Giving liquid medication

[Sue Maus and Marky]

OK, so I'm slowly getting to a point where Marky is starting to get more comfortable with his ear pokes and getting his insulin injections. YAY! I'm having more of a struggle actually getting a hold of him in the first place sometimes than doing what I have to do. But, we're moving in the right direction I think.

It's a completely different story giving him his liquid cyclosporine, though. The first 2 days, which started Sept. 11th, I got the gagging, foaming, pawing...the whole nine yards. I watched more videos on YouTube and discovered one thing I was doing wrong. I was putting him on his back (What was I thinking? They HATE being on their backs!) instead of putting him on his stomach and tilting his head back. Maybe this is wrong, too? Anyhow, for the next few days, it went fairly smoothly, and he took it like a champ...maybe one cough or a bit of a scrunched face that said, "YUK!" but that was about it. September 18th, he started his insulin. That's when he decided I'm not taking shots AND that yucky liquid, too! It has chicken flavoring, but by the smell, I'm not exactly convinced that has made it tasty. I've gotten 1 "war wound" on my finger since then, when he hasn't even attempted a claws out swipe since the first month or so we had him, and that'll be 3 years on the 16th of next month. He will start gagging before I even pick up the syringe or touch his head! He doesn't foam, but he makes in abundantly clear he's not happy with me. Yesterday, half a dose went on his face. He's 17 lbs. and I have medical issues, so this is tough. He's strong! I'm also worried about hurting his neck or his teeth.

HOW can I make this easier on both of us? I'm already doing the blanket burrito thing, but getting his head still is another trick I haven't yet learned. The cyclosporine was prescribed for a skin condition when steroids were NOT an option due to his BG numbers. It was the numbers the vet saw before considering steroid shots 2 different times for the skin condition coupled with increased thirst and of course output that lead to his diabetes diagnosis. His skin is doing GREAT and his hair is growing back in, but the vet would like to see him on the cyclosporine for about a 2 month course.

 

[jt and trouble (GA)]

Ahhh thats tough . I use to scruff and squirt. But you have to be quick .(sadly takes lots of practice) Short of "hiding it in food) I'iii dunno Have you tasted the stuff? Maybe you can find something like baby food to hide it in? Just a teaspoon of baby food sorta like wet treat???
Lets hope thats will be more ideas forthcoming.

 

[Sue Maus and Marky]

Usually I AM pretty quick with the squirt. Yesterday was the first day I missed I think. Those first 2 days I think he may have spit out some. When we had our 2 sister kitties years ago, we used to hide their thyroid pills in baby food at first. They eventually started refusing it. What then worked was canned chicken breast that I chopped with one of those immersion hand blenders. He LOVES those Friskies Lil Soups. I haven't given him any of those since the diagnosis as I wasn't sure, since they are a lot like a cup of gravy, that he should have them. Do you know if they would be OK to use to try to get the medicine into him?

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

How many mls is it? I actually don’t like the fast squirt approach. Minnie will always gag and have a hard time swallowing. Sometimes she looks like she’s going to puke it all after. I also saw a video somewhere saying it’s not the best on their throats. I do it slowly in small increments and give her time to swallow. Unless it’s a small dose like .2 mls than that goes in at once. If it’s a bad taste, I’m not sure what you can do. Can you ask the vet if it comes in a pill form?

 

[Roberta and Chloe]

How many mls is it? I actually don’t like the fast squirt approach. Minnie will always gag and have a hard time swallowing. Sometimes she looks like she’s going to puke it all after. I also saw a video somewhere saying it’s not the best on their throats. I do it slowly in small increments and give her time to swallow. Unless it’s a small dose like .2 mls than that goes in at once. If it’s a bad taste, I’m not sure what you can do. Can you ask the vet if it comes in a pill form?

The vet gave me a choice for antibiotics for Fuzma. A shot, which was more expensive, pills, or liquid. I chose liquid, and even though I tried to squirt to the side of her mouth and not directly down her throat, it mostly ended up on her face and everywhere but her mouth. I gave up after 3 days. Her wound is healing nicely. I will go for the pills from now on. I've gotten really good at that.

 

[jt and trouble (GA)]

I shot in the cheek area. It was messy sometimes but got most of it in. I ALWAYS taste anything they have to take to figure out how to hide it.
If this med will be a part of Markys life then I wouldnt put it in food with a lot of carbs. BUT if its just temporary then, I would put it in whatever it took and deal with the bg's. But thats just me. You have to find what works the best for both you and Marky.

 

[Roberta and Chloe]

I shot in the cheek area. It was messy sometimes but got most of it in. I ALWAYS taste anything they have to take to figure out how to hide it.
If this med will be a part of Markys life then I wouldnt put it in food with a lot of carbs. BUT if its just temporary then, I would put it in whatever it took and deal with the bg's. But thats just me. You have to find what works the best for both you and Marky.

ew

 

[jt and trouble (GA)]

ew

 

[Sue Maus and Marky]

It'll be 3 weeks tomorrow, and the vet recommends a course of 2 months. Marky had bad sneezing fits when they did a LOT of landscaping around here last month. It got to both of us, too, and at one point even set off our smoke alarm! That's when I discovered Marky knows all about that "How to give a cat a pill" joke that's been going around the internet forever after trying to give him Zyrtec. One day would go well and the next was a struggle. My rescue friends, vet, and other friends owned by cats all thought liquid would be easier. And after the first 2 days, it was. It just seems like when he started the insulin, it flipped a switch in him. It's almost as if he's thinking since he doesn't itch any more, the insulin is working and he doesn't need the liquid now. The dose is 0.6 ml once a day, so maybe the soups won't be that bad. I don't remember all the ingredients but I think the calorie content was around 14. He also loved when my husband cooked a small piece of boneless, skinless chicken breast for him in the microwave, so no carbs there.

 

[Sue Maus and Marky]

OK, knowing what I know now that I didn't know then, I'm not sure I like the thickening agents in these Friskies Lil Soups. For one, there's that glorified description of sawdust. Tuna broth, chicken, tuna, tapioca starch, powdered cellulose, xanthan gum, guar gum, thiamine mononitrate (Vitamin B-1). The calorie content is 16, and probably more of that is coming from the thickeners. The protein percentage is 9%.