Help!! Advice needed urgently about Cerenia

[Musiaka]

Please help. We are traveling tomorrow and my vet has prescribed Cerenia which I bought. It was in a pill form. On the package it says it's for dogs but I thought he knows what he's doing and certainly it can be used for cats if he prescribed it. But I read online that pills should not be used on cats and it should only be injected. I am in total panic. It's midnight here and we are leaving super early in the morning. I should not have trusted the vet, really thought he knew what he's doing. Why did he prescribe it to my cat? Or is it ok? I don't know what to do. My cat is terribly motion sick. Please someone answer

 

[AbbysMom]

My cat has taken cerenia before. It’s now approved for use it cats.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[cataholic07]

Hmm, I read on a website it's fine for cats.
Cerenia for Cats

 

[Musiaka]

Thank you so much for your answer AbbysMom, what a relief... In pill form, yes? The vet prescribed 1/2 of a 16mg pill, isn't that too much for a 5kg cat? How much was your cat taking?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! My vet also prescribed Cerenia, for motion sickness in Dogs, as a pill. Do you have a pill cutter? - that will make it easier to portion but it doesn't have to be exact, per my vet.
Your vet probably prescribed that amount since your kitty has that much trouble with motion sickness.

 

[Musiaka]

Thanks cataholic07... I read on a similar website where it says with bolded letters that pills aren't for cats and freaked out. Maybe it was before it was approved then...

 

[AbbysMom]

CERENIA (maropitant citrate) - Prevent Canine & Feline Vomiting | Zoetis US

My cat is a little over 8 lbs and was taking 1/4 of a 16mg tablet for vomiting, not motion sickness. Your vet should know though.

 

[Musiaka]

Furballsmom - it's not a dangerous amount? Yes, Musiaka drools uncontrollably... Maybe that's why the dose

 

[Furballsmom]

Poor guy

 

[Musiaka]

So you guys think I should go with the prescribed dose? 1/2 of the 16 mg pill?

 

[Furballsmom]

My boy was also prescribed it for nausea, not motion sickness, so I don't have a good comparison. If you were to call your clinic's number and listen to the greeting, see if they provide a 24-hour telephone number so you could talk with a live person.

 

[Musiaka]

Furballsmom - our vet has a private office. I regret not realising to ask that question earlier. He seems like a really good vet however, managed to healed Musiakas IBD related vomiting, we reached remarkable results. So maybe he precribed well... I'm just worried because everyone seems to give 1/4 of 16 mg. But maybe motion sickness requires higher dose... Geez I so wish I asked during the day.

 

[Furballsmom]

managed to healed Musiakas IBD related vomiting, we reached remarkable results.

You're sure that they don't have a way for people to contact them afterhours in emergencies?

I'm just worried because everyone seems to give 1/4 of 16 mg.

But maybe motion sickness requires higher dose.

I looked on the site and found this although I believe the poster used it for nausea also;
Cerenia

 

[Musiaka]

Furballsmom - he is the only one there, no answer before 8 am... :/ But I will try giving the prescribed 8 mg, pray it won't do any harm... There's 4,5 h left before we leave, so maybe it's a good a time giving it, so it has time to kick in

 

[kittenmittens84]

My vet prescribed cerenia for nausea for my cat and said initially we should give 1/4 of a 16mg pill (so 4 mg), but if that didn’t seem to help we could go up to 8 mg since his nausea was so bad he wasn’t eating at all. He was only about 6-7 lbs at this point.

A lot of medications are only officially approved for use in humans or dogs so when they’re used for cats it’s technically “off label”, but they’re still safe for use in cats. Sadly it’s just often not worth the time and money for companies to get medications approved specifically for cats.

 

[Furballsmom]

so maybe it's a good a time giving it, so it has time to kick in

let us know how things go

 

[Musiaka]

Thanks guys, this forum is the best. Does those pills taste nasty? Musiaka looked miserable after swallowing it, licking his mouth and slightly salivating. Gave him a little bit of Shebas creamy treats

 

[kittenmittens84]

Thanks guys, this forum is the best. Does those pills taste nasty? Musiaka looked miserable after swallowing it, licking his mouth and slightly salivating. Gave him a little bit of Shebas creamy treats

They could be kinda bitter but it’s also possible the pill went down weird or got stuck in his throat - it’s always good to give a little bit of water after you give a cat pills, it can hurt their esophagus (although 1/4 of a cerenia is tiny). If you don’t have a syringe you can put a bit of the water from a can of tuna into a bowl.

 

[LTS3]

Does those pills taste nasty? Musiaka looked miserable after swallowing it, licking his mouth and slightly salivating. Gave him a little bit of Shebas creamy treats

Not sure. I always use bacon flavored pill dough to get Cerenia into my cat. You should keep Pill Pockets on hand to help make pilling easier or use one of these other TCS tips:

Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills – Cat Articles
The Best Pill-taking Secret I Know...
Pilling Cats and Dogs Safely
How We Give Our Pill Hating Cat A Pill
Getting Cat To Take Pills... Post Tips Here.

At the least, follow up dry pilling with some canned food or some treats or a syringe of water. That will help ensure the pill gets into the stomach and not stuck in the esophagus somewhere and cause irritation.

 

[WMM201]

Furballsmom - it's not a dangerous amount? Yes, Musiaka drools uncontrollably... Maybe that's why the dose

Cerenia tablets are bitter, and that may be why your kitty drools when he takes it. My 8.5 lb cat takes 1/4 tablet for nausea. It is safe for cats, and I would follow your vet's prescription.