Giving Pills (with a pill gun)

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

rrb_041303 - 29 Aug 2003 04:29 GMT

Since their is another post concerning giving pills I thought I would
post this question. I recently bought a pill gun to use the next time I
give pills. Any comments on the usage or tips on the pill gun would be
appreciated. My male cat in particular is hard to give pills to. Plus it
might help other people in the same situation.

Reply to this Message

Cheryl - 29 Aug 2003 04:46 GMT

> Since their is another post concerning giving pills I thought I would
> post this question. I recently bought a pill gun to use the next time I
> give pills. Any comments on the usage or tips on the pill gun would be
> appreciated. My male cat in particular is hard to give pills to. Plus it
> might help other people in the same situation.

What type of pill gun did you get? There are a couple of different
kinds. I bought one when I found out Shadow would probably be on
pills for life but never had any luck with it. It was shortish, and
had a metal pincer end and the plunger would push the pill out when
plung...ered. I gave up on that quickly and got him used to just
taking the pill with my fingers. He used to be hard to pill, now it
is routine. He runs to the kitchen when I say "medicine". A few
months after I tried the pill gun, I saw what a real one looks like.
It's much longer with a rubber end and the "trigger" is much faster.
People I know swear by those. I just got Shadow (and Shamrock for
that matter, he gets a vitamin pill so he's used to it for times he
*needs* to be medicated) used to it by giving a treat of cooked
chicken chunks immediately following med time. But only for the
prednisone and supplements -- flagyl must be given on an empty stomach
and no food given for a half hour after. He is used to that routine
too. Bugs the heck out of me waiting for his breakfast in the morning
after getting that pill, though.

Reply to this Message

rrb_041303 - 29 Aug 2003 19:59 GMT

>>Since their is another post concerning giving pills I thought I
>
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
> too. Bugs the heck out of me waiting for his breakfast in the morning
> after getting that pill, though.

I have the Top Paw pill gun. It is all plastic, and says that you can
put a little water in it to help with swallowing the pill. About the
Flagyl I think it unusual that it cannot be given with food. I found a
few references that it can be given either way, and oen that says it
should be given with food. But your vet knows best I suppose. How is
Shadow doing by the way? Also how is Shamrock?

Take care.

Rich

Reply to this Message

Cheryl - 29 Aug 2003 22:35 GMT

> I have the Top Paw pill gun. It is all plastic, and says that you
> can put a little water in it to help with swallowing the pill.
> About the Flagyl I think it unusual that it cannot be given with
> food. I found a few references that it can be given either way, and
> oen that says it should be given with food. But your vet knows best

Two vets who've prescribed it to him said empty stomach, no food after
for half hour. I suppose it could vary depending on what it is
prescribed for.

> I suppose. How is Shadow doing by the way? Also how is Shamrock?

He's hanging in there.... still uncontrollable diarrhea with some days
worse than others. But he's playful sometimes, eats like a pig (which
I have to monitor closely) and seems ok for the most part as long as I
keep his butt shaved and bring him to the vet for anal sack
expressions occasionally. Shamrock is good, though his skin is firing
up again at the moment. I'm going to try eliminating fish products.

Sorry for the silliness in alt.cats but I think it might have worked.
Though they did follow through with a small hipcrime flooding.
Idiots. Of course I'm probably kill filed by most of the group there
now.

Reply to this Message

Steve Touchstone - 30 Aug 2003 01:06 GMT

>> I have the Top Paw pill gun. It is all plastic, and says that you
>> can put a little water in it to help with swallowing the pill.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>for half hour. I suppose it could vary depending on what it is
>prescribed for.

Well, I never dispensed it to cats, but for humans the rule was that
it didn't matter, although since it could cause if given with food it
would be less likely to cause stomach upset - the main thing was no
alcohol (speaking from 20 years as pharmacy NCO in Army)

>> I suppose. How is Shadow doing by the way? Also how is Shamrock?
>>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>Idiots. Of course I'm probably kill filed by most of the group there
>now.

Reply to this Message

rrb_041303 - 30 Aug 2003 02:15 GMT

> He's hanging in there.... still uncontrollable diarrhea with some days
> worse than others. But he's playful sometimes, eats like a pig (which
> I have to monitor closely) and seems ok for the most part as long as I
> keep his butt shaved and bring him to the vet for anal sack
> expressions occasionally. Shamrock is good, though his skin is firing
> up again at the moment. I'm going to try eliminating fish products.

Glad to hear that he is hanging in there. You have by best wishes, and
the cats strongest purrs for both of them.

> Sorry for the silliness in alt.cats but I think it might have worked.
> Though they did follow through with a small hipcrime flooding.
> Idiots.

No apology is really necessary don't worry about it. Yeah it seems like
it worked. Plus I reported certain of the posts to teranews, and the
hipcrime to dizum which might have had an affect as well.

Of course I'm probably kill filed by most of the group there

> now.

Maybe or maybe not. It is not the most active group anyway. With only
marginal activity and sometimes no new posts at all.

Reply to this Message

Nan - 30 Aug 2003 14:34 GMT

>Sorry for the silliness in alt.cats but I think it might have worked.
>Though they did follow through with a small hipcrime flooding.
>Idiots. Of course I'm probably kill filed by most of the group there
>now.

I loved the troll-b-que in alt. cats, and hopefully it worked.

Nan

Reply to this Message

EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) - 29 Aug 2003 21:16 GMT

> A few
> months after I tried the pill gun, I saw what a real one looks like.
> It's much longer with a rubber end and the "trigger" is much faster.
> People I know swear by those.

That's the kind I have - I've been know to swear AT it, but never "by"
it! I think it all depends upon the individual cat - I've had one or
two with whom it worked, but generally it's hard enough to open the
mouth and get the pill in (and swallowed), using only two hands -
juggling a gadget as well is just more than I can cope with.

Reply to this Message

EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) - 29 Aug 2003 21:09 GMT

It still depends upon the cat! My major problem with the "pill shooter"
was with keeping the pill in place until I got the "gun" positioned in
the cat's mouth. I finally concluded that the "force the mouth open and
chuck the pill as far back as you can" method worked as well as any (and
required fewer hands). For those who find liquid medications easier,
that ALSO depends upon the cat. Ever try to get the stains from that
pink, cherry-flavoured gunk out of light colored clothing? (I always
end up with far more of it on me than I manage to get down the cat!)

Reply to this Message

aspen darke - 06 Sep 2003 17:51 GMT

you should always tilt their head back, pry open their mouth and shove the
pill down it's throat, then massage the throat while holding the mouth
closed. I know it sounds brutal but my kitties had that panleukopenia thing
and the doctor told me how to give them their pills

Reply to this Message