I am dreading that again. We will work with her and hope that we can get her a little better

Before spring. I think something must of happened to her before I got her the way she acts.