Administering Pills Help!

evert9 · Sep 29, 2006

Good morning! Recently, our little Bandit has had several issues requiring medicines that come in a pill form. He's a stubborn little bugger and I'm having a terrible time giving him his meds. I've tried to crush them and mix it up with wet food (he eats dry currently but loves the occassional wet food treat) but he can smell it and won't eat it. I've try to dilute it and use a syringe to get it down. I've tried to use a pill gun and that doesn't work.

I do wrap him up like a burrito to keep him from moving much but he can wiggle out of just about everything. He's learned to use his tongue to block the back of his throat when I use the pill gun and then just foams like crazy when I try to close his mouth around it.

I'm not sure what else to do. I had to go got the vet yesterday to see if they could show me new ways but after 2 vet techs and myself trying to get the job done, it still wasn't working. This one particular pill is an antibiotic for a stomach bacteria he got from our puppy that the vet broke in half for us to give him.

Any suggestions or hints that have worked for you? The vet techs did say that they have a compound that they could try to use to make the flavor better - now why they didn't offer that up front, I have no idea.

Thanks!

urbantigers · Sep 29, 2006

You could try smothering it with soft cheese (the kind that comes in a tube) or wrapping it ham, or something like that. Or you could try pill pockets (treats that have a pocket for concealing the pill) http://www.pillpockets.com/index_fs.htm

gardenandcats · Sep 29, 2006

Sometimes covering the pill in butter helps it slide down easy and hides the taste.I sure feel for you. I have a cat that recently had to have meds and it was a job and a half to get the pills down.

ernbee · Sep 29, 2006

my cat is very stubborn in taking his pills also. he even holds them in his mouth until we let him go then spits them out! our vet showed a little trick - if you lightly touch his nose it makes him lick his nose which then forces him to swallow his pill. its not 100% but works most of the time.

peachytoday · Sep 29, 2006

I have to give half a pill to one of my cats everyday for a heart condition. I, too had the hardest time. I remember being on my hands and knees begging my cat to eat the pill covered with the pill pocket almost in tears because it was just wearing on the both of us and he was starting to avoid me when I had to force it down. So I feel your pain. It is very frustrating. Here is what worked for me for two separate cats.

For Zander who is pretty laid back, who had a staff infection and need two months of antibiotics. I broke his huge pill in quarters and covered them with pill pockets. The pill pockets are really soft and I found that my cats don't eat the whole thing but if I pinch off a portion and wrap the pill in it Zander will eat it. I don't think he chews much but pretty much it went right down.

For Redford who is much tenser cat I took his pill, which was half a pretty small pill and covered it with the pill pocket but he still wouldn't eat it. (See above with me crying in frustration.) I finally took a Temptation cat treat which is the only food he will come flying for and sawed a couple in half. It takes me a couple of treats to get two decent halves that I can sandwich the pill pocket covered pill in between. Finally he eats the treat up and my sanity has been saved.

It will be a ritual hopefully for a long time but it took me three months to figure out what would work for my Redford.

Tricia

evert9 · Sep 29, 2006

Thank you so much ladies - these are great alternatives I've not thought about. I do some of these for the dog but never considered it for the cat!

landwish · Sep 29, 2006

I cradle my cat like a baby when I give her her thyroid medicication. She ALWAYS holds the pill in her mouth and tries not to swallow it. I massage her throat gently and blow in her nose very gently and those things cause her to swallow.
Good luck!

deni · Sep 29, 2006

I smear a little marmit/vegemite on my cats tablets when they need them:rolleyes, the yeast extract masks the taste of the tablet, the licking stimulates saliva production helping the pill to go down. Only a tiny bit mind otherwise they'll be drinking water all night!

laureen227 · Sep 29, 2006

Originally Posted by Deni

I smear a little marmit/vegemite on my cats tablets when they need them:rolleyes, the yeast extract masks the taste of the tablet, the licking stimulates saliva production helping the pill to go down. Only a tiny bit mind otherwise they'll be drinking water all night!

i've had the best luck with butter if i'm pilling directly [not trying to fool the cat into eating the pill]. my Pixel doesn't like treats

so i have to pretty much force her meds on her. the pill popper helps, but i do have to aim well, then hold her mouth closed while stroking her throat. then i look for her to lick her nose - i also read somewhere that meant they had swallowed.
i don't know how easy it is to find vegemite here in the states...

deni · Sep 29, 2006

I wouldn't advocate blowing or licking their nose, once they have the pill in their mouth, try to keep it closed and stimulate the swallow reflex by stroking quite hard under their chin between the jaw bone. Marmite is a yeast extract available in most supermarkets in the UK, Vegemite is very similar and is an Australian product. Do you have stock cubes in the states like 'OxO' try crushing it into a mild paste with some warm water or butter if they like that. Please remember that this will prompt them to drink more water.

jen · Sep 29, 2006

Originally Posted by Deni

I wouldn't advocate blowing or licking their nose, once they have the pill in their mouth, try to keep it closed and stimulate the swallow reflex by stroking quite hard under their chin between the jaw bone. Marmite is a yeast extract available in most supermarkets in the UK, Vegemite is very similar and is an Australian product. Do you have stock cubes in the states like 'OxO' try crushing it into a mild paste with some warm water or butter if they like that. Please remember that this will prompt them to drink more water.

