Favorite way to give Pred to cats?

daftcat75

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I finally got Krista's prescription for prednisolone and it's in my least favorite preparation. I have to give her 1 mL of the liquid. I haven't tasted yet but I'm pretty sure it's not compounded into anything appealing.

So first question, what are your favorite tips for administering such a large amount of liquid to a defiant cat? Can it be mixed with food? Vet tech said I probably shouldn't but doctor wasn't available to say one way or another.

Follow-up question, I plan to have this compounded to something more manageable. What's your favorite compounded form of pred/easiest to give? I'm not sure about transdermals anymore. She hates the bupe "wet willy" and doesn't let me wash off the previous doses so I don't think that's as effective as it used to be.

Krista has chicken and probably fish sensitivities so tiny pills and pill pockets are out. :( But tiny pills might still work. We wrestle sometimes over mirtazapine but it's small enough that I usually prevail.
 

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Our 4 year old cat was very difficult, but he did fine with the prednisolone in the liquid form. We gave him 1.5 ml twice a day. Just put in the side of the mouth and inject, then had treats ready.

He also had to take pancreatic enzymes with every meal. We bought flavorless gel capsules (size 3) and filled those with the powder. We'd then dip the capsules in his wet food and then pill him. He'd get 3 with every meal and he took them quite easily. Gel caps would work for small pills too.

So many meds his last month, but I'd do it forever if it meant we could have had more time with him. Miss you Cashew. :(
 
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1 bruce 1

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Our vet said mixing it in food to avoid a battle with a sick cat was fine, and we've been doing this for 2 years and so far, so good.
If you absolutely have to pill her with the liquid, would mixing it with a slurry of canned food and water or something else to take the taste off help?
 
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daftcat75

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... would mixing it with a slurry of canned food and water or something else to take the taste off help?
Probably if I didn't already pull out the nuclear option (Tiki Cat Ahi Tuna mixed with her Rawz) just to keep her eating. Good thing I'm giving her Pred for what the tuna might do to her gut. I suspect a sensitivity but I'm not totally sure. Tiki Cat Tuna did get her through pancreatitis last summer.
 

1 bruce 1

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Pred seemed to cause a slight appetite increase in our cat, so maybe it will for Krista too.
 
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daftcat75

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Pred seemed to cause a slight appetite increase in our cat, so maybe it will for Krista too.
I'm hoping so. I'm hoping it will help with inflammation in her mouth and gut too.

But gotta get it in the cat first...
 
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daftcat75

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I tasted this formulation and it’s like cherry cough syrup. I only took 1/3 of her dose and I’m still grumpy about it. I’m not giving this to her. But at least she has a prescription now and I’ll have it compounded to something easier or more appealing.
 

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Try bacon flavored pill dough. It's chicken free unless the "natural flavor" is made from chicken. My chicken sensitive IBD cat has no problem taking pills with this dough.

Wheat flour, corn syrup, vegetable glycerin, vegetable oil, stabilized rice bran, spray dried pork liver, natural flavor, vegetable lecithin, salt, dried cheese, dried corn syrup, xanthan gum, sorbic acid and calcium propionate (to preserve freshness).

1 ml of liquid is a lot to give all at once. You'll need to give a little bit at at time with a break in between until it's all in. The cherry flavor probably won't go over too well with the cat.

If you can get it compounded, that would be best. Wedgewood Pharmacy has flavored chews, among other options: Methylprednisolone Chew Treat, Wedgewood Pet Rx The chews are available in a variety of pet friendly flavors. I chose a fish flavor (no idea if it's real fish or fake fish) for a diferent medicine and there was cheese flavor, peanut butter flavor, and a couple other ones.
 
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daftcat75

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Try bacon flavored pill dough. It's chicken free unless the "natural flavor" is made from chicken. My chicken sensitive IBD cat has no problem taking pills with this dough.

Wheat flour, corn syrup, vegetable glycerin, vegetable oil, stabilized rice bran, spray dried pork liver, natural flavor, vegetable lecithin, salt, dried cheese, dried corn syrup, xanthan gum, sorbic acid and calcium propionate (to preserve freshness).

1 ml of liquid is a lot to give all at once. You'll need to give a little bit at at time with a break in between until it's all in. The cherry flavor probably won't go over too well with the cat.

If you can get it compounded, that would be best. Wedgewood Pharmacy has flavored chews, among other options: Methylprednisolone Chew Treat, Wedgewood Pet Rx The chews are available in a variety of pet friendly flavors. I chose a fish flavor (no idea if it's real fish or fake fish) for a diferent medicine and there was cheese flavor, peanut butter flavor, and a couple other ones.
Those pill pockets have xanthan gum which runs right through her. I got a tip to use whipped cream cheese as a sort of pill pocket because the texture is too tacky for them to spit out the pill. It worked. But it also made such a mess in the box later. We did that twice and a mess each time. Already suspected xanthan gum after the Tiki Cat Velvet Mousse incident. Or what I call The Moussening. Her stools were mousse for as long as she was eating any amount of that stuff.

If I have to give her this the rest of her days, it’d better be something we both can live with. I will get it compounded to something fish flavored, without xanthan gum.
 

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I finally got Krista's prescription for prednisolone and it's in my least favorite preparation. I have to give her 1 mL of the liquid. I haven't tasted yet but I'm pretty sure it's not compounded into anything appealing.

So first question, what are your favorite tips for administering such a large amount of liquid to a defiant cat? Can it be mixed with food? Vet tech said I probably shouldn't but doctor wasn't available to say one way or another.

Follow-up question, I plan to have this compounded to something more manageable. What's your favorite compounded form of pred/easiest to give? I'm not sure about transdermals anymore. She hates the bupe "wet willy" and doesn't let me wash off the previous doses so I don't think that's as effective as it used to be.

Krista has chicken and probably fish sensitivities so tiny pills and pill pockets are out. :( But tiny pills might still work. We wrestle sometimes over mirtazapine but it's small enough that I usually prevail.
Merlin is pretty good with me shooting in 1.5 ml of flagyl, in his mouth, 2 which was the new dose was too much and made him spit it up I think. I am hoping he will accept this if he needs a steroid. I feed him right after so he is better about the meds. I tried the dermal pred for Wizard but it was not absorbed well so we went back to pills. He was always very easy to pill. I hope Krista does ok with the liquids, seems that would be easiest for her.
 
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