AUGUST 30, 2018 - TIP OF THE DAY
The following "Tip of the Day" is provided to assist you with horse and farm management. It is an original idea developed by and/or used by Leslie Raulin. This tip is available to you at your own risk. Leslie Raulin does not make any claims or warranties, nor does she have any financial interest in any products that may be mentioned.
MINIMIZE THE REGUMATE MESS
My horse Aviani (Annie) is a perfect adult amateur dressage horse, as long as she is on altrenogest (Regumate, OvaMed, Altren), a hormone that is administered daily to prevent equine estrous. It is an oily liquid that is top-dressed over feed one time daily. It is usually not used in the winter when a horse is anestrous.
Without Regumate, Annie is a raging lunatic when she is in season. I knew this when I bought her 10 years ago and, other than the expense (currently $220 for a liter, which lasts a few months), I was ok with its use. However, I was not prepared for the mess. The bottle has a very short cap so the medication leaks all over the bottle. Since Regumate can affect humans, gloves are therefore necessary when administering it. I tried the dispensing gun but had the same problem; in fact, it was worse. I resorted to using a 20cc leur lock syringe and a lot of gloves. A few years ago, I set out to minimize the mess. The answer is simple - GLUE applied to the bottle cap!
Without Regumate, Annie is a raging lunatic when she is in season. I knew this when I bought her 10 years ago and, other than the expense (currently $220 for a liter, which lasts a few months), I was ok with its use. However, I was not prepared for the mess. The bottle has a very short cap so the medication leaks all over the bottle. Since Regumate can affect humans, gloves are therefore necessary when administering it. I tried the dispensing gun but had the same problem; in fact, it was worse. I resorted to using a 20cc leur lock syringe and a lot of gloves. A few years ago, I set out to minimize the mess. The answer is simple - GLUE applied to the bottle cap!
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Seal-All 2oz. Adhesive and Sealant. This is the best glue I have found as it works with oily substances and plastics. It is available in many stores. I purchased it at Home Depot. According to their web site: Seal-All is the adhesive mechanics and hobbyists trust for all their automotive and garage repairs. It adheres with superior strength to most substrates and resists gasoline, oil, paint thinner, and solvents. Seal-All does not require mixing or heating and will not become brittle.
The cost is $2.00 - $3.00 per 2oz tube. |
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The Regumate bottle arrives with a regular cap, a seal on the bottle, and a cap designed to work with a leur lock syringe. Remove the regular cap and carefully remove the seal. I use a knife to pierce the seal then peel the seal off with the knife. |
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Apply the glue along the threads on the inside of the cap designed for use with a leur lock syringe. Ensure that some glue is on all the threads without using too much glue (experience leads to perfection!).
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Screw the leur lock cap onto the bottle. Although the glue package says it sets in 2-3 minutes, I let it set over night. |
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Depending on the dose in ml required for your horse (determine this with your veterinarian), purchase 10ml or 20ml leur lock syringes without needles. I purchase syringes without needles in bulk via Amazon.com or Valley Vet. Every day, carefully screw the syringe into the bottle. Tip the bottle so the syringe is down, and pull the plunger on the syringe to draw up the volume needed for your horse. Rotate the bottle so the syringe is up then gently unscrew the syringe. The syringe can be reused many times. If it becomes difficult to draw up the Regumate, use a new syringe. Sometimes a small amount of Regumate leaks out from the syringe onto the cap when the syringe is removed from the bottle. I wipe this with tissue or toilet paper and throw it away. Slowly dispense the Regumate over your horse's meal. I let it soak in for a few minutes then shake the meal to distribute the Regumate. |
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This is how I store the Regumate bottle and syringe.
With this glue method, I no longer need to use gloves when dispensing Regumate as it does not leak all over the bottle.
PS - I purchase Regumate via Valley Vet. My equine veterinarian establishes a prescription with them, usually with refills for a year, so I just reorder from Valley Vet when I need another bottle. This is convenient and is less expensive.
Enjoy!