Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Medlcine _or Ho~ses & Dispenser _he efor
The invention relates to a medicine for horses
composed of pharmaceutical preparations and/or ~ct;ve
ingredients of medicinal plants which are mixed with an
S edible binder to form a substance solid at normal ambi-
ent temperatures and are shaped into a licking block.
Medicines for horses are notmally available com-
mercially in the form of drenches and powders. For ad-
ministration they are admixed with the horses' feed or
drinking water. This form of administration is labour-
intensive for the grooms because the medicine has to be
admixed with the feed or water in each case in a metered
manner and for each individual sick horse. Moreover, th;s
form of administration has the disadvantage that the taste
of feed and water can be slightly tainted so that they are
refused by the horses.
Attempts have therefore already been made to ad-
mix certain medicaments with salt licks (German Offen-
legungsschrift 2,649,133). This method has the disad-
vantage, however, that the horses have to consumerelatively large amounts of salt if they are to be
administered part;cular amounts of medicament. The
an;mals are even encouraged to take in the salt by
admixing organolept;c substances. However, th;s method
has not been successful.
The invention is based on the object of provid-
ing a medic;ne for horses ~h;ch can be administered
without problems and is e3sily digestible by the horses.
This object is achieved, according to the
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invention, ~here the binder contained in the substance,
which is shaped into a licking block, is a palatable
mixture of sugar, glucose~ honey and salt.
A substance of this type is willingly accepted
by all horses and can even be administered in relatively
large amounts without detrimental effects.
The substance preferably contains about 90 per-
cent by ~eight of the binder and about 10 percent by
-weight of medicinal plant active ingredients. Such a
mixing ratio masks flavourings and odorous substances
which the horse finds unpleasant and which are easily
ingested together with the licking block. A binder
which has been found to be particularly attractive to
horses consists of about 57 % of sugar, 29 % of glucose,
4 % of honey and slightly less than 1 X of salt.
In the case of a licking block as a couyh remedy
the substance preferably contains active ingredients
of the following medicinal plants: marshmallo~, ivy,
fennel, coltsfoot, cowslip, ripwort, thyme, pansy, lung-
2û wort, sage, mallow, linden flowers, aniseed, menthol andelder.
A device for dispensing the medicine, present in
the form of a licking block, is characterized by at
least one container ~hich is open at the bottom and ;n
which the licking block is fixed by means of a holding
element such that it projects slightly from the lower
opening. This device ensures that the horse takes in a
particular amount of the licking block, that is only as
much as it can reach with its tongue. As a result, exact
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dosing can be accomplished by suspending the l;cking
block at a higher or lower level ;n the device. In
any event, the device prevents the horse from acci-
dentally consuming an overdose of the medicament con-
tained in the licking block, since the horse can atbest reach that section of the licking block which pro-
jects from the lower container opening.
The licking block preferably has an elongate,
-essentially cylindrical shaPe, the holcling element being
arranged axially relative to the cylindrical licking
block and projecting over a short distance into the
upper face end of the licking block. For such a licking
block, the container of the device can be a pip~ fixable
in a vertical arrangement, the inside diameter of which
is greater than that of the lick;ng block.
The holding element can be elongate and flexible
and is cast into the licking block. It is designed, for
example, as a chain of metal links.
In order to be able to adjust the height of the
Z0 licking block in a simple manner the upper edge of the
pipe can have a slot into which the chain cast into the
licking block can be hung, it being poSsible for each
individual link to be hung in and thus to achieve a
very f;ne and uncomplicated adjustment of the licking
block. When the lower edge of the licking block has
been consumed the chain is simply lifted out of the slot
and the follo~ing link or the next or next but one link
is hung in instead so that the licking block no~ hangs
at a lower level by the length of one link or se~era~
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links.
The pipe used can be a section of a commercially
available plastic pipe which is easier to process and
- easy to maintain in use since it can be cleaned simply
and does not corrode.
For the purPose of fixing, the pipe can be surr-
ounded, at its lower end and at a distance above the
latter, by one clip each, the clips being provided with
a mounting by means of which the pipe can be fixed to a
wall of the box or of the stall or to a vertical rod
provided on the box front. A fixing mechanism of this
type can be adapted to suit the particular localities
and is easy to install. In particular, the clip provided
at the lower end of the pipe which clip preferably con-
sists of metal and covers the lower edge of the pipe,prevents the horse from crib-biting at the lower edge of
the pipe.
