A Concern

[Jade59]

Hey everyone.  I'm worried about something.  Jade received her first dose of Drontal pills (one and a half) two weeks ago and it killed her appetite and she clearly didn't feel well for a good 24hrs.  Yesterday she was due for her second dose and the tech could not get the pills down.  Drool and salivation just poored from Jades mouth after a good fight with the tech which was scary (tech put Jade in her lap this time instead of pilling her in the carrier like before.  Jade Hates to be in your lap.)

Tech finally says she'll give her a *shot* of Drontal instead and here is my concern.  Jade had zero reaction to that shot; I'm expecting her to act sick and not want to eat but that never happened, she's fine, so I'm wondering, what would be the chances that shot was a placebo?  I've had some concerns about my vet for a while.  Nothing really serious, just small things like this that make me wonder.  

Could a shot vs pills produce a completely different reaction?

[Jade59]

I've tried grinding pills and putting it in the food, but no go.  I think unless we're in a situation like when we first met Jade and she had to be pilled for so many months, we'll stick with the shots in the future.  

Sara - lol, barfs up his toenails.  What a pretty picture!  

I do know (first hand) that pills are hard on the stomach but I guess where my question comes from is, for example, I have ulcers so if I'm in need of the ER, I can't have a shot of Toradol since it's a high aspirin type of med and would kill my stomach even though I received it as an injection.  That's why I wondered if jade even received any medicine since she had zero reaction and I would of thought there'd be at least a little reaction since it's the same med whether a pill or injection.  Does that make sense?

Oh well, it's done and over with.  Can only hope for the best.

[dominosarah]

Pills are very irritating to the stomach lining.  Snickers is much better off getting shots than pills also as he barfs up his toenails.

Good idea ZQ.....I will remember this.  Your so smart!!

[nancyjac]

My cats fight swallowing pills too.  It is pretty much a lose/lose situation for them.  If they swallow it whole then they have dry lump going down their throats and can end up vomiting it back up just like they do when they don't chew well enough.  But if they chew it or let it melt in their mouth, then they have to deal with the nasty taste and after taste that makes them salivate. I always grind up pills and mix them with water or food.  Even then, they always head for their food and bowls afterwards to wash it down.  Easier on them, easier on me, and I know they are actually ingesting it and that they won't spit it back up.

[Jade59]

I DID see that show!!  I know exactly what show you're talking about.  That's why I'm all paranoid.

Yes, I realize you can split the pills but then that's having to pill her all over again...and again and again, you know?  We'll just run her up for the shot, geez, easier on everyone...aw, except that poor little tech.  I think she was a little freaked, too.  

[zodiacqueen]

When they give you those big giant horse pills, you can always cut them up w/ a pill cutter.  I've had to do that a lot!!  BUT, sometimes even w/ smaller chunks of the pill, some still winds up "melting" in their mouth.....then you get the foaming at the mouth again.  Man, that freaks me out, too!!  

I don't blame you one little bit for being paranoid about drugs-contamination, tampering, etc.  Honey, as long as you've known me....you had to have known that I would be paranoid about drugs, too.  But, to be honest.....I wasn't until this show on 60 minutes a few years back has continued to haunt me.  I will never ever look at prescriptions the same way again.  It was about importing drugs from China, and how they take "short cuts" w/ important life-saving drugs, such as heart meds and chemotherapy.  That show just shocked and upset me so much.  I just couldn't imagine companies mentally f'd up enough to put profit above saving lives.  #@%^*   Did you see it?

BTW, I still think that the Drontal was legit.  Us, humans have much more to worry about.  There's a better chance for our drugs to get screwed with.....and more profit for the drug companies.  

[Jade59]

Hey, thank you both for your thoughts.  Ali, that makes sense the pills are coated and have additives in them that might of made Jade sick when the shot doesn't.  Or just the pill alone will have such an effect. The pill did dissolve in her mouth, poor thing.

ZQ - thank you for the eye dropper suggestion.  All we have is a syringe type thing and the dropper makes more sense for control.  We will NEVER use this worm medicine in tablet form again.  The pills are just too big.  And what you say about bypassing the stomach makes sense, too.  I'm sure it really was Drontal in the shot, it's just you never know what kind of shape a business is in and maybe they're trying to save money and only giving a half dose or none at all.  I'm sure I'm just being paranoid...I hope.

[zodiacqueen]

I've had cats drool and salivate from pills.  I think it's caused by the pill winds up dissolving in their mouths, and they hate the taste of it!  To help prevent this, I have a prefilled eye dropper filled w/ water.  You can buy eye droppers individually at the drug store.  Anyway, I think they're much safer than using syringes because you have more control over how much fluid our cats get-less chance of them aspirating water into their lungs(more chance w/ a syringe).  Using the eye dropper will help wash the pill down.  

My gut tells me that the injection is the real deal, and it bypasses the stomach and mouth, so Jade is tolerating it much better!

Try the eye dropper idea, and see how that goes!

[aligator79]

The only things I can think of are that it was a quicker ingestion and not the time for the pill to disolve and absorb, like it does with humans and getting the shot of antibiotics instead of the pills- it's just quicker.

The other thought could be the additives or stuff in the pill other than the medicine upsetting her tummy.  I don't know what they would be but there has to be something in the pill to harden it, etc.  

It could have been the pill in the tummy killing off some of the nasties making her a little yucky.  What about the tase of the pill especially if it got caught part way down- like us dry swallowing something- feels gross and tastes nasty and considering they don't drink much.  

I dunno- just some thoughts.  Poor lady.  :(