Dewormer Headstall?

[TBEventer2002]

Hi all. Had an "interesting" episode with my gelding today when I dewormed the horses. Oy...

All our horses are GREAT when it comes to deworming. In fact, the babies even can just be held by their halters and done loosely in the stall. But, no surprise, my gelding is the HUGEST jerk about this. Knowing I was going to have a problem to begin with (he has a tendancy to rear when he's unhappy or resistent), I put his butt in the cross-ties. Rubbed the tube all over his nose and face, gave him small tidbit treats, he was great. The moment that thing started putting that nasty stuff in his mouth, he started to go up. I just squeezed the plunger as hard as I could when he started, I got knocked backwards, and down he came, his foot going right down the back of my calf. Thank God he was in the short crossties or he'd have gotten my face. Lovely shade of purple it is already, can only imagine what it's going to look like tomorrow, :D.

Anyways, I've got to think of something better for him. Because of several unpleasant vaccination episodes (OK, NOT my fault the damn horse has a reaction to everything under the sun and ends up getting jabbed 4 times every time the vet comes out!), he's not happy about anything being "dispensed" that even remotely looks like a syringe. I can't even get him to the point that I could put honey or molasses in the tube -- I can barely get near him once he figures out it's going in his mouth. He starts tossing his head, trampling me over, the whole deal (reason I put him in the crossties).

So, my question: has anyone had any success with this deworming headstall I keep seeing in the magazine? Do the horses get resistant to being bridled at all? Better yet, think I'd have any luck with putting the paste in his feed like I do with Bute paste? :D

Here's the link if anyone needs a reference:
http://www.statelinetack.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441770403&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302024177&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302029595&bmUID=1117149472520

Thanks in advance for all replies!

[KarinUS]

I don't like those dewormer headstalls as yeah- they would just seem like tools to teach horses to resist bridling.
One of our horses is pretty tough to deworm. The only way I can do it is if someone else (OH) is holding her. I don't really like to keep them in the cross-ties when they are likely to freak out so when I do iffy things I take them out of the cross-ties and hold them or have somebody else hold them. There seems to be more give and the situation doesn't escalate as easily.
Have you tried it with someone else doing the holding for you?
I love the months where we have to give Ivermectin. The tube is so skinny- easy to squirt it all in super fast.
Pyrantel is tougher because it requires a bigger dose. It takes me a little longer to finish squirting the tube but I have noticed they do sell Pyrantel in pellet (http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=2e87c3ff-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5) form. Can be tricky though in case your horse decides to just toss it out of his buckets if he doesn't like it... :rolleyes:
Same thing with fenbendazole (http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=1e7dd8b9-09c6-4e46-b1a5-cdb2b5cf43a1).

[artemis]

My mare is difficult too. I just empty the syringe contents into her feed bucket. I know it doesn't always work though, some won't eat food with anything remotely strange in it.

[TBEventer2002]

Thanks Karin & Artemis! :) Just what I suspected. I can give Rumby his bute paste in his feed tub (he eats ANYTHING I put in there, thank God!), so I might either try putting the dewormer in there or else putting him on a daily dewormer. Thanks again!

[artemis]

No-one has been able to explain to me why people do daily de-worming - except to line the pockets of the drug manufacturers :D I do regular worm counts & very rarely need use wormers. (except for the ones that can't be counted)

[Kalypso]

awww...dear, sweet Rumby...how I miss him! ;) I hope you figure out something to do with him, Amanda! Of course he'll eat anything, I'm sure putting it in his feed might work...I hope... :rolleyes: