More UT problems for Gatsby

[Prairie Purrs]

Well, poor Gatsby (who is normally very little trouble to pill) hates taking the amitriptyline. I guess the taste is pretty horrible. katladyd, how do you get Ming to take the stuff?

[katladyd]

It is VERY bitter! I wrap it in a small piece of a Pill Pocket, they sell them at Pet Smart. After a year, Ming just opens his mouth and takes the pill without much trouble. It takes two of us, but it is done without much trouble. The first few weeks, until I discovered the Pill Pocket trick, was very hard. Ming won't eat the pill in the Pill Pocket on his own, the pills are that bitter, but you can ask you vet for a pill popper to shoot the pill down his throat, or just get behind him, lift his head up a little, and place the pill at the very back of his throat. He should then swallow as a reflex. Sometimes I have to almost shove the pill down his throat with my finger. As long as you are doing this from behing the cat, you can't be bitten. Your vet tech can show you how to do this.

[Prairie Purrs]

I've got a pill shooter, and that's how I got tonight's pill down him. It was a struggle, though, because he really didn't want to swallow. Which of course meant he had the nasty taste in his mouth longer.

I'll have to pick up some Pill Pockets. I wonder whether amitriptyline can be compounded into a less bitter form?

[katladyd]

I've wondered that myself. Now, and this is just a rumor, I've heard that amitryptiline can be made into a liquid or gel that can be applied topically. You could ask you vet about that. I do know that, like anything else, Ming got used to it and now is fairly easy to pill. Wishing you luck.

[Medusa]

Penny, ask your vet for #3 gel caps. The meds that Pidge takes are really nasty, too, plus they're cut in half which makes it even worse. I put them all in one gel cap and it's easier for her to swallow, no nasty taste, the gel cap dissolves quickly and best of all, no more gagging and vomiting.

[Prairie Purrs]

Thank you both! I'll ask the vet about both compounding and the gel caps. There may not be anyplace nearby that does compounding, but I would imagine he can get me some gel caps.

Gatsby was a little bit woozy last night after taking the amitriptyline. I know from taking the stuff myself some years ago that it makes you feel a little funky at first, so I'm watching him closely for side effects. Right now he's relaxing in a sunbeam--something that's been rare lately, as we've had day after day of cold rain.

[Prairie Purrs]

It's still too early to tell whether the amitriptyline is going to prevent Gatsby's UT issues from flaring up again. His litterbox use is much closer to normal right now, but he's usually OK for a few days after a vet visit. If he's still going well by this time next week, that'll be good progress.

He's been more subdued than I'd like. Even for a cat, he's been spending a lot of time just lying around. I'm going to give him a couple more days to adjust to the medication, then call the vet if he doesn't perk up a bit. Maybe the dosage will need tweaking.