Transdermal meds? Clavamox?

speakhandsforme

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Hi there :)

My boy Kramer has a bit of a URI, and our vet prescribed liquid Clavamox.

Unfortunately, Kramer is rather dangerous to pill or syringe, because he is prone to violent biting. After trying to syringe him without restraint and finding it basically impossible, we have been rolling him up in a soft blanket (we call it the "kitty burrito" :lol3:), and DB kneels over him and restrains him while I try to syringe it between his teeth and cheek. Even with DB, who is a strong dude, holding his head, Kramer managed to whip it out of his grasp and bite DB pretty badly. He's going to wear his mechanic's gloves next time. :rolleyes:

Fortunately, we have several compounding pharmacies available to us. My question is this: Can Clavamox liquid be made into a transdermal gel or paste we can rub on his ears? I've heard of several people having luck with their cat's meds that way. Clavamox is antibiotics and has to be kept cold -- will that affect anything?

I know the best person to ask would be the pharmacist, but everything is closed today, and I was hoping for an answer before then so we can make a plan.
 

orientalslave

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Are you scruffing him?  That should make a huge difference and one of you control his head while the other squirts the Clavamox in.
 

whollycat

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Maybe the very detailed information on giving medications from Catinfo.org by Dr. Lisa [DVM] will help. I don't think Clavamox can be compounded into a transdermal (like hyper-T medications can), but if you can get the pills (supposedly tasteless) instead, this information from the site might be an option (or just mix the liquid in food as stated below for crushed tablets):

"Some drugs such as Clavamox tablets and Baytril TasteTabs are formulated to be fairly palatable and can be crushed and put in canned food and this is a great way to go....if the cat will eat it.

I have had better luck with cats eating crushed Clavamox tablets (tasteless) in food than I have with the Baytril TasteTabs.  I have treated many feral (wild) cats with clavamox tablets crushed and mixed into food."

Hope this helps a bit!
 
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sugarcatmom

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You could also ask the vet for Clavamox tablets instead of the liquid. Those can be crushed and mixed with wet food or a stinky treat and are generally pretty tasteless. 
 
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speakhandsforme

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Are you scruffing him?  That should make a huge difference and one of you control his head while the other squirts the Clavamox in.
Yes, we are scruffing him... in fact he pulled out of DB's scruff last time.

Maybe the very detailed information on giving medications from Catinfo.org by Dr. Lisa [DVM] will help. I don't think Clavamox can be compounded into a transdermal (like hyper-T medications can), but if you can get the pills (supposedly tasteless) instead, this information from the site might be an option (or just mix the liquid in food as stated below for crushed tablets):


"Some drugs such as Clavamox tablets and Baytril TasteTabs are formulated to be fairly palatable and can be crushed and put in canned food and this is a great way to go....if the cat will eat it.

I have had better luck with cats eating crushed Clavamox tablets (tasteless) in food than I have with the Baytril TasteTabs.  I have treated many feral (wild) cats with clavamox tablets crushed and mixed into food."

Hope this helps a bit! :rub:

You could also ask the vet for Clavamox tablets instead of the liquid. Those can be crushed and mixed with wet food or a stinky treat and are generally pretty tasteless. 

Thanks!! The problem with that is that Kramer's pretty picky, and tends to smell something "off" in his food immediately and walk away. :rolleyes: I'm going to try mixing the liquid in some Fancy Feast today, and if he doesn't eat it, I suppose I could pick up some pills from the vet's and try those that way too. We also haven't tried pill pockets yet, but he's not huge on treats.
 

whollycat

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Yes, we are scruffing him... in fact he pulled out of DB's scruff last time.
Thanks!! The problem with that is that Kramer's pretty picky, and tends to smell something "off" in his food immediately and walk away.
I'm going to try mixing the liquid in some Fancy Feast today, and if he doesn't eat it, I suppose I could pick up some pills from the vet's and try those that way too. We also haven't tried pill pockets yet, but he's not huge on treats.
Sending huge vibes that Kramer will accept the liquid in the FF!
  One thought: if he doesn't accept a full dose in FF, maybe try dividing it between a couple meals, say morning and late afternoon or night. He'd still be getting his daily dose that way.
 

whispurrs mom

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I am having the same problem! We just can't seem to master the hold them, force back head and open mouth technique..she had 6 teeth extracted yesterday so I'd hate to hurt her. took two of us and she still managed to move around so much we weren't able to do it. I think most of it went on the top of her head. She is suppose to get a dropper and a half full. Did you put the full does in the fancy feast? Afraid of wasting it..sigh..
 

RocketRaccoon

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Hi, I’m new with this. I got a three month old kitten that I got from a client of mine (I’m in home health care: I’m a nurse). I had to take her to urgent pet care. She has an uti and they gave me Clavamox in liquid form to refrigerate. I open the box and there were no syrines (sp?) so what do I do? Please help
 

fionasmom

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This is a very old thread, so no one from the original posts will probably reply. I have never been given liquid Clavamox that did not include a syringe in the box. In fact, I have a box now from Zoetis which shows a picture of a syringe on the box itself and contains a syringe. Failing that, the vet should have given you some. Unless this urgent care is closed or very far from your house, call and ask if you can pick some up or where you can purchase them locally.
 

RocketRaccoon

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This is a very old thread, so no one from the original posts will probably reply. I have never been given liquid Clavamox that did not include a syringe in the box. In fact, I have a box now from Zoetis which shows a picture of a syringe on the box itself and contains a syringe. Failing that, the vet should have given you some. Unless this urgent care is closed or very far from your house, call and ask if you can pick some up or where you can purchase them locally.
Thank you
 
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