George has seasonal allergies which make both of us miserable all summer long.
Last year, they got so bad by the end of August that I had to put him on medication,
which caused him to founder, which meant he had to be confined for several months,
which caused him to founder, which meant he had to be confined for several months,
which made both of us miserable all fall. This year, I was determined to get ahead
of the problems and worked with our vet to develop a treatment plan.
The cornerstone of the plan is this stuff, Platinum Skin & Allergy:
One teaspoon a day and maybe he won't suffer.
I gave it to George for the first time 45 days ago.
Since then, he has been convinced that I'm trying to poison him.
You think I'm kidding. I'm not.
I don't know what the powder tastes like, but I do know that it smells very fishy
and nothing I've tried masks the odor and makes it palatable to a very smart ass.
Here are some of the ways I've tried to get it into him:
- sprinkled on top of hay pellets
- mixed with molasses and sprinkled on top of hay pellets
- mixed with molasses and crushed peppermints and sprinkled on top of hay pellets
- hidden in a Fig Newton
- hidden in a fruit roll-up
- hidden in a piece of bread spread with jam
- hidden in homemade oat/applesauce treats
- hidden in homemade oat/molasses treats
- mixed with applesauce and squirted into his mouth using a syringe
- mixed with molasses and squirted into his mouth using a syringe
- and on and on and on.
I should note here that Alan, who does not have allergies,
scarfed up every powder-laced tasty treat that George spit out on the ground.
Each failed attempt was followed by a day or two of rest so that George wouldn't
become defensive and suspicious. Since burros are born defensive and suspicious,
the breaks did nothing but prolong our agony.
Finally, remembering that dealing with a burro is akin to dealing with a perpetual toddler,
I changed my approach. Just like when my parents wouldn't let me
leave the kitchen table until I ate all my vegetables,
George would have to stay in a stall, by himself, until he finished his poison-laced pellets.
And guess what...it's working!
For six days in a row, George has eaten all of his pellets.
I mix the poison powder with a bit of apple butter, then add that mixture to soaked hay pellets.
Yesterday, I added another foreign substance to the recipe, spirulina,
which should also help his allergies.
Sir, your breakfast is ready.
I learned the hard way to place the soaked pellets directly into the hay tub.
(The first day we tried this, George merrily flipped his breakfast bowl out of the tub,
dumping all the pricey ingredients into the dirt.)
Watching him eat makes me ridiculously happy
and cautiously optimistic that we'll have an itch-free summer.
