Hi Bonnie,

I was working with a filly that started kicking with her front leg when I was pressing on the syringe from the first time onward. She got surprised the first time (the syringe had to be pressed pretty hard and then it would all come out at once) and reacted instinctively, afterwards she kept doing that for a while every time I'd give her the worm shot, and then stopped all by herself.

When I was doing it it didn't bother me and I kept really calm at all time, and I could see that she wasn't really nervous about it. It was more a reaction than anything else, a bit like if you move something fast around a nervous horse and his head goes up.

When it was given by other people the filly was reacting a lot more, moving her head away and side stepping. I realized that the other people at the stable were nervous around her before giving the shot and that she was picking up on that like most horse will do.

What do they do exactly? And how do you react? Do you get tense or frustrated when you give the shot?

Pierre

Hi. Foals need wormed very regularly & I found an easy way to make this much more pleasurable - extra strong mints. Worm paste is not nice, some more so than others. I have that information from my guys not having tasted it myself! If you give 3 or 4 mints together or in quick succession & then quietly & calmly slip the syringe into the side of the mouth, angled towards the back of the tongue, you can dispense the dose with ease. Because the mouth is overwhelmed with mint the horse does not taste the dose which is then quickly followed by another mint or two & lots of scratching of the withers. Without the initial mints my guys actively tried to spit out the dose & refused to take any kind of treat, whether from the hand or a bucket, for some time. This is NOT bribery! Wormer is unpleasant & the mints make it less so. In the same way, we show horses new things so they are not stressed by them. To me this is a logical approach. Cheers, Jo.

Jo-HewittVINTA That is a fantastic tip about the mints!

If the warmer tube is warm the paste will flow easily and melt faster in the mouth. When the Wormer Paste Tube is cold the plunger is hard to push and the paste tends to shoot out. The cold paste also stays hard on the tongue making it easier for them to spit out.

I struggled with wormer until my horse caught salmonella and needed to be hospitalized for a week and stayed on meds twice a day for another week. Now it's no issue. I recommend use your syringe frequenly if not daily, either giving water or molasses or a mix. It's the repetition of a non violent non harmful act that helps the horse learn to trust and not overreact. The taste makes no difference in the end. Sulfa med water mix is bitter as can be. He took it like a trooper because it became routine. In the end, it's not the taste or the tolerance, but the trust. Practice, practice, practice. It works.

Hi Tina. I have yearling, foal & Dad. Of the three Dad decided not to be wormed so I took an empty, clean syringe, put honey on it & within 2 or 3 minutes my then stallion was demanding it. Holy Moley, my not quite 8 month foal, loves marmite sandwiches, but only with wholemeal bread. Use white bread & she spits it out. Taste & texture is key. I'm sorry your horse was so ill & am glad they recovered, with the bonus of not having a wormer issue. However, I would not wish the experience on any horse. I'm sharing my experience with you all - what works with my equine family. Cheers, Jo.