How to hide bad-tasting liquid medicine?

nekochan

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Can anyone help me figure out a way to make a liquid medication taste better? I have two cats on Atopica liquid and apparently from the way they act it tastes horrible. They hate it with a passion, they start sticking their tongues out and trying to spit it out when I give it to them.
It's gotten to the point where Mr Grey doesn't even come around near me most of the time anymore, and when he does come by me if I try to pet him or even put my hands near his face WITHOUT the medication, he starts making faces like he's trying to spit stuff out! This is now going on any time I put my hands near him even if I am not trying to give medication and have not touched the medication at all! That's how much he hates it.
So I am trying to figure out a way to make it taste better, hide it, or mask it.
Any suggestions? He has allergies so I have to be careful what I feed, we are pretty sure he's allergic to chicken and possibly turkey, my vet said to not give fish either, although I don't know for sure if he is allergic to fish...
I can't do compounding for the medication because we had already tried that in order to be able to use a generic form which was less expensive, and there was a problem with it, the medication would crystallize onto the bottom of the bottle and then stop being effective so I had to end up switching to the "name brand" Atopica liquid instead, which has been working and has not been having the crystallizing issue-- so apparently it was the compounding that did it.
I thought about trying to put it into pill pockets, but I am afraid it wouldn't work being a liquid, it would leak out or they would still taste it?
I'm not sure if there is something like some type of liquid I could mix it with that would be strong enough to mask the taste?
 

gooned

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If the stuff taste that bad, I don't think there is anything you could mask it with. The Vet or drug store may have some sort of fish-tasting elixir they could mix it with. You could try tuna water, not oil.

How about switching to a pill form? 
 

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Supposedly pill pockets work with liquid medicine too.  You just put the liquid in the pocket and pinch it up so that it is sealed.  It seems like it should work if you have a cat that swallows food whole, but they would be in for a rude awakening if they tried to chew it!
 
 
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nekochan

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I'll try the pill pocket and see it it works, I already have some so I might as well try it I guess.

I think my vet said the Atopica pills don't come in the right dosage, that's why they gave me the liquid and why we did the compounding before (they did not have an actual 'official' liquid version until recently). The pull version is a capsule so it can't be divided for a smaller dosage.
 
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mrsgreenjeens

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I'm wondering if whoever compounded it for you made a mistake, because it shouldn't have crystalized like that.  Did the pill pocket work?  I think I tried that once, and it didn't work, 'cause there isn't much room in there...think it took about 5 pill pockets for one dose
.

So...I don't think there's anything that will cover up something that bad tasting, but could they not compound the actual Atopica vs the other drug (if I'm reading correctly), or did you talk to the compounding pharmacy about the original issue of crystalization to see what they suggested? 

OR, could you get the capsules and open them up and pour a smaller amount into empty capsules to create the amount needed in pill form?  I know that's a lot of work, but might be worth it if nothing else works.  You can buy empty capsules in different sizes on the internet, then could make up a bunch of pills all at once. 

I'm guessing your furkids will be taking this for quite some time?  You definitely don't want them hiding from you indefinitely
 

duckdodgers

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I'm wondering if whoever compounded it for you made a mistake, because it shouldn't have crystalized like that.  Did the pill pocket work?  I think I tried that once, and it didn't work, 'cause there isn't much room in there...think it took about 5 pill pockets for one dose
.

So...I don't think there's anything that will cover up something that bad tasting, but could they not compound the actual Atopica vs the other drug (if I'm reading correctly), or did you talk to the compounding pharmacy about the original issue of crystalization to see what they suggested? 

OR, could you get the capsules and open them up and pour a smaller amount into empty capsules to create the amount needed in pill form?  I know that's a lot of work, but might be worth it if nothing else works.  You can buy empty capsules in different sizes on the internet, then could make up a bunch of pills all at once. 

I'm guessing your furkids will be taking this for quite some time?  You definitely don't want them hiding from you indefinitely
The cat pill pockets are pretty tiny, but the ones designed for dogs come in two different sizes.  I think that the large one could probably work for most doses, particularly if you smush them up a little.  My question would be whether or not the cat would be fooled when he tried to eat it though!  If it is that much of an issue, I also think that the empty capsule could be a good idea.
 
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nekochan

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Yeah the cat pill pocket did not work, I had to divide the dose into several of them and it leaked out and Mr Grey refused to swallow so it just got all gooey... I don't think a dog one would work because the cat size was already nearly too big for them to swallow...

My vet thought there was an issue with compounding the first time it happened so she talked to the company, and they replaced that batch, but then the same exact thing happened again. Then we thought maybe it was from it sitting around too long, so we tried ordering less compounded but it still happened... Then my vet said to try scraping off the bottom to get the crystals to mix back in, but it still remained less effective. I think finally the compounding company said apparently it was just due to the type of medication. So that's why we had to switch. I don't think we can separate the capsules because it would be too difficult to get an accurate dosage, but I'll talk to my vet about it.
 
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mrsgreenjeens

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Well, is it possible that the compounding pharmacy could make up the Atopica into pills in the right dosage for you, since that's kind of what they do?   Or do that with the generic form of it?
 
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nekochan

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I'll check. The cost may be prohibitive though because it is very expensive just for the medication itself... I asked my vet about ideas to make it taste better and she suggested trying mixing it with some Ensure if the liquid is bitter.
 

