Administering Cosequin

One of my cats was recently put on Cosequin. I was wondering if anyone had some ideas on how to administer it. I can't sprinkle it on her dry food because she is free-fed along with ten other cats. She doesn't like wet food or any sort of treat. I tried mixing it with water and using a syringe, but it really does not dissolve well. Any ideas? Thank you, in advance, for any alternatives you can think of!

pill pocket or discuss with vet

I asked the vet and got no answers. It is a powder, so a pill pocket would not work. I think that the manufacturers cannot conceive of a cat who does not like wet food!

will cat eat tuna??

If the capsule is small enough for her to swallow whole, then have a read of this and perhaps go that route.

If not, because I've not met a cat yet who doesn't fall for human-grade tuna, you might try this. Use a blender (I use a hand blender) to turn the tuna into a puree. Mix the capsule contents into a teaspoon of tuna puree and....with any luck, bingo!

From what I hear it usually takes about 4-6 weeks before you notice an effect. You can also add some MSM powder as an anti-inflammatory, and if your cat doesn't object to (whole) fish oil, the Omega3's can also be anti-inflammatory...don't use liver oil, though.

Thank you! I will try a couple of those ideas. The tuna may work, but opening tuna in a house with eleven cats...well, that's just asking for a stampede!

Originally Posted by ewhitney

...opening tuna in a house with eleven cats...well, that's just asking for a stampede!

Click to expand...

Tell me about it! I have to muffle the sound of the can opener puncturing the can....and even with that, it only takes 1.5 seconds for the odor to reach any one of them....ah well, just 'batten down the hatches' and go for it!

My trick, when I have to open any can, is to go into the bathroom and turn on the shower. That way they can't hear the distinctive can opener noise, although they can still smell it if it is something they like! People tend to look at me kind of funny when I grab a can of soup and the can opener and head into the bathroom, but you do what you can to maintain some semblance of order!

Originally Posted by ewhitney

My trick, when I have to open any can, is to go into the bathroom and turn on the shower.

Click to expand...

Brilliant

I'm not sure if this is useful to you or not, but I decided to go with these when Tre started showing arthritis symptoms. Like you, the powder didn't sound very good with dry food and even with wet, there's no guarantee Tre will eat all of the food, so he might not get the entire dose. The pills that I got are liver flavored. They're huge, so I break them into several pieces and Tre just eats the pieces up off the floor. I have to actually be careful when I give them to him because the other cats want to eat them as well.

Nabu only likes his sprinkled on wet food. If you mix the cosequin he won't eat it. I did pill him with the cosequin before we discovered the sprinkle method. The packaging says you can pill them, but it's a largish capsule. Make sure to smear it with butter so it goes down easy.

We sprinkle it on his breakfast now. He thinks it's a special treat that only he gets. We're switching to Dasuquin when I buy again. I read it's more effective than Cosequin so I want to see if it really is.

Thank you all so much for the ideas...I would say thank you from Sallycat as well, but I'm pretty sure she considers all of you the enemy for giving me ideas on how to medicate her! She may not appreciate your wisdom, but I certainly do.

we mix it with some vitamin and mineral supplement jelly like (Felovite II) and put it on the tip of our index finger and give it to her. She is not crazy about it, but she takes it.

I have just started my cat on Dasuquin from the Vet.   She will not take it in her wet food (canned chicken).   I drain some water from canned tuna and oil from canned tuna and mix them and add the medicine.   I only give her a small amount, probably a tablespoon and she loves it and will take the medicine that way.  I don't think I can keep this up, however, since I or my husband have to eat the tuna fish.   I like tuna fish, but not that much.   The liquids from the canned tuna fish I put in a container and keep in the refrigerator and get enough to mix with medicine for several days. 

The Vet told me that Dasuquin is stronger and more effective than Cosequin, but Dasuquin has a stronger taste making it more difficult to get the cat to take.

ewhitney said:

Thank you! I will try a couple of those ideas. The tuna may work, but opening tuna in a house with eleven cats...well, that's just asking for a stampede!

Click to expand...

That's Funny...................
Cleo did not like the pill pockets. She loves temptations, But not "pounce,or any other soft treats.
I did get her to take about 1/2 a pill in a pill pocket, but she spit about half of the half out.
I dissolved the pill, (tapeworm pill) in her wet food, but she got wise, and wouldn't eat it.
Dissolved one in tuna, she ate a little, but not all, So I have 1 pill left, Im fooling with.
Note, she is a feisty Calico, and won't hardly let me brush her, or put a flea collar on her, of hold her or nothing,also I don't
Have anyone she is comfortable around, to help me.
Hopefully $25.00 is not wasted. Trying to save money, taking her to the vet.
I was giving her the Homeothearpy Drops too, supposed to kill them naturally.
I also brought pills said to kill the fleas.
She only had a few, But guess it was enough.

Do the cats usually pass the tapeworm, of does the cats system dissolve the dead tapeworm.
few days ago, (before I tried to give her the pills) I did still see one of the sections of the tapeworm.
I don't see any on the outside of her anus, (Thank God, Gross)
She has not seemed to be having a BM as often.
Think we were looking at about 2 a day before, looks like about 1 a day now.
Sorry to hijack your thread.

Excellent idea! I absolutely DREAD having to use the can opener because all 4 of our cats run into the kitchen.

Feed in a different room to administer the med. instead of with the other 9 cats.