I just saw this in my current issue of DRESSAGE TODAY. It's called Horse2O (like H2O) Med-mix, and it's used to disguise the taste and smell of nasty meds or supplements. You just add it to grain, along with the gross-tasting meds, and the horse will eat the whole thing without noticing the yuck-factor. You can also use it for de-worming: squirt the de-wormer paste into some grain, add the Med-mix, and POOF! De-worming is done, no mess, no fuss. Dover has it, and I asked Smart-Pak to start carrying it. Details on the product are here: Horse2O Med-mix One thing I read was that the Med-mix is much lower in calories than the molasses or brown sugar most of us use when hiding meds in our horse's food. I am going to buy some from Dover so that I have some on hand while I wait for Smart-Pak to start carrying it. I wish I'd had some of this when Juno was taking meds after her surgery: I was able to tactfully get her to take her meds, but I KNOW she hated them.

I wonder if this would work with giant aspirin also?  It's pretty bitter.

I'm sure the Med Mix would cover aspirin. After all, it's supposed to cover bute, and bute is way nastier than aspirin. The latest issue of HORSE JOURNAL had a review of the Med Mix, and the review was favorable. I just got my Med Mix a few days ago via UPS, but have not used it yet.

Let us know if it works for you, I'd love to passe this along to other horse people if it does :)

HORSE JOURNAL tested it when they reviewed it and they said it worked well. They are a more reliable testing source than I, and they tried it on several horses. I'd go right ahead and tell your horse friends that it works. The only complaint HJ had was the amount you need to buy; they wished you could get smaller packages so it doesn't go stale if not used. It lasts for 18 months and if you only have one horse you probably won't use all of it. But, if a barn, or several friends, buys a box I'm sure it would be used up.

I used the Med-Mix tonight for the first time, and got 10 hooves up on it (2 hooves times 5)! All three mares liked the apple-mint taste, and had no problem with eating Zimectrin Gold paste when it was mixed with rolled oats and the Med-Mix. Even the 2 donkeys liked it--they are very suspicious of new food, especially when I offer it to them in a tub that I'm holding--and licked the tub clean.  It can't get better than that!

Uckele also has some sugar-free liquid flavorings to disguise nasty-tasting stuff. I've never tried them, but I'm a big fan of Uckele products.

And PSA about the Zimectrin Gold--there have been many incidents of mouth/esophogeal ulcers & blisters associated with this product. 48, it sounds like your horses have been fine, but I just want to put this out there for others. Personally, I stick to Equimax or Quest Plus for tapes.   

 

Thanks for the info. I just emailed my vet to get her take on it. Where did you learn of the ulcers/blisters? Maybe that's why it was on sale.

I used it recently, because it was on sale.  I hadn't heard about problems with it and it doesn't appear that Star or Annapolis had any ill effects, but I'll certainly do some research before I get more.  

 

My vet said Equimax for tapeworm has the least side effects. I give my girls de-wormer paste in food, not through the tube, and many of the remarks I read about the ZG said that the burning was related to water intake when the paste was still on the lips or in the mouth. Since the ZG was mixed with food, then ingested before any water was drunk, maybe that why I had no problems. Or my girls' systems did not react to it.

 I looked at all 3 products, the med mix is natural concentrated apple juice, the Uckele is natural molasses in one (which is not available right now) and natural peppermint. In other words, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.

A word of caution. If you find yourself in the IR/Cushing's corner, these would not be a good choices. Not even fennugeek for these sensitive horses.  Beet root powder is the flavoring answer for these guys.(beta vulgaris ruba)

http://www.herbalcom.com/store.php3?list=cats&alpha=yes&lett=a-dA-D&session=e8b3cc4177d0a8d64a15d1f5bc4b9e31

If you want to feed sugar, pour molasses on the feed or crush up a couple of peppermints, but I don't want to develop an IR horse, so I don't feed for it. Uckele is good, but not with this, but maybe things will change. I just heard that Dr. Kellon just joined the staff. 

 

 Hope this helps. 

When I was looking at the MedMix, one of the attractions was that it had fewer calories than the usual pour-some-molasses-on-it solution. The HORSE JOURNAL review of it was positive. I don't recall if Dr. Kellon was the author of the review, but I'm sure she saw it since she's on the HJ staff.

Missyclare:

the Uckele is natural molasses in one (which is not available right now) and natural peppermint. In other words, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

Missyclare, look closer at the label--"Equisweet Flavored Sugar-Free." Yes, they are peppermint and molasses flavored. Zero sugar.

 

The Uckele product seems to be made to be used to make feed more palatable. I'm not sure if it was meant to be used to disguise anything as foul-tasting as most meds.

Oh good! I'm glad. I missed that. I like Uckele too.