The Gel in the Bottom of FFC Cans

Status
Not open for further replies.
Shenandoah

Shenandoah

Member Since 2015
Many FFC cans have some nice goopy gel stuff in the bottom. I have found this stuff works great for giving my two their meds (all powders/crushed pills). They gobble it right up, and I have no concerns about using something that isn't a normal part of their diet.

The problem is, the amount of gel seems to vary between flavors, lot numbers, and even individual cans. Some cans simply don't have enough gel in the bottom to absorb the meds. It's really frustrating when I open a fresh can at med time and find there is no gel in there :(
They usually won't finish all their meds if I just mix it in with a little bit of the non-gel portion of the can (even though without the meds they still love it).

I was just wondering if anyone has found something similar to this gel, but in a container of its own, where I could maybe just squeeze or scoop a little out each time? But obviously something that's still healthy for our little ones?
 
It might just be gelatin. Does it feel rubbery and slippery at the same time? My wife is a vegetarian and now I know gelatin is in everything from marshmallows to candy to soup. A lot of times it's used as a binding agent, something we call cow glue at home. Yechh!
 
Sorry, that wasn't meant to sound self righteous. I eat cows. Live with a vegetarian who can't eat gluten and those labels start looking pretty scary. Just for fun I'll sometimes ask for extra gluten in a restaurant, maybe there's a "TV Doctor" at the next table. Eat to live, live to eat!
 
It could be gelatin? Not really sure.
All I know is it makes my kitties gobble down their meds, and that is something I like!
 
Yes, I believe it is gelatin. Canned foods with turkey as the prime ingredient seem to have the most if it, in my experience.
 
Shenandoah said:
The boxes I've gotten in the past few months seem to have the most in the turkey, but last summer/fall our beef cans had the most.
Click to expand...
Beef and turkey both naturally produce a lot of gelatin when cooked. The FF brands especially seem to have a lot of it, in my experience.
 
It's not consistent, though. Now our beef cans have almost no gel at all. Our turkeys used to not have much. Now it's swapped.
Chicken seems to generally stay somewhere in the middle - with some gel, but usually not quite enough to fully get both their meds in it.
 
Have you heard of these or tried them? It's like a gravy type consistency but it's not gravy. They are .5 oz each and don't raise my cats BG and just about enough of anything does. He LOVES them. All flavors. I know they are "hartz" brand and they have a bad name for some products but my cat hasn't had any bad reactions to them.
http://www.hartz.com/Hartz_Products...524_hartz_delectables_squeeze_up_chicken.aspx
They are $1.97 for a 4 pack at my local walmart.
 
StephG said:
Have you heard of these or tried them? It's like a gravy type consistency but it's not gravy. They are .5 oz each and don't raise my cats BG and just about enough of anything does. He LOVES them. All flavors. I know they are "hartz" brand and they have a bad name for some products but my cat hasn't had any bad reactions to them.
http://www.hartz.com/Hartz_Products...524_hartz_delectables_squeeze_up_chicken.aspx
They are $1.97 for a 4 pack at my local walmart.
Click to expand...
I've never seen these before. I looked them up and, although they do have tapioca starch in them, they have negligible carbs. Looks like they'd make a great treat, or maybe a good thing for a kitty who's feeling unwell and doesn't have a good appetite!
 
Could be worth trying to give their medicine in it. I usually only give 1/2 a tube at once and only 1 a week. I stopped all treats for a week or two but picked more of those up because he loves them and they're pretty cheap.
By the way, they're REALLY smelly. I gagged the first time I gave him one. Haha
 
StephG said:
Could be worth trying to give their medicine in it. I usually only give 1/2 a tube at once and only 1 a week. I stopped all treats for a week or two but picked more of those up because he loves them and they're pretty cheap.
By the way, they're REALLY smelly. I gagged the first time I gave him one. Haha
Click to expand...
Lol, thanks for the warning!;):)
 
Those look like a great option! I'll check them out and see if my kitties like them. And if I can stand the smell, haha!
 
@Shenandoah For what it's worth, I use pill pockets for Squallie; I just use a small portion, just enough to cover the pill, rather than the whole thing. So far it has worked out well and I do the same thing for a civvie who is on daily meds, too.
 
Our Zobaline is a pill (that I crush), but everything else is in powder form. How easy is it to pour powder into the pockets - like our 1/8 tsp of Miralax?
 
Squalliesmom said:
No, the pockets certainly won't work well for powder, especially that much, lol.
Click to expand...

Haha, okay. Well the gel works fine for us - they eat their meds right now. It's just those days that I end up with little or no gel that are frustrating and they don't finish the meds.
I'll look at those squeeze things above and see if they make a good alternative.

Thanks.
 
perhaps you could make your own with gelatin and broth made with their favorite type of meat? you can purchase plain gelatin in the grocery store and make with any type of liquid. i often make pure juice 'jello' and don't see why a savory one wouldn't work the same....
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top