Advice re medicating with Pepcid or Zantac

How do people with cats on Pepcid (or Zantac) medicate with these drugs? I hear that the pill tastes very bitter. This is being given with vet consultation for one of my cats.

Do you just do regular pilling? Do you get it compounded for cats in beef or tuna flavor (mind you, this might not be successful since it tastes bitter)?

I would like to hear of people's success stories with how they chose to give this to your cat.

Thank you!!

When I was giving Ruby the 1/4 antacid pills (I think it was a generic Pepcid), the vet recommended pill pockets:

http://www.greenies.com/cats/pill-pockets.aspx

I used pill pockets with my bridge kitty, Tabitha.  I still had to stuff them down her throat but it hid the taste of them.

This will probably make most people go, "Huh?"  But the way I medicate some of our cats (when they need only occasional medication) is to put an e-collar on them first.  Because the biggest problem for me is their claws!  The collar allows me to get their mouth open and give them the pill, usually without being clawed.  I think it could have to do with the fact that they are more aggravated by the collar than they are with the pill at the moment!  I have actually managed to give a pill before they even realized what I was doing.

PS - They DO catch on after awhile!  They aren't dummies!   

BTW - I have never had any luck at all with the compounded medications, and they cost a small fortune!

I just place the quarter tablet of pepcid ac as far back on her tongue as possible. I place her on a blanket or a large towel that is a contrasting colour to the medication so it is easier to see if she hides it then spits it out later. Sometimes, like giving any pill to a cat, it takes two or three attempts. For me, it's the most precise. 

Food (she always leaves a bit on her plate) and pill pockets (refuses to eat/swallow and spits the pill and the pocket out). Also tried dissolving it and her cisipride in a bit of water and syringing. She threw up and I couldn't tell how much medication came up and how much stayed in her system.

cocheezie said:

 
I just place the quarter tablet of pepcid ac as far back on her tongue as possible. I place her on a blanket or a large towel that is a contrasting colour to the medication so it is easier to see if she hides it then spits it out later. Sometimes, like giving any pill to a cat, it takes two or three attempts. For me, it's the most precise. 

Food (she always leaves a bit on her plate) and pill pockets (refuses to eat/swallow and spits the pill and the pocket out). Also tried dissolving it and her cisipride in a bit of water and syringing. She threw up and I couldn't tell how much medication came up and how much stayed in her system.

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I agree with everything you say!  I seldom put medication in food because if they don't finish all the food (and they almost never do!) there's no way to know how much medication they actually got.  Same with a syringe, since that tends to make some of them vomit.  You never know how much they got.  When I use the e-collar, if they spit out the pill, it's still inside the collar.  I have to say that the ones  who need fairly frequent medication don't spit it out often.  I think they've realized that it does no good.  Maybe. 

I'm so glad you asked this question, cause I need to know too!
Can you give a cat(s) the flavored version of Pepcid? I wonder if it is there is a version formulated for children?
Ritz throws up if she has gone too long without food; it is excess acid built up in her stomach. (I feed raw so can't leave out raw food for 12 hours, and of course, no dry food. She doesn't like dehydrated raw food.)
Ritz does very well with flavored liquids and is okay with flavored tabs. Bubblegum liquid Prozac anyone
She will eat the pill pocket, and the ham, and lick the salmon cream cheese off of the pill--but leave the pill.
I live alone and Ritz hates hates hates being pilled--to the point where the stress is worse than the illness.
PS: anyone have any suggestions about how to get a cat to eat/drink slipper elm powder/bark?
Thanks.

Hello. I had a compounding pharmacy make a chicken flavored solution that I gave orally with a syringe. You have to shake it up VERY well, and use a syringe with a wide opening.

Thanks. In the past, I've simply sprinkled liquid medication on Ritz' (raw) food and she licks it right up.
She does love baby food; it's my go-to food when she throws up after eating her entire dinner (as she did last night). So I can always put it the baby food. The problem is, in order for Petcid to work for excess acid/bile, I believe you need to give it to your cat around 10 to 15 minutes before she eats. After 12 hours without food, she is inordinately hungry. And the anticipation/excitment about eating, may actually increase the bile/acid.
I guess I'll have to experiment.

Pepcid is very bitter, especially when it is cut up for the proper dose and you lose the coating. Well, this doesn't solve the need to pill, but it does solve the problem with bitter tasting pills.

I don't know what I would do without gel caps (which were recommended to me by folks here on TCS). I purchased both # 3 and # 4 size gel caps from the Empty Caps Company through Amazon. Sebastian has to be pilled twice a day. Before I starting using gel caps, he would foam at the mouth, shake his head, and try to get away no matter what it was or what I coated it with. It was so totally stressful for him and me. Now I stuff all his pills in a gel cap, close it tightly, and coat it with Nutiva organic, extra virgin coconut oil. I used to use butter, but I didn't think that would be a good thing for my pancreatitis/IBD cat. Some use cottage cheese. I also have handy a small syringe with a little bit of room temp water in it. I give him a light spritz of water in the side of his mouth to help the pill go down (never shoot water down the bad of their throat; they can aspirate). The water thing is optional.

Also, keep your nails cut very short so that you can only feel the pad of your finger (sorry ladies). One sharp poke in a cat's mouth can create a negative experience. Stay calm, talk calmly and sweetly, and try to be quick. I know it sounds easier said than done. My Caesar clamps his mouth shut when I try to pill him. He literally goes into lock-jaw mode, the little bugger.

What type of Pepcid are you using - there are different types, correct? I am sure my vet can help me out, but I was just curious what type other people on here are using?

Pepcid AC 10 mg tablets (non-chewable) cut into 1/4.

Other peptides do or can contain ingredients that are not good for our furry friends.

Are the tablets big or not once cut into 1/4 pieces?

The quartered pieces are fairly small. My cat is tiny (5 lbs?) and I have no problems size-wise with a 1/4 tablet.

cocheezie said:

 
Pepcid AC 10 mg tablets (non-chewable) cut into 1/4.

Other peptides do or can contain ingredients that are not good for our furry friends.

Click to expand...

  I use the brand name - Pepcid AC Original Strength 10 mg tablets. They're not cheap, either! I hear it differs by area, but the tablets are square, so they're pretty easy to quarter and each quarter is pretty small, but oh-so-bitter. I looked at the drug store brand because it was significantly cheaper, but it contained polyethylene glycol!