Pill Suggestions

[INeedUrgetAdvice]

Hello,

My cat has FIP which has damaged her liver. We have to give her Dernamarin to help repair it. She doesn't like pill pockets and we tried crushing it to put it in milk/food but it tastes so terrible that she instantly knows its there and won't eat/drink. Is there anything else we can do?

 

[di and bob]

I've used breaking up bigger pills and mashing them inside a very small piece of cheese. I had one cat Burt who was on Lasix for years because of heart troubles, I cooked bacon up for him every week and kept it in the fridge hiding his pills inside a tiny piece. The trick was to give him a tiny piece to let him taste it, and then the one with the pill. sometimes it took 3 or 4 pieces because he would spit out the pill. (I think he wanted more bacon) Cats usually swallow their food without much chewing. i give my cats their meds now in a split up pouch of Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors. They love the treat so much they eat even the foul smelling meds i now give them. I have given a lot of meds to feral cats in a small amount of tuna, Just break up the pills and lay them on the bottom. The tuna smells so strong it hides the smell. Hope that gives you some ideas.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi -
Denamarin tablets aren't supposed to be crushed or broken. (short quick story, my Poppycat was taking them and we were using a pill popper to get them down his throat. We got a bad batch, and I discovered this because I found the basically unabsorbed pill in his poop later that day )

There's a chewable version but it might only be for dogs? You might check with your vet about this.

Also, ask them if Milk Thistle would work, it's available in different forms including a powder and it is much easier to give.

 

[FeebysOwner]

While it is preferred that Denamarin not be crushed or split, it can be given with a bit of food or lickable treat when necessary. Denamarin contains two ingredients - SAM-e (S-adenosylmethionine) and silybin, the latter being a component of silymarin, which is found naturally in milk thistle. The presence of food has shown to decrease the absorption of SAM-e, so while it can technically be given safely with food, the product will lose some of its efficacy.

As mentioned above there is a chewable version, but it does appear to be only for dogs - however, you could ask your vet about it and if they have administered it to cats.

I do know that this supplement combination can also be compounded into a liquid, so that might be something to consider if the tablet/pills don't work out.

There is also a SAM-e only pill (Denestra) that might be much smaller in size and you could ask the vet about it and giving milk thistle separately - it does seem the milk thistle can be given with food and not lose effectiveness.

 

[AbbysMom]

I buy these and mold one around the Denamarin. It's not easy but if you wet the treat first it can be done. Some days she eats the treat and leaves the pill but I just get another treat and redo it and she will eat it.

https://www.chewy.com/meow-mix-irre...p590kMWF2jMwR3fsWXNgNWoFMHdg7eocaAnqfEALw_wcB

 

[Antonio65]

While it is preferred that Denamarin not be crushed or split

When my Pallina had a liver disease, I had to use an equivalent of Denamarin, and the directions where not to split or crush it. The coating of the pill was a protection against stomach acids, so that the pill could reach the intestine.
Problem was that Pallina proved to be intolerant to the coating material, and she would throw the coating up, or the whole pill, so the advise from the manufacturer was to give her the pill after peeling the coating off.

 

[carebearbaby1]

Chewy sells compounded liquid denamarin