Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Pill Pockets

I often recommend the use of Greenies Pill Pockets for helping administer pills to cats. People seem to be unfamiliar with them, but they are now available at most pet stores. Certainly they can be found at our local Petcos and PetSmarts.

Pill pockets come in 3 flavors: chicken, salmon, and the new duck and pea formula for cats with food allergies. Obviously I advise against the salmon flavor (fish is inappropriate for cats), but I suppose in an extreme case it might be necessary - just try the others first.

Also, if you are giving pills the traditional open-and-shove way, it's best to follow with a water chaser - we recommend 5-6cc water via a 6cc syringe (we have them here, just ask at the front desk). Get your syringe of water ready BEFORE you pill the cat - even my Boochi, who is pretty accepting of medication, wants to leave right after the pills.