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If you are already using a compounding pharmacy - ask them if it can be made into a topical gel/lotion.  My Tucker is on amitriptyline and we have it compounded into a topical. I put a small dot on the inside of his ear.  Soooo much easier than pills!  (and it really isn't that much more expensive than the pills)
 
 

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Why not tuna oil? I'm having a similar situation. Unfortunately its with antibiotics. He violently rejects it. They put tuna oil in it. Why tuna water?
 

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If you are already using a compounding pharmacy - ask them if it can be made into a topical gel/lotion.  My Tucker is on amitriptyline and we have it compounded into a topical. I put a small dot on the inside of his ear.  Soooo much easier than pills!  (and it really isn't that much more expensive than the pills)
 
Some medications don't work well transdermally. I had transdermal Pepcid and my old kitty didn't seem to respond to it. once we switched to injections of this med-the effects seemed to work much better.

they say transdermal pred is not absorbed well due to the particle size of the meds can't get into the body by the ear blood vessels. some meds can get soaked in that way but its a 50/50 shot. I would recommend injections over wasting money with creams that are not totally bioeffective.
 

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Okay now..... Please help me bnp ophthalmic ointment vs erythromycin. Is there an important difference. A person with an office told me same thing. However I'm not seeing an improvement actually getting worse where before using bnp it cleared up in a day. How long should I wait before switching?
 

white shadow

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Right off the top, that looks very serious to me. You need to understand that no one here can diagnose what's wrong with any cat....the best we can do is give you info based on our own past experiences, or perhaps, show you some information from reputable veterinary websites.

From my own experience and from what I've seen while dealing with two of my own cats' eye issues, I can assure you that Spunky's condition is very serious - needs competent veterinary attention and needs it as soon as possible. No wait-and-see on this one.

I don't want to judge the Vet who last saw him - nor can I - but, members here with years of experience with Vets know very well that Vets are not all created equal, especially when it comes to difficult feline health issues. Some are really really knowledgeable....it goes downhill from there. The best are often found among cat-only Vets and they will be docs with many years of experience. I think it might be wise to find one of these.

In any case, leaving this much longer could result in the loss of an eye.

Now, about your question...yes, there are differences. Erythromycin is a single antibiotic, BNP is an eye ointment containing 3 different antibiotics (not Erythromycin) plus Hydrocortisone.

Now, don't wait any longer.
 

momenzie

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I didn't read the comments, it seems like you have plenty of feedback. I would recommend dipping the end of the syringe into something tasty and then dispensing the liquid medicine into their cheek sack and immediately following with a syringe of water to help it go down. I learned about the cheek sack trick when my cat was suffering from bladder stones and refused to eat or drink. It's just like the loose skin at the side of your mouth. I right now am having trouble giving my cat a pill a day for IBD, and to make it go down I dip the end in Turkey and Gravy Gerber baby food and put it in her throat and then follow with a syringe of water. I dread 8am pill time every day. It's so hard!
 

basschick

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Okay now..... Please help me bnp ophthalmic ointment vs erythromycin. Is there an important difference. A person with an office told me same thing. However I'm not seeing an improvement actually getting worse where before using bnp it cleared up in a day. How long should I wait before switching?
is there a veterinary eye specialist in the area?  otherwise you might want to get a second opinion.
 

adoptandhelpstrayhungry

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Can anyone help me figure out a way to make a liquid medication taste better? I have two cats on Atopica liquid and apparently from the way they act it tastes horrible. They hate it with a passion, they start sticking their tongues out and trying to spit it out when I give it to them.
It's gotten to the point where Mr Grey doesn't even come around near me most of the time anymore, and when he does come by me if I try to pet him or even put my hands near his face WITHOUT the medication, he starts making faces like he's trying to spit stuff out! This is now going on any time I put my hands near him even if I am not trying to give medication and have not touched the medication at all! That's how much he hates it.
So I am trying to figure out a way to make it taste better, hide it, or mask it.
Any suggestions? He has allergies so I have to be careful what I feed, we are pretty sure he's allergic to chicken and possibly turkey, my vet said to not give fish either, although I don't know for sure if he is allergic to fish...
I can't do compounding for the medication because we had already tried that in order to be able to use a generic form which was less expensive, and there was a problem with it, the medication would crystallize onto the bottom of the bottle and then stop being effective so I had to end up switching to the "name brand" Atopica liquid instead, which has been working and has not been having the crystallizing issue-- so apparently it was the compounding that did it.
I thought about trying to put it into pill pockets, but I am afraid it wouldn't work being a liquid, it would leak out or they would still taste it?
I'm not sure if there is something like some type of liquid I could mix it with that would be strong enough to mask the taste?
I've used salmon oil as it's very strong flavored itself and try getting a lickable or there favorite treat ready(a liquidy type that would coat and help relieve the after taste) as well as make a unhappy moment a little better with a treat.


Also I've tried to keep the spot I give the meds to one place do try to help them see rest of the home as safe or you in other areas as not trying to medicate them
Also lay thing feliway plugins (expensive though similar brand is pet remedy same quality) and spray (not worth in feliway brand to small of bottle) pet remedy and others work large size better priced...
But spray the area you plan to give meds beforehand and the plugins are great for stress in spot cat will be with you and in their "hideaway" spots. TIP I buy one plugin refill open it carefully they break brown wicks easily and equally divid into 3 other leftover empty refills even through will need buy 3 separate plugins at least they don't need to be replaced only purchase once.
Hope some of that will help even a little
 
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