Doxycycline, please help with advise!,

[BarbT]

Finally found out the bacteria that is causing Leo’s pus. Long name.

but the vet has said the best way to get rid of it is 14 days of doxycycline.

I am terrified to give it to him. She is advising not to crush it up in his food and not to give him the oral suspension.

I don’t understand how she is telling me to give it to him. A syringe of water chaser? I’m scared to squirt water in his throat. I live alone and have no one to help me.

im in a panic! Please someone help me!

 

[jan burns]

You have to crush it up, water chaser? Don't be afraid to give him medicine, if you trust the vet and just tell her or him that you don't understand what she means and ask her to be more specific, it's easy if you wrap your friend up in a towel so that his head is visible but his paws are in the towel or blanket and the just open his mouth a little and squirt it in and started petting him so he will be distracted and swallow it and you can also lightly put your hand around his mouth as you talk to him softly so he doesn't spit it out. I had to do this with my Elsa and my daugher did help but sometimes I did it by myself It can get very confusing with those vets, sometimes they don't explain things right and I actually think my vet could have explained things better.

 

[BarbT]

Doxycycline can burn the esophagus. She said if I crush it up in his food then more chance of it hurting him.

this question is specific to doxycycline.

I gave him other pills.

 

[catsknowme]

I haven't had to pill a kitty in awhile but I used to rub butter on the pill. Here is a thread that has links to some good TCS articles on administering meds.
Pilling Cats: Must-Know Tips For Hiding Pills - TheCatSite
How Can I Give A Pill To My Cat? [Stress-Free Techniques] - TheCatSite

 

[FeebysOwner]

Doxycycline in pill form can be irritating to the throat if is not given with something to help coat the med. For the liquid version, it can also be mixed with food or lickable treats and this version reduces the possible throat irritation effect that is more common with the pill version.

The key with this med is to ensure there is enough liquids/foods given that the meds are swallowed completely and do not remain in the esophagus.
Doxycycline for Cats: Dosage, Safety & Side Effects - Cats.com

 

[FeebysOwner]

I have not ever had much success with the 'pill and liquid syringe chaser' method. So, I can't be of much help. The best I know you could do is look into a compounded liquid version, which as I said is much, much less likely to cause throat issues.

There is an injectable form of this med, but I know little about its administration or frequency. Talk to your vet about compounding this med or what could be done to do the injectable form.

 

[eevans3373]

I needed a pill gun to pill my old man. Even then he made it difficult. He knew exactly what time of day he would be pilled and would hide. I had to bust out the vacuum to flush him out of his hiding places.

With these guys I'm trying to get them used to me placing treats in their mouths so that when the time comes when they need meds it will be easier.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. Go to the health food store and get plain gelatin capsules. Go to the pet store and get pill pockets for cats. Wearing gloves open the capsule and put the pill into the capsule and close it. Then remove the gloves and take a pill pocket and roll it out flat. Roll the flattened pill pocket around the capsule. Get a small syringe of room temperature water. Then walk away from the area and decompress from the stress of setting everything up. Wait however long it takes to unwind and picke up everything, pillwrapped capsule and syringe, confidently walk up to your cat wherever they are and sit behind them. Gently take your right hand and grasp the capsule between your thumb and index finger. With your left hand hold the top of your cats head gently, placing your finger tips so they are only on the top of the head and resting in the groove below the cheekbones. With the middle finger of your right hand gently open your cats mouth by gently encouraging the lower incisors to drop down. Then take your fingers with the capsule and push gently the capsule into the cats mouth. Hopefully the capsule goes down the throat, and it’s ok to gently push it in. Take the syringe of water and going from the side of the mouth, squirt a tiny bit in. Pick up your stuff and walk away from the cat.
If and when the cat tries to leave during the pilling, try to just block with your body. If the cat leaves or you are not successful first try, don’t try again. Don’t apologize, just leave the cat alone. Then try again in an hour or so.
Or,
You can call the vet office and see if there is a tech that would be willing to stop by and teach you how to pill your cat.

 

[jan burns]

My God, why is she giving you such a horrible prescription? I would ask for a different prescription but if not be ready careful with this stuff. Do as she directed. Have you seen this vet before?

 

[jan burns]

I looked this up on the Internet. It's an antibiotic and there are other ones that are safer. Maybe you could ask her for an alternative antibiotic? Just tell her you are concerned about the side effects and see what she says. My vet gave me several prescriptions and none of them helped, just made my poor cat worse. I'm not a vet so perhaps you need a second opinion.

 

[silent meowlook]

Doxycycline can cause esophageal strictures if it comes into contact with the esophagus and is not removed by either drinking or eating enough to flush it off of the esophagus.

It is a good antibiotic and the only antibiotic for some things.

 

[MikeJ523]

If you use doxycycline in pill form you have to use at least 5ml of water to make sure that pill reaches the stomach if you dry pill it. I wonder why they did not allow a liquid suspension of this medication? It's literally the same medication but in different form. My understanding is that the liquid version is much safer for cats and the risk is minimized. My cat is currently on doxycycline going on 80+ days with the liquid version (she has a condition called plasma cell pododermatitis). We actually mix it in wet food as the compounding pharmacy made it with a chicken flavor and somehow she eats it. We always follow that up with a bit of "non-medicated" food to wash it down. So maybe you can get creative with administering and say put in a pill pocket and then follow up with like a churu treat so it washes it down. Some people put the pill in flavored capsules that their cat will eat and follow up with wet food, baby food, or a tube treat.

 

[stephanietx]

Ask your vet if the med can be compounded into a treat. My vet uses Specialty Veterinary Pharmacy in Stafford, TX. It may not be available in a chew treat, but that would be another option.

 

[fionasmom]

As others have very aptly stated, doxy is a tricky medication to administer because of the danger of contact with the esophagus. It is for that reason that your vet does not want you to crush the pill either, although you can certainly revisit this with her. It is also a very specific antibiotic which is the most effective for certain bacteria and is the drug of choice.
Leo has an abscess or cyst that burst/ Update
Is this related to your earlier thread? Did the vet give you a name of the condition causing this?

There are some good suggestions here of a compounded treat or the use of the liquid form and I would pursue that with your vet. She may have a good reason for not prescribing the liquid form, but you also have a right to ask.

You stated that you are afraid to squirt water down his throat. While it is true that liquid medication has to be carefully administered, as does a water chaser, you might be able to have a vet tech show you how this is done.

 

[silent meowlook]

Please get the gel capsules as I advised. It is a safer way to do it. If you trust your vet, great. If you don’t, then find another. Please don’t ever change medication or not give a medication prescribed by your vet without discussing it with your vet.