Dumb question about medication syringes

[chelsmarie]

Hi,

My cat was recently prescribed liquid Doxycycline for her pillow foot. My question is, the prescription bottle says not to rinse the syringes between doses. Is this sanitary and why? Since it’s an antibiotic? They gave me three syringes for 60 days.

Thank you!!

 

[LTS3]

I've always just rinsed off the syringe after use. You may want to call the vet and clarify what the bottle label says and the 3 syringes you were given.

 

[chelsmarie]

I've always just rinsed off the syringe after use. You may want to call the vet and clarify what the bottle label says and the 3 syringes you were given.

Thank you! I did email with the vet pharmacist and this was their reply.

“Our doxycycline suspension is oil-based. We have had past clients try to rinse the syringes with water in between uses, but have then introduced water into the bottle because the syringes were not completely dry when drawing up the next dose. The water then ends up compromising the suspension, with the water and oil not mixing well. If you do need to rinse the syringes with water (I completely understand why you want to), we just recommend being very careful to have them completely dry before you use again. In this case, we recommend disconnecting the plunger from the barrel, rinsing, and then let dry on a paper towel while still separated. If you choose not to rinse, you can try to wipe off the barrel and plunger with a dry paper towel.

Due to cost, we are only able to provide 3 complimentary syringes with each order. We would love to be able to provide enough syringes for the day supply ordered, but that would increase the cost of an already expensive medication dramatically (the syringes are expensive). We have had client's in the past order a box of syringes online or at their local drugstore...and that has worked well for some.”

 

[fionasmom]

You certainly did your due diligence and got a response which is probably accurate as to why you only got 3 syringes. Actually, three is two more syringes than I have ever been given by any vet for liquid meds in a dog or cat. I usually do what they suggest...pull out the plunger, rinse, dry with a paper towel or some combination thereof. No one has ever gotten sick from this.

 

[LTS3]

Yup, take the syringe apart to rinse clean and let dry completely before the next use

You can buy oral syringes online if you prefer not to re-use or just want extras on hand for other use. 1 ml and 3 ml sizes are commonly used for cats.

Chewy has 5 ml oral syringes which are too large for cat sized doses: ORAL SYRINGES Dispensing Syringes with Tip Cap, 5-cc, 100 count - Chewy.com

This web site has 1 ml oral syringes:

Monoject 1mL Oral Medication Syringe Clear Box of 100 | ADW Diabetes (I have no idea why the picture shown is a 10 ml syringe. Best to contact customer service to confirm.)
BD 1ml Oral Syringe With Tip Cap Clear 100/bx 305217 | ADW Diabetes (slightly more expensive because of the brand name)

I have used this web site in the past to order diabetic testing supplies for my cat at the time. It's a reputable web site.