Phenobarbital Help Needed

Hi everyone! I need some advice. Quick background:  My dear sweet cat, Turtle, is 17 and has several health issues. Chronic pancreatitis started over a year ago and October of last year was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and third degree AV block. She takes two meds for the heart problems and one for the pancreatitis. Crunch them up in tuna juice twice a day, easy as can be. She's pretty much in palliative care. (In October she was given six months at the longest, and here she still is over nine months later!) And she easily gets a B12 shot by me once a week.

Now the problem. In May of this year she started having seizures. After the fourth one, we agreed to put her on liquid phenobarbital. That was eight weeks ago. At first she took the liquid twice a day in tuna juice. But after about four weeks, she started refusing it. 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Also in canned cat food and in canned tuna. Nothing works. She'll lap up the liquid or eat the food without the phenobarbital, but when I put it in there, she takes a couple of licks and then walks off. So I started giving it to her with a syringe. She fights me, tries to run off. I do get it in her, but then she foams at the mouth big time with big strings of white foam and bubbles hanging and dripping out of mouth to the floor. And she often gags and throws up a bit. I can't see continuing to do this to her!  And she can't be getting all the needed medication with the reactions she's having either.(She has had one seizure since being on this medication, five weeks after the last one she had before going on it.)

Do they make small pills of phenobarbital? Pilling her is so difficult, as she usually manages to spit it out even after I think she's swallowed it. But wrapping it in part of a pill pocket and then popping it down her throat would at least get it past her tongue so she wouldn't taste it. (If she doesn't spit it back out.)

Or is there any other kind of medication that might help that the taste could be covered up? I mean, she takes two heart pills and a pancreatitis pill crunched up in tuna juice twice a day and doesn't even know they're in there.

I left a message with my vet today, but she didn't call back. So I'm planning to call the main office tomorrow, Tuesday.

I'm at my wits end almost with this. Any suggestions would be so appreciated!

Pam

My dog is on phenobarbital, and he takes small pills that we are able to further cut in half ourselves with a pill cutter (or the pharmacist can cut them as well) as he needs a pill and a half twice daily. The pills are small and thin.

I realize pilling a cat is a lot harder, but we just stick the pill in a piece of meat, and he gets it as a treat every day.

Hi catzorz. I just spoke with the vet and she's suggesting we try the pills, which I'll cut into quarters. I'll cover in pill pockets and try to toss it down her throat (that would get it by her tongue and she wouldn't taste it).  If that doesn't work, I'll try crushing in some of those various liquids. Last would be to have them take what's left of the pills and doing the liquid again, which I'll ask for "extra" tuna flavor that may help mask it better.