Pilling A Cat Zyrtec - New Contraption

[ej x]

Hi guys

Long story short one of my kitties has allergies, cetirizine (zyrtec) is kind of helping (scratching goes down to the point where she doesn't wound herself but licking remains and she is licking herself bald although without skin damage)

We are still looking for the allergen without any luck, but the point of this post is asking if my new "invention" poses any risks specially aspiration.

so using a syringe I cut the needle from the plastic thingy, and then I cut the tip of the plastic guard to have a wide hole. Then I feel the syringe with water and place the pill in the hole. It kind of dissolves but it stays in the long plastic part. Then I open my cats mouth and slowly but steadily shoot the pill + water. Lately she has been foaming and since the pill shoots out with water I am worried about aspiration.

Thoughts?

I have tried to first pill her, and then water but everytime she resists more and more and spits the pill and wont open her mouth.

 

[Georgia on my Mind]

Can you just use your invention to shoot the pill to the very back of her mouth (they also sell pill poppers.)?
For kittens I need to syringe feed, the rescue I work with told me to aim at the side of their mouths and never straight down because they can easily aspirate. I would assume the same goes for water.

 

[ej x]

So I have to say she is 1 year 6 months old, I said kitty cause I still see her as a baby but I guess she is not anymore.

Just to understand, Shooting at the back of the mouth there is no aspiration risk? I thought that would make it worse.
I try to point sideways but since there is a pill, I want her to get it in.

Is aspiration a probable risk? or I am just worrying about a 1 in a million chance?

Since it is allergies I am testing food, therefore I cant mix it with tuna or pill pockets. If it turns out not to be food, then I can mix it with that. I am 6 weeks of testing Instinct Limited Ingredient rabbit.

 

[Georgia on my Mind]

Hi,
No, shooting water into the back of the mouth has an increased chance of aspiration. I was suggesting just shooting the pill towards the back of her mouth and then close her mouth till she swallows (should be pretty quick) and don’t shoot any water at all.

 

[xcourtney3]

The pill pockets have hydrolyzed protein which I thinks means the protein is broken down to not cause a reaction

 

[white shadow]

Just to understand, Shooting at the back of the mouth there is no aspiration risk?

That's 100% RISK !

OMG !

ej x - please.....never, ever shoot any liquid straight down the throat !

And, don't "shoot"liquid into the mouth at all.

You can carefully, gently, put 1-2 drops of liquid into the side of the mouth, then allow the cat to swallow. Wait a few seconds, then repeat.......

Is aspiration a probable risk? or I am just worrying about a 1 in a million chance?

It's probably 999,999 in a million chance.

Shoot a dry pill ? Yes, as Georgia on my Mind said....then hold her mouth closed, gently rub your finger under her chin and down the front of her neck..you can also gently blow some air into her nose...these things stimulate swallowing. After you see a swallow, then put 1-2 droplets of liquid into the side of the mouth, wait, then repeat several times. (You can also give 1-2 drops of liquid food, and repeat.)

Now.....the foaming: the pill is bitter-tasting....you can combat the effect of the bitterness on her salivary glands by adding some honey to the water - cats have no 'sweet' receptors, but...the honey itself will combat the bitterness (warm the water and mix in the honey and, again, just 1-2 droplets at a time - tuna water might also work).

You can also train the cat to look forward to a treat of tuna water in a small syringe...that's what I did when any of mine needed pilling. A few times a day, with no pills, I offered 1 1ml syringe of tuna water....I had them screaming for it any time they saw me coming with the syringe !
.

 

[epona]

No no, even if you have to syringe water into a cat's mouth for emergency hydration (or for electrolyte/pedialite treatment) you do it very slowly across the tongue sideways so that if they don't swallow it just runs out of the mouth with no risk of it being inhaled, not into the throat, ever.

 

[cat princesses]

What I prefer to do is coat the pill with some butter, put the coated pill in the freezer to firm up and then give the pill. I also really like the pill pockets but you have to be careful that you first get the pill pocket - I usually break it in half since it's like a dough consistency and flatten it out. I put the flattened pill pocket in 1 hand and pick up the pill with a tweezer and put it in the center of the pill pocket and then gently pinch the pill pocket around. The key is to NOT get any of the smell of the pill on your hands onto the pill pocket. I agree with white shadow

 

[LTS3]

Personally, I would use Pill Pockets or other similar pill dough to get pills into a cat. My cat is on 3 different pills right now and they all get smushed separately into a bacon flavored pill dough. My cat thinks it's just a yummy treat so he gobbles the dough covered pills down. Pill Pockets contains chicken, even the salmon one. If the possible allergen is chicken, there are pill doughs that are chicken-free. I have the Earth's Balance bacon-flavored dough and the fish flavored Flavor-Doh.

Some medicines may be compounded into liquid or other form. I'm not sure about Zyrtec but you can ask the vet.

 

[ej x]

I do agree but sonce we are testing for allergence in food pockets butter etc might skew the results.

I will purchase a pill gone amd force it that way the a bit of water to the side as suggested.

How much water should be given after a pill? Anyone knows?