Advice needed: pilling Smudge

Jofirey wrote:

A baby aspirin is a half aspirin to start with right? And I'm
guessing the 1/4 used to be daily. But it can't hurt to check with
your vet.

A baby aspirin is 81mg. I don't know what the standard adult size
is, but when I was in the drugstore checking them out, I saw adult
aspirin at 325mg per pill. That might've been "extra strength".

My vet said to give a whole baby aspirin pill (81mg) once every 3
days. Several people here have said they've always given 1/4 of an
81mg pill every 3 days. So I'm worried that I've been giving her
too much. I'll be calling them tomorrow and making sure I actually
talk to the vet, rather than to someone else who relays a message.

--
Joyce ^..^

To email me, remove the XXX from my user name.

On 09 May 2009 21:38:15 GMT, wrote:

Smudge seems to have arthritis - I've noticed her limping as she comes
up the stairs to my door. (If I'm dressed to go out, I go down and carry
her up, but that's not always an option.) I know it's not an injury
because this has gone on for several weeks, and once she's been up and
walking around for a while, she stops limping. It seems to be worst on
the stairs. (And she seems to understand that I've come down to carry
her up the stairs, and to appreciate it!)

When I brought her to the vet last week for bloodwork, I asked about
the arthritis, and the vet recommended that I give her a baby aspirin
once every 3 days. I also bought some chewable glucosamine tabs.

Well, she won't eat the glucosamine tabs (it's a big tablet, but I
broke it up into small pieces that I thought she would be able to
handle - no go).

Then we have the issue of the aspirin. The first day I gave it to her,
I put it in a pill pocket and she ate it right up. I thought that meant
this was going to be easy, but 3 days later, I gave her her "treat"
and this time, she wouldn't eat it. So I had to pill her the nasty way,
by sticking it back in her throat and holding her jaws together until
she swallowed. This morning was day #3, and she put up quite a fight.
I got a lot of scratches on my hands and arms and she was quite miserable.
I can't imagine that we're going to have to do this every 3 days
indefinitely!

Does anyone have any suggestions? There is a compounding pharmacy
in my area, so I have thought of that. If they make it a good flavor
that a cat would eat, that might do the trick.

Has anyone tried anything else that might be effective?

Later on the same day of her first aspirin, I noticed she had more
spring in her step, and she was able to run up the stairs. So I want
to find a way to give it to her that isn't going to ruin our lives.

Thanks!

You could try what I'm doing with Kenzie's 2x day Tapazole: I put some
soft margarine on the end of a coffee stir stick. I work the pill into
the margarine. Then I open Kenzie's mouth, and use the stick to get it
WAY back on her tongue. The margarine makes it go down easily...almost
always. Twice she has managed to spit out the 1/2 pill, which is tiny.

It also tastes terribly bitter. Don't ask how I know.

Then I give Kenzie a little bit of sardines, as a treat.

Fortunately, Kenzie is pretty laid back for a calico kitty, and puts up
little resistance; usually I can lure her up on a chair in the kitchen;
her chair, really. It's much easier to do it there than down on the
floor.

And I have to be sure she doesn't spit it out, of course.

Kenzie was declawed before she came to me, and the few times she has put
up a fight, I have been glad she was unable to claw me (for the first
time).

Can you clip Smudge's front claws? That's enough to eliminate about 90%
of scratches, anyways. And likely all the scratches that bleed, too.

Good luck. Pilling once every three days sounds nice, to me!

~~~~~~~~~~~~ ^..^

"Life without cats would be only marginally worth living."
-TC, and the unmercifully, relentlessly, sweet calico kitty, Kenzie.

Every day is a treasure with Kenzie; I try to treat them that way. There
will only be so many, and then there will never, ever, be any more.

How you behave towards cats here below determines your status in Heaven.
- Robert Heinlein

Gandalf wrote:

You could try what I'm doing with Kenzie's 2x day Tapazole: I put some
soft margarine on the end of a coffee stir stick. I work the pill into
the margarine. Then I open Kenzie's mouth, and use the stick to get it
WAY back on her tongue. The margarine makes it go down easily...almost
always. Twice she has managed to spit out the 1/2 pill, which is tiny.

That's another good idea, among quite a few I've gotten from this thread.
And I'd be using real butter, too, which probably tastes even better to
a cat.

It also tastes terribly bitter. Don't ask how I know.

I'm sure there's a story there.

Can you clip Smudge's front claws? That's enough to eliminate about 90%
of scratches, anyways. And likely all the scratches that bleed, too.

I don't want to clip her claws since she goes outdoors. She needs them
sharp, in case she meets up with a nasty dog or other animal (including
humans).

Good luck. Pilling once every three days sounds nice, to me!

I'll bet! Although I'd rather be pilling Kenzie myself.

--
Joyce ^..^

To email me, remove the XXX from my user name.

Lots of good advice in this thread. Wish I had some to give. I used to
mix Frank's and Nikki's thyroid meds into sour cream, but if the meds
taste badly, that won't work.

Caliban is still vacuuming his antibiotics hid in the treat. I don't
know if he notices the pill at all or if he thinks it's worth eating as
long as he gets the treat. Only once did the pill drop out while he was
scarfing his 'treat'. Then I had to put him back in the bathroom while I
hid the pill (actually 1/4 of a pill) in a new treat. I was afraid he'd
realise dropping the pill = more treats, but no problem. He hasn't
dropped one since. Maybe I'm overthinking. Maybe I'm ascribing him more
powers of reasoning than he has. :P

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.