Using gelcaps to pill.

I recently bought a big bag of #3 gelatin capsules to downsize human probiotics/vitamins and encapsulate bad tasting pills. I tried it last night with the cat's tiny ondansetron and it did seem easier to hold and I think it tasted better to her also. Is there any issue with the gelatin caps slowing down the pill absorption or does the gelatin dissolve pretty quickly? Also is there any issue with combining a probiotic with a b-vitamin or the ondansetron in the gelcap. Normally I would try to sprinkle the probiotic and vitamin on her food since most people say that works, but this kitty doesn't eat wet food reliably enough to do that.

the last time i needed medication, the vet cut the pills and put them in gelcaps.   

ondansetron (Zofran) come in a dissolvable or disintegrating tablet. it will melt on the tongue. might be easier. 

I do the same thing to get Prednisone into my kitty.  The pills get chopped up, encapsulated, and a pill shooter gets it down (usually, because cats).  I've never noticed a difference between taking the pills straight vs. using the capsules, so I'm fairly confident they dissolve quickly once they hit stomach acid.  

Probiotics generally work best on an empty stomach, but I just sprinkle it on wet food.  Most of my kitties are too recalcitrant for pilling or syringes, so I keep my fingers crossed that they're getting the appropriate dose.  If kitty will cooperate, you can try mixing the probiotics with water and use a syringe (oral bulb syringes or needle-less tuberculin syringes) to administer orally.  

Failing that, I think it's fine to mix probiotics with other stuff.  If cats can absorb probiotics from their food, and people food like yogurt, then they should be able to take them with vitamins.  Not so sure about mixing with meds, though.  A holistic vet would probably be able to answer that question.

Thanks. I tried combining the zofran with the probiotic in the gelcap, although I wait to add the zofran until right before I pill rather than prepping a bunch ahead of time. So far so good. Now I am trying to add some of the b-vitamin and dividing one of them into 20 doses...which is not easy. My goal is to shoot for giving her a gelcap 2x a day with 1/4 of the probiotic and 1/20 of the b-vitamin in each one and then adding the zofran dose to one or both of the gelcaps. My vet just gave me the sealed bottle of zofran and I have to split them myself with the pill splitter..... which is really slow since they are sooo tiny. I think the zofran tastes awful because when it is not in the gelcap she hates it. Splitting the other powdered capsules into the gelcaps is very time consuming and frustrating though and I have to work out a new method.

So far the actual pilling is going well. We have a routine down now. Every kitty is different and I've discovered Peanut doesn't do well with being up on table restrained or wrapped up at all like the vet tech had recommended. I take her in the small bathroom with the door closed and let her chill a little while I brush my teeth. Then she gets a tiny piece of freeze-dried chicken to warm her up. Then I sit on the floor with her between me and the wall and position my knee behind her so she can't back up much. Then I gently use the pilling by hand technique and follow up with 3ml syringe of water, another piece of chicken, and then more water. After a few days she now sometimes follows me into the bathroom and lays in her "pilling spot" waiting and purring. She REALLY likes that chicken!

I guess I am lucky that these kitties, like my dog, respond well to bribery as long as I am patient enough to figure out a routine that they are comfortable with. Works well for nail clippings to. My dog initially had to be muzzled and restrained for nail clippings. But with a lot of patience, good vibes, and good treats he is now an old pro. He eagerly hops up on his special towel on the bed for his "mani pedi" sessions for clippings followed by filing with a Pedi-Paws grinder.