My horse won't eat Bute! Any creative ideas that work?

Question

Sundance has a bone cyst. He's ok to ride and jump, but he needs bute and to stretch after a show for a half an hour. Anyway, I'm attending a horse camp this week and to prevent lameness we are Buting him. We've tried mixing the Bute with: applesauce, donuts (he doesn't like) bananas (doesn't like) apple juice, his hay, his grain, inside an apple, and pb sandwiches (doesn't like). Nothing works!!! They only way we can get it into him is if we mix it with water and shoot it in his mouth with a syringe thing. There has to be an easier way! Please help! Do you have any ideas? That you know work from experience? Thank you!

Answer 1

have you tried molasses? People have had problems with that and molasses has seemed to work... um..

or I have heard to

Dissolve the pills in strawberry Kool-Aid mix and water try that!

Good Luck

Answer 2

I would try the bute paste. Also you could mix it with soaked alfalfa or beet pulp. I got a mare to take her aspirin the other day with that.

I wonder if glucosomine 500 or another joint supplement would help him?

Answer 3

Ask your vet for apple flavored bute. It comes in a powder so you can mix it in his grain. Or add a bunch of molasses. I don't know any horses that don't like grain smothered in molasses.

Answer 4

well, you can wet his grain with the bute in it

you can lather the dose of bute in molasses or honey

or you can buy paste bute, which you use just like de-wormer..

but, buting a horse and working it is risky, since the horse won't feel pain in ANY area, he won't necessarily stop working or show lameness if he is lame from an outside source.

Answer 5

well... we use bute powder... all we do is put whatever dosage needed into bran mash and then add water & mix it all up... our horses dont even bother thinking twice about eating it... but then again our horses LOVE bute... its their wonder drug... they get excited when we talk about it... so when were around them we hav 2 say B-U-T-E... lol

Answer 6

You can buy bute already mixed in a syringe- much easier than crushing pills. I think you can buy it in different flavors as well. (well not buy, get from your vet etc.) This is not uncommon though. Most horses hate it because it tastes gross. You may just have to keep giving it to him orally. Some of them just won't eat it.

Answer 7

Hmmm, my dad's horse like in inside an apple.  We drill out the middle and squirt the Bute inside it - she can hardly tell the apple flavor.  Try putting it in a carrot.  She likes that too.

Answer 8

try mixing it with molasses.

hope that helps! :-)

Answer 9

Mix it with molasses

Answer 10

this is an easy fix.

everyday take a syringe and fill it with something tasty that you know your horse enjoys. you can do it once a day or twice a day. this will get him used to a syringe in his mouth.

pretty soon you'll have your horse running towards waiting for you to squirt him in the mouth with the syringe.

he might be a little mad at you after you put the bute in his mouth but later on go ahead and give him the syringe full of tasty liquid morsels.

honey is probably one of the best things to fill your syringe with.  but remember don't over do it. only fill the syringe (with the treat) about double of the amount of bute you use.

Answer 11

I agree with Sov7, use the paste.

Answer 12

If you can deworm his successfully I'd ask for the bute in a paste form.  You don't let him eat first, give him the paste and keep his head up so he has to swallow.

I don't think there is an easier way if you've done all of the above without luck.

Answer 13

My horse won't take bute in his feed either. If I put it in, he will just eat around it. I purchased some bute paste from the vet. It comes in a syringe like dewormer. There is enough in the tube for several doses. I still have to dose him with the syringe, but at least I get out of the mixing part like you are doing. Fortunately, he doesn't need it very often.

Using the paste is the only thing I have been able to get to work.

Answer 14

Well it looks like you just about tried everything. You should just give it to him in a seringe. He may not like it but hey who does like medicine.

Answer 15

Recently had to give a pill to my horse twice a day. The vet recommended crushing it and mixing it with 2 Tbs of Karo syrup. Put it on the grain and didn't have any problems.

Answer 16

CAUTION!

I have a horse that foundered and the vet put him on bute. It is simple to use molasses, or syrup, but they don't always eat it. The best way isw to just shoot it down their throat to make sure they get it all. But use extreme CAUTION. It can damage their kidneys if you use it for very long. My horse was on it for two weeks and his kidneys almost shut down. He was in the equine hospital for eight days, and we almost lost him. Not only that but the bill was mega $$$. Use extreme caution as to how much and how long you give it to him.

Answer 17

Most ppl just shoot it into their mouth instead of babying them.

Just keep doing that.. why try to figure out ways that he will eat it, looks like nothing is working.

It doesn't taste good, neither does meds we take, but we just deal with it.  Your horse needs to also.

Answer 18

You've certainly tried everything...now try bute paste....your vet has it.

Answer 19

I'd try molasses and/or garlic.

If he still turns his nose up at it stick with the syringe.

They are infuriating when they pull stuff like this. Bad as kids with the icky medicine.

Answer 20

is it liquid bute? or powder bute? if its liquid that explaines it because that stuff tastes nasty! lol try getting powdered bute from your vet and mix it in a bran mash! they love it

Answer 21

Molasses will do it! It's strong tasting and should completely cover up the Bute taste. My horse would eat ANYTHING if it was covered with molasses!

If the Bute is in pill form, grind them up first before mixing with the molasses. If it's a paste, mix as is.

Good luck!

Answer 22

Either use a balling gun or do as I do.  Pull his tongue out a good way and place the pill on the back of his tongue. When you let go of his tongue the pill will be forced back in his mouth and he will swallow it.