# Pill Pockets



## Padunk (Oct 20, 2003)

One of my cats needs daily medicine for the rest of her life. The pill pockets were a blessing since she is very difficult to pill. When they changed over to "Greenies" pill pockets, they must have changed the flavor because now she refuses to eat them. Anyone have any suggestions for a similar replacement? 

Mixing the pill into a wet meal works, but it is a pain. Especially since I do not want the other animals to get into her medicine. I've tried a lot of things and have had some success, but I'm looking for something a bit easier. Any tips/advice is greatly appreciated!


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## OsnobunnieO (Jun 28, 2004)

I wondered if they changed the formula too - they seem much less soft and squishy than they used to. At least the sample packs I've used do.

Cream cheese? Works like a charm for Brody but to be fair, she'll eat most anything.


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## Padunk (Oct 20, 2003)

hmm.. that's not a bad idea. The only problem with that is that the wife and I don't eat cream cheese and I can see it going bad regularly.


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## Muzby (Jan 9, 2008)

You could always get the cream cheese, cut it into "cat pill" size chunks, individually wrap and freeze.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

What kind of med is it? Some can be compounded into treats or transdermal gels. For example, thyroid meds can be done either of these ways.


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## petspy (Sep 11, 2008)

http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/pet/f ... or_capsule

put a bit of creamy peanut butter on the pill.
insert it into a pill gun dispenser.
hold you cats head up with one hand
while jamming the gun to the back of his tongue.
release the gun plunger,
release your grip on the cat.
the peanut butter not only hides the pill taste and smell,
but makes the cat roll the pill around his tongue and swallow.

cats can circumvent pill pockets too easily,
so if I had to make certain of a daily dose,
the best way to do it, is by inserting the pill.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Gotta love the cats they use in these demo videos, they must be the same ones they use for the PediPaws commercials. No way in the world would any of my cats be that docile while being pilled.


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## Padunk (Oct 20, 2003)

Pill guns will not work. The mere site of a pill or something like that makes her foam at the mouth uncontrollably. She has to be "tricked" into eating it. The medicine is amitriptyline (10mg) and I administer twice daily. When I mixed with PB she would just lick around the pill. I've had my best luck mixing with wet food. It's not easy feeding separately, I miss the days when she thought that she was getting a treat when in reality it was her medicine. It got gobbled so fast there were no worries that another pet would get her anti-anxiety meds.

Fortunately Punky likes the new formula of pill pockets just the same because she requires daily medicine, too.


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## melysion (Mar 12, 2007)

doodlebug said:


> Gotta love the cats they use in these demo videos, they must be the same ones they use for the PediPaws commercials. No way in the world would any of my cats be that docile while being pilled.


 :lol: :lol: Oh my, that video is a world away from what happens with Toby. 

Steps 

1. Find large towel
2. Run after cat (who has spied large towel and figured out why its appeared)
3. Catch cat
4. Wrap up cat as tightly as possible in towel
5. Tuck front legs that have escaped from towel back in
6. Tuck front legs that have escaped from towel back in
7. Tuck front legs that have escaped from towel back in
8. Open mouth of cat
9. Tuck front legs that have escaped from towel back in
10. Grab pill and stick in cats mouth
11. Close cats mouth
12. Tuck front legs that have escaped from towel back in
13. Shove pill that has escaped from mouth back in
14. Tuck front legs that have escaped from towel back in
15. Shove pill that has escaped from mouth back in
16. Tuck front legs that have escaped from towel back in
17. Shove (now very soggy) pill that has escaped from mouth back in
18. Cat eventually swallows pill
19. Cat released
20. Mummy goes to first aid box to bandage scratched arms as result of numerous escaping of front legs (complete with claws) from towel.


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## Heather102180 (Nov 19, 2003)

Padunk! Haven't seen ya in forever!

Cats will open with there mouth if you press on the side of it.... With Oliver, I gave him pill pockets daily with his daily meds but whenever he had to go on anything else, a pill pocket didn't work. He was smart! So, I'd catch him when he was sleepy, press in the side of the mouth, he's open, and I'd throw the pill down his throat before he even realized he was awake.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Hi, Rob. It's been a long time. I wish I could help you. Blueberry's very sick, and I'm sliding the pill in the side of his mouth. I wrap him in a blanket, of course. He's weak right now, though.  I wish you luck.

With my dogs, I just put the pill inside a square of Velveeta. Some cats love it. I hope Punky does.


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## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

Some of my cats have also recently rejected Pill Pockets. We went from chicken flavor to salmon favor to the kind that are made for dogs, but each only worked for a little while. :roll: Now we are on to Friskies Tender Treats, which are more crumbly but can be molded over a pill if you are determined. 

I'm sorry to hear about Blueberry, Jeanie.  I hope he regains his strength and gets better.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

That's my prayer, JG. Thank you.


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## Padunk (Oct 20, 2003)

I'm bumping an old thread of mine, but I did come up with a solution a while back that I thought I'd share.










I cut about a half inch section off a piece, hollow out a small hole with a knife and put the pill in the meat. It's a 'homemade' meat pill pocket.

This obviously went over well with my dog, too -- all of the normal tricks failed after a while for him as well.


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## raecarrow (Oct 27, 2009)

If your cat is a fairly big cat like mine, you can probably do something like what I do. I basically I turn him into a "purrito" by shoving him down the sleeve of a sweatshirt and when his head peaks through the cuff I cradle him under my arm and open his mouth, shove in the pill and hold his mouth shut till he swallows the pill and then I squeeze him out of the sleeve like a tube of toothpaste.


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