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Old November 17th, 2014, 05:23 PM
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Pilling Cats and Dogs - Should Read

I came across this article several years ago when I was treating a sick kitty and found the information extremely informative - information that is not shared on videos.

I think after reading it, it should give people some idea of how to medicate animals with capsules or pills and help prevent the royal fights with the animals to get the pill in. If the animal has had a bad experience with medications previously, they will recall it and react accordingly making it almost impossible to give it another pill or medications.

Dr. Lisa Pierson, who has the website, has done a very good job of explaining how to administer medications to animals and the hazards of giving them improperly, which can cause a lot of pain and suffering that we the care giver would have no idea about.

She explains in her article how the improper dosing can cause unnecessary pain and hardship, and in some cases - depending on the medication - even death to the animal. She goes into good detail on numerous methods of delivering medication, such as pill pockets and cheese. Below is a quote of the article and the web site.


Quote:
"After 5 minutes 84% of capsules and 64% of tablets are still sitting in the esophagus."
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=pillingcats


Hope the members find this informative and please pass the info on to other pet owners.
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Old November 17th, 2014, 08:36 PM
lindapalm lindapalm is offline
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I pill two cats, and both of them I immediately give wet cat food to. I'd like to think it does the trick, but I really can't be sure. I have another cat that I've given up trying to mix the pill with food, or pill pockets, and I'm going to have to start sticking the pill down his throat, but he's so jumpy (formerly feral) that I don't know if he'll stick around long enough to eat food after. I'll be lucky if I can get the pill in him. If I can get the pill in him, but he won't eat food immediately after, I'm going to give up trying because I totally agree with this article and believe it could lead to a lot of damage.
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Old November 18th, 2014, 06:44 AM
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great article Reg!

My cat is one of those feisty cats - so his pills get crushed into a powder and mixed with soft food....but now for my other cat, who used to get it the old fashioned way....I will start doing the same crushing procedure.

Thx for the share Reg!
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Old November 18th, 2014, 01:54 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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I had cat that was part tiger , I think . joking of courses.
I had to give him some drops of med and that was a fight. I had to get a big towel and wrap him like a mummy then ply his mouth open . Once I was done he called me every name in the book.
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Old November 18th, 2014, 09:55 PM
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Braunschweiger works well too

I find it very easy to give pills when I put it in a small piece of braunschweiger (liverwurst). I think the smell covers everything! My cat was hyperthyroid and needed a pill twice a day. I always fed her right afterward and she equated getting a pill with being fed. She always told me she wanted it and purred as I was giving it to her. I was lucky!
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Old November 19th, 2014, 04:24 PM
lindapalm lindapalm is offline
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It makes it so much easier when you can do it that way. One of my cats will jump on the washing machine when I tap on it because he knows after his pill I'll put his wet food on it. Wish they would all be like that. I might just try the liverwurst, I've got nothing to loose.
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Old November 19th, 2014, 08:52 PM
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Thanks for the replies to my post. Appreciate the individual methods of administering meds to animals. Realizing that every animal has its own personality, what works for one may not work for another. Gives other options.
I have been fortunate in that I have not had an awful lot of issues with having to do that. When I was giving my kitties supplements today with an eye dropper, this occurred to me.
What I do quite often, is a "home" physical 2 or 3 times a year so the animals are quite accustomed to having their mouths open while I check out their teeth and gums and in doing so, I have learned how to open their mouths without any rolling the lips over the gums or pressing them into their canines causing pain.
This is something that pet owners should practise from time to time in case the occasion occurs to have to medicate. The animal will be used to the procedure and the person will have the confidence required. I am enclosing a video from Cornell University on Pilling and the use of a "pill gun" - which I haven't tried - but looks interesting for those who have difficulties.

https://www.veritasdvm.com/veritas/c...ycpc/index.htm
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Old November 19th, 2014, 09:58 PM
lindapalm lindapalm is offline
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Its a really good video, the kitties that are being pilled are so patient, I tried to get my old feral one to watch, but he wasn't interested. I've been giving him pill pockets for treats today, tomorrow I'm going to try cutting the half pill in half, and putting the pieces in a pocket and giving it to him fast, like your previous video showed. Thank you Reg for the good posts, if the pockets don't work I'm going to try the liverwurst, if that doesn't work, I quit.
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Old November 20th, 2014, 11:36 AM
lindapalm lindapalm is offline
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I rolled up the two pieces of pill, gave him 5 little pill pocket pieces total REAL fast, and made sure the other cats were watching. ( He gets greedy when the others were around). IT WORKED. Thank you Reg, I think the first video showing to give the treats fast makes a lot of sense, this way the cat doesn't have time to think. Even if it doesn't work all the time, if I can get it in him twice a week will be better than nothing. Thanks again.
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Old November 20th, 2014, 04:00 PM
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Hi Linda:
Glad to hear that you've got something that is working for you. I would be interested to see somewhere down the line, how the Liverworst works as well.
I was thinking last night of another method that I've used from time to time is to take a pill and crush it and add it to distilled water and administer the liquid to the cat. The only thing is the taste of the pill must be bland for this to work and the cat comfortable at accepting the liquid from an eye dropper or syringe ( I prefer an eye dropper cause I seem to have better control over the dosing )
I also use this method with certain Homeopathics from time to time.
One other thing you might keep in mind is this FortiFlora as mentioned by Dr. Pierson's article. Especially for older cats, the probiotics would be of benefit. But there again, you're using such a small quantity to stimulate the cat.
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Old November 20th, 2014, 04:15 PM
lindapalm lindapalm is offline
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I will keep the water/pill mixture in mind because I know sooner or later Ozzie is going to catch on to the pill pocket trick. What makes the pockets so good is that I don't have to approach him (which makes him run) he comes to me when he hears the bag open and is less suspicious that way. Thanks again
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