Best source for Pill Pockets?

[Amy&TrixieCat]

My 16 year old civvie, Mario, was just diagnosed with high blood pressure and now needs to take meds for it. Woohoo - one more thing for the growing list! Is the best source for Pill Pockets just my local pet supply store, or does someone online have them at an unbeatable price? I've never used Pill Pockets before...I hope he likes them. I can get liquid meds into him, and he's on transdermal tapazole because he is virtually impossible to pill. Even a very experienced tech friend of mine said he's a bear...

TIA!

Amy

 

[Just-As-Appy]

PetSmart has pill pockets (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2755242). Check Dr. Lisa's site for tips on pilling. I recall that she did have something on there about pill pockets. I have tried many things and wrapping the pills in cheddar was the answer for Tony. He eats them out of my hand, purring the whole time.

 

[jt and trouble (GA)]

Remember to break just enough of the pill pocket off to cover the pill. The less he has to chew and swallow, the easier they are for him to consume.
Dont know about best prices I just bought them from petsmart.
jeanne

 

[squeem3]

Most pet stores sell Pill Pockets. Buy the one for dogs. They're the exact same thing as similar to the cat ones and are larger. The bag will last you a long time since you only need enough of the Pill Pocket to completely cover the pill to disguise any taste or smell.

Edited to make correction.

 

[Amy&TrixieCat]

Wow - thanks for your speedy replies and fabulous tips!! I would not have thought to buy the dog pockets, nor would I have realized I could just break off a piece rather than use the whole pocket. Since it's such a tiny pill, the vet also said we could try disguising it in canned food. Mario is also early CRF, so at this point he doesn't get Wellness on a regular basis, but I'm thinking I may be able to hide the pill in a little dollup of that. He loves the Wellness so much that maybe he won't notice, although in years past, he could spot a "tainted" food sample from a mile away. Since he's a tough cookie, I wanted to have a few options lined up.

Amy

 

[Larry and Kitties]

The ingredients of the cat and dog pill pockets are similar but not identical. For example for the Chicken flavor the cat one contains chicken liver meal while the dog one does not, the cat one also has less vegetable oil that the dog one based on the position of the vegetable oil in the list of ingredients.

Dogs -
Chicken, glycerin, wheat flour, vegetable oil, dried corn syrup, wheat gluten, corn flour, natural flavors, lecithin, brewer’s dried yeast, potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), salt, methylcellulose, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), mixed tocopherols, vitamin E supplement.

Cats:
Chicken, glycerin, wheat flour, natural flavors, dried corn syrup, corn flour, wheat gluten, chicken liver meal, vegetable oil, lecithin, brewer’s dried yeast, potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), methylcellulose, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), mixed tocopherols, vitamin E supplement.

Most pet stores sell Pill Pockets. Buy the one for dogs. They're the exact same thing as the cat ones and are larger. The bag will last you a long time since you only need enough of the Pill Pocket to completely cover the pill to disguise any taste or smell.

 

[LynnLee + Mousie]

i was gonna say the same thing about getting the dog ones. that's the most economical way to go in my experience.

 

[Julia & Bandit (GA)]

The ingredients of the cat and dog pill pockets are similar but not identical. For example for the Chicken flavor the cat one contains chicken liver meal while the dog one does not, the cat one also has less vegetable oil that the dog one based on the position of the vegetable oil in the list of ingredients.

My cats would not touch the dog ones (both chicken and salmon), but they would eat the cat ones. The Duck and Pea flavor is safe for diabetics, so that's what I buy.

Out of curiosity I did a search and they do make the duck and pea flavor for dogs because I hadn't seen it in the store. And, the ingredients for those are identical to the cat ones. So there is one flavor of Pill Pocket that is identical.

If my cats accidentally bit into the pill, they would no longer eat that flavor pill pocket. I would then roll it in tuna, turkey, etc. Towards the end of Gabby's life when she got very very picky with her pills, I mashed up a moist treat (she wasn't diabetic) and molded it around the pill covered in a tiny piece of pill pocket. She ate her pills that way from then on until she passed away when she had stopped taking her pills any other way.

 

[Amy&TrixieCat]

I had to get the cat pockets, because the store was out of doggie pockets. Mario *loved* it...absolutely loved it. He's not diabetic, so I got him the chicken flavor. He was half asleep when I held it up to his nose; his head immediately popped up, he jumped off the couch, and scarfed it down. Fingers crossed he'll continue like this, but if not I now know there are several other options to try. Thanks everyone!!!

Amy

 

[Shirley and Ragnar]

Re: Best source for Pill Pockets? ProbioticSmart.com

I was paying much more for Pill Pockets before I discovered probioticsmart.com. They are $3.99 per bag of 45 if you buy 6 at once; $4.50 if you buy fewer. Shipping is free if your order is over $50 (I combine with other meds, and it's always over $50) or $5 if the order is under $50. If anyone knows a better source, please let us all know!

By the way, if your cat doesn't like the pockets by themselves, my vet says it's OK to powder a pinch of his favorite *soft* treat and roll the pocket in it. Ragnar wouldn't take Pill Pockets if I didn't roll them in a little Whisker Lickin's (kitty junk food, but it's just a pinch).

If you want to find best sources of Denamarin, Azodyl, etc., just search my posts. I have posted on this several times. Right now probioticsmart is the best source of everything else Ragnar uses, but they don't have Denamarin yet. They will be getting it soon. I buy Azodyl, Probiocin, and Pill Pockets there - it's the best source for all three of them.

Blessings!

 

[underdawg]

My cat with urinary problems was horrible about taking pills. He thought I was trying to poison him when I put a pill in his food. I found some freeze dried chicken treats when my other boy was diagnosed as a diabetic. All my cats love them. They eat them as fast as I can put them down for them. So, I get a piece of a pill pocket and put the pill in it, then roll the pill pocket in the freeze dried chicken "dust" from the container so that the pill pocket smells like the chicken treat. Then I start giving small pieces of chicken fast and then put the pill pocket down then follow very quickly with another chicken treat. Works great for my suspicious one!

I read somewhere else that someone gives a piece of a pill pocket (empty) everyday as a treat so that when their cat needs a pill, they are used to the pill pocket and don't even notice. I have given some empty pill pockets sometimes but not that regularly. Sounds like a good idea!

 

[Amy&TrixieCat]

I love your technique, Underdawg!! You guys have some fabulous ideas for pilling!!