Patent Publication Number: US-2017347685-A1

Title: Horse supplement carrier and feeding product

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The embodiments herein relate generally to animals, and more particularly, to a pill or carrier and feeding product for a horse. 
     Cushing&#39;s Disease (PPID) is a disease that affects a number of horses. A horse must be given a Prascend pill every day for control of clinical signs associated with this disease. However, many pills, including Prascend pills, given to horses are rejected by the animal due to poor taste or the lack of palatability. Trying to deliver a pill to a horse in its feed is a hit or miss proposition without the assurance that the pill was actually delivered to the horse. 
     Moreover, some supplements are delivered to a horse in a liquid or paste form. However, these can also be difficult to administer to a horse or other animal. 
     Therefore, what is needed is a pill and paste carrier and feeding product configured to deliver a pill or paste supplement to a horse and also mask the taste of the supplement, while also being formulated with low carbohydrate and sugar content. 
     SUMMARY 
     Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a horse pill or paste carrier and delivery product. The carrier and delivery system may include a shell having a pocket; and, optionally, a paste filling the pocket, the paste being configured to accept a pill and secure the pill within the pocket. The shell may be made of a mixture of beet pulp, horse feed, white flour, fenugreek, ascorbic acid, fruit pectin, alfalfa greens, water, vitamin E oil, and sea salt. The paste may be made of a mixture of raisins, molasses, and Vitamin E oil. In embodiments, the shell and the paste may be configured to mask a flavor of the pill placed therein 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The detailed description of some embodiments of the invention is made below with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals represent corresponding parts of the figures. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following detailed description of the invention, numerous details, examples, and embodiments of the invention are described. However, it will be clear and apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth and that the invention can be adapted for any of several applications. 
     The device of the present disclosure may be used to deliver a pill to a horse and may comprise the following elements. This list of possible constituent elements is intended to be exemplary only, and it is not intended that this list be used to limit the device of the present application to just these elements. Persons having ordinary skill in the art relevant to the present disclosure may understand there to be equivalent elements that may be substituted within the present disclosure without changing the essential function or operation of the device. 
     1. Shell 
     2. Optional Paste 
     The various elements of the device of the present disclosure may be related in the following exemplary fashion. It is not intended to limit the scope or nature of the relationships between the various elements and the following examples are presented as illustrative examples only. 
     By way of example, and referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , some embodiments of the present disclosure include a horse pill pocket  10  comprising an outer shell  12  defining an inner pocket  14  and, optionally, a paste  16  configured to fill the pocket  14 , the paste  16  also configured to secure a pill within the inner pocket  14 , wherein the shell  12  and the paste  16  comprise ingredients that are palatable to horses and that mask the taste of an equine pill, such as Prascend Tablets, which are administered to treat Cushing Disease (PPID). Alternatively, the inner pocket  14  may be configured to accommodate a supplement paste or liquid, such as bimectin (which may remove worms and bots), zimecterin (which may be a paste dewormer), strongid paste (which may remove internal parasites), perfect balance electrolyte paste, OTC jug, (a vitamin and mineral paste), micro B-1 paste, oral X-B (a mineral complex for iron and copper deficiency), micro B-12 5X (a vitamin B-12 paste), and the like. In such embodiments, the carrier may not include the paste  16  and instead may include only the supplement paste or liquid. 
     The shell  12  may comprise any desired ingredients and, in some embodiments, comprises a mixture of beet pulp, horse feed, safflower oil, vitamin E oil, alfalfa greens, fenugreek, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), wheat, oats, peppermint oil, water, sea salt, fruit pectin (or apple pectin). However, some embodiments may not comprise any oats. The shell  12  may further comprise mineral oil and flour, which may act as binding agents for the mixture. Some embodiments may also comprise peppermint oil. The shell  12  ingredients may be mixed into a moldable paste, which may be deposited in a mold, forming a cylinder, such as a cylinder having a diameter of about 1 inch and a depth of about 1 inch. The pocket  14  may then be made in each molded item. For example, a pocket  14  having a diameter of 1¼ inch and a depth of about ½ inch may be made in the shell  12 . The shell  12  may be allowed to dry and removed from the mold, creating a hard, crunchy shell  12  having a pocket  14 . While the above sizes are described, any size shell  12  and pocket  14  may be formed, as needed or desired. 
     The paste  16  may comprise any desirable ingredients and, in some embodiments, comprises a mixture of raisins, molasses, and safflower or Vitamin E oil. The paste  16  may have a thick, sticky consistency and, thus, may be softer than the shell  12 . The paste  16  may then be used to substantially fill the pocket  14 . 
     In embodiments, either the shell  12  or the paste  16  may further comprise a flavoring, such as fenugreek (maple), peppermint, banana, cherry, mint, or any other desired flavoring. 
     Example 1: Making the Shell 
     About four cups of ground beet pulp were mixed with about 4 cups of water. The combination was mixed well and allowed to seat for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, about 8 cups of horse feed and about 4 cups of water were mixed. About ¾ cup of safflower oil (Vitamin E oil) was added to the horse feed/water mixture. The mixture was mixed well and allowed to sit for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, about 25 cups of ground alfalfa, about 8 cups of white flour, about 1 cup of sea salt, about 1½ cups powdered fenugreek, about ¾ cups powdered ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and about ¾ cups powdered fruit pectin or apple pectin were mixed together. All of the dry ingredients were thoroughly blended together. The wet beet pulp and the wet horse feed were added to the dry ingredients and mixed well. Approximately 40 oz. of water was blended into the batch a little at a time. A slow steady stream of water or spraying the water into the batch while it is being mixed may work best. This process may create the moldable paste, which may be formed into the shell. 
     Example 2: Making the Paste 
     About 2 cups of raisins, about ½ cup of molasses, and about 2 tablespoons of safflower oil (vitamin E oil) may be added to a blender and blended until smooth, resulting in the paste. 
     In embodiments, a mixture of safflower and vitamin E may be used. For example, 6 parts of safflower oil to 1 part of pure vitamin E oil may be mixed, creating the mixture. Vitamin E oil is very thick and sticky and tends to be difficult to use. It may flow better when mixed with safflower oil. 
     To use the horse pill carrier  10 , a user may insert a pill into the paste  16  and feed the pill carrier  10  to a horse. Because of the ingredients used, the taste of a pill may be masked, resulting in the horse eating the pill and pill carrier  10  without the horse rejecting the pill. Alternatively, in the case of a paste carrier, a paste or liquid supplement may be inserted into the shell and the product may be fed to an animal, such as a horse. 
     Persons of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that numerous design configurations may be possible to enjoy the functional benefits of the inventive systems. Thus, given the wide variety of configurations and arrangements of embodiments of the present invention the scope of the invention is reflected by the breadth of the claims below rather than narrowed by the embodiments described above.