The invention is illustrated by way of example
in the drawing and described in detail below by refer-
ZO ence to the drawing, in which:
Fig. 1 is an exemplary embodiment of a l;cking blockin a dispensing device and
Fig. 2 is a section along line II-II from Fig. 1.
The l;cking block 1 shown ;n the drawing con-
sists of a mixture of various medicinal plants withwhich the horses' cough can be remedied. This mixture
of medicinal plants is firmly incorporated into a
binder which consists of sugar, glucose, honey and salt.
The licking block has a solid consistency at room
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temperature so that it can be stored for a prolonged
period under normal climatic conditions such as prevail
in a stable, without changing its external shapr..
The licking block 1 shown in the drawing has an
elongate, cylindrical shape. The end piece of a chain
2 is cast into one end of the licking block 1. In the em-
bodiment sho~n in the drawing the c~st-;n end consists
of approximately four links 3 which lie approximately in
the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical licking block 1
and are firmly enclosed by the latter. Thus, if~the end
of the chain 2, facing away from the licking block is
attached to a fixed point the licking block, with the
longitudinal axis arranged vertically, hangs vertically
downwards.
In order to prevent the horse from biting into
the licking block and thus taking in an overdose of the
cough remedy the licking block 1 is dispensed only in
connection with a d;spensing device 4.
The dispensing device 4 consists of a section of
a commercially available plastic pipe 5 the inside dia-
meter of which ;s larger than the outside diameter of
the licking block 1 so that the licking block 1 fits
into the pipe 5.
The plastic pipe 5 is fixed in a vertical arran-
gement at any point in a box or a stall. In the exemp-
lary embodiment shown in the drawing the pipe 5 ;s firm-
ly surrounded, at its lower end and at a distance away
from its upper end, by one clip 6 or 7 each of stainless
metal. The lower clip 6 is situated exactly at the level
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of the lo~er edge of the pipe S, so that the lower edge
of the pipe is not accessible to the horse and can not,
for example~ be cr;b-bitten. The two clips 6 and 7
are connected via short connecting ~ebs ~ with, in each
S case, one split holding cla~p 9 ~hich can be placed,
for example, around a vertical rod 10 and fixed to the
latter by ~eans of screws 11.
Instead of the holding clamps 9, simple flat
brackets can alternatively be provided and can be
screwed, for example, to the wall of the bo~.
The upper edge of the plastic pipe S is provi-
ded, above the clip 7, with a short vertical slot 12
~hich i5 somewhat wider than the thickness of a link 3
of the chain 2 which is cast into the licking block 1.
The s~ot length 1s some~hat larger than the width of a
link 3 so that the chain 2 can be hung into the slot 12
conveniently and safely.
When a fresh licking block 1 is suspended the
latter is positioned in the plastic pipe so that only a
short section of the licking block 1 projects from the
lower end of the pipe 5. In this position only this
lower end of the licking block 1 is accessible to the
horse so that only this end can be consumed by the horse
namely by simple licking, which at the same time ensures
that the cough remedy can be gradually ingested by the
horse over a prolonged period.
When the end of the licking block 1, which ini-
tially projects from the botto~ of the pipe S, is con-
sumed the licking block can, if required, be repositioned
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so that the licking block again projects slightly from
the lower end of the pipe 5~ Repositioning of the lick-
ing block 1 can be accomplished by simply lifting the-
chain 2 out of the slot 12 and inserting another link 3
which is at a greater distance from the licking block 1
into the slot 12.
Readjusting the licking bloc~k 1 can be continued
until it is completely used up. For this purpose the
-length of the licking block 1, the length of the chain
2 ancl the height of the plastic pipe 5 are matched to
one another. The licking block (1) is at most the same
length as the plastic pipe S, preferably somewhat
shorter however~ so that when it is hung in its
uppermost position only a short section projects out of
the pipe 5. The length of the chain 2 ;s chosen such
that, ~hen the penultimate link is hung in, the re-
maining end, which has not yet been consumed, of the
- lick;ng block 1 projects from the bottom of the pipe 5
so that in its lowermost position the entire licking
block can be consumed by the horse to be treated.
The device described can of course also be used
for administering other licking blocks ~hich have a dif-
ferent composition or a shape other than a cylinder.