Actually blowing very softly on their face is something that a lot of people and vets do. Scruff the cat and pill it, you can use your finger or a pill popper. After you get the pill in the far back part of the mouth, keep scruffing the cat and rub the throat in the downward motion and blow softly on the face. The scruffing and blowing on the face calms the cat and they will usually swallow it right down. Some cats will fight back with a rabbit kick, but scruffing will almost always make a difference.

pami · Sep 29, 2006

A lot of medicines that come in pill form can be called into a compound pharmacy and be made into liquid and even add flavoring like beef or chicken. Then you just have a syringe that you place right inside the cats lip and syringe it in.

ocicat_steph · Sep 29, 2006

crush it up in a bit of nut butter or wet food and smear it thinly on the roof of his mouth. do it in small amounts and thinly or it will just roll up and come back out. scruff and pinch the sides of his mouth open then rub it on. if that doesn't work might be an idea to look into seeing if the vet has an antibiotic in injection form.

friskie · Sep 29, 2006

Originally Posted by evert9

Good morning! Recently, our little Bandit has had several issues requiring medicines that come in a pill form. He's a stubborn little bugger and I'm having a terrible time giving him his meds. I've tried to crush them and mix it up with wet food (he eats dry currently but loves the occassional wet food treat) but he can smell it and won't eat it. I've try to dilute it and use a syringe to get it down. I've tried to use a pill gun and that doesn't work.

I do wrap him up like a burrito to keep him from moving much but he can wiggle out of just about everything. He's learned to use his tongue to block the back of his throat when I use the pill gun and then just foams like crazy when I try to close his mouth around it.

I'm not sure what else to do. I had to go got the vet yesterday to see if they could show me new ways but after 2 vet techs and myself trying to get the job done, it still wasn't working. This one particular pill is an antibiotic for a stomach bacteria he got from our puppy that the vet broke in half for us to give him.

Any suggestions or hints that have worked for you? The vet techs did say that they have a compound that they could try to use to make the flavor better - now why they didn't offer that up front, I have no idea.

Thanks!

I just manually put the pill in my cats throat, close his mouth, and keep it shut, and stroke the outside of his throat (his neck below the chin) to coax the pill down. I do it several times if I have to.
But my cat eats it out of treats. I buy a big bag for $1.79 and stuff them in there, and he eats it. If not the first time, I'll put it back into a treat, and then he usually eats it. if not, I manually put it in his mouth

crazyforinfo · Jan 5, 2007

How do you open you cats mouth? The vet showed us how by pressing on the jaw in the back but we can't find the pressure point to crack her mouth open. We have a pill popper but we never can get it in. I have to give her two pills a day. The vet also blew in her face and followed with a syringe of water(which I couldn't do). Molly does spit it out a few minutes later. Somehow I got one down but afraid to try the 2nd pill.

jennyr · Jan 5, 2007

I open Wellington's mouth for his asthma pill by scruffing him and sticking my finger in the side where there are no teeth and then he has to open. I just pop the pill at the back of his mouth and stroke his face and throat. Hw is so used to it now he doesn't try to fight.

jean44 · Jan 5, 2007

Eric has to take half a prednisone daily. He's been taking it for so long that he is usually very cooperative. I sit on the floor with him between my legs, tilt his head back with one hand, use the other hand to open his mouth, tilt his head back and drop the pill in. With any luck the pill goes to the back of his throat and he has to swallow. When I close his mouth I stroke his throat and blow on his nose briefly. I read in one of my cat books that blowing on the nose will force the cat to swallow. Occasionally I miss when I drop the pill in his mouth, he spits in out and we have to repeat the process.

None of my other cats would cooperate the way Eric does. If I ever have to pill them I'll have a major problem.

mzjazz2u · Jan 5, 2007

I got a wonderful little contraption from my vet a couple years ago. I think it's called a Pill Shooter. It looks like a really long syringe but you put a pill on the end of it, draw the plunger back and shoot the pill down the back of the kitty's throat. Well, it doesn't shoot it in hard and you still have to hold the kitties mouth closed and stroke his neck but it is much easier. I've actually seen them on the shelves at Petsmart lately. They're only $2-3 and worth more then that, in my opinion!

I just looked on their website and found a similar one. It looks bigger then the one I have but you get the idea.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...sText=pill&N=2

crazyforinfo · Jan 5, 2007

Originally Posted by mzjazz2u

I got a wonderful little contraption from my vet a couple years ago. I think it's called a Pill Shooter. It looks like a really long syringe but you put a pill on the end of it, draw the plunger back and shoot the pill down the back of the kitty's throat. Well, it doesn't shoot it in hard and you still have to hold the kitties mouth closed and stroke his neck but it is much easier. I've actually seen them on the shelves at Petsmart lately. They're only $2-3 and worth more then that, in my opinion!

I just looked on their website and found a similar one. It looks bigger then the one I have but you get the idea.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...sText=pill&N=2

Yep that is what the vet gave us. Jenny & Jean that is what I used to do but she has outsmarted me.

Anyone know where on the jaw to press to get the mouth to open?

jean44 · Jan 6, 2007

I have a Pill Shooter but I don't like it. First, the tube seems very narrow so the pills don't fit in easily, thus they don't shoot out easily.

Also it seems very stiff, the plunger doesn't work easily. I tried it a few times with Eric's meds, got frustrated with it and gave up. My neighbor has one but hers has a larger tube and the plunger works easily. Unfortunately, I can't borrow her Pill Shooter every day.

I've seen the Pill Pockets at Pets Discount. They look quite large, larger than any treat my gang is used to. I'm not sure that they'd accept it as a treat.

Administering Pills Help!

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

TCS Member

TCS Member

Darksome Duo!

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member