<p>I find that putting a pill inside a ball of cream cheese is the easiest way to administer them to my cats. If I have to give them liquid, I wrap the cat in a bath towel so I don’t get scratched, as well as it prevents them from using their paws to push away the dropper.</p>
<p>^^^Ask your vet if they have a pill gun. My daughter worked at a vetinary clinic for a while that just specialized in cats. They used a pill gun which really makes giving pills to cats easier. </p>
<p>I had a cat who was a fairly placid thing but became a demon when you tried to give her a pill. And we would think she had eaten them but would find pills hidden under rugs or in the dirty clothes basket. Wish I’d had a pill gun with her.</p>
<p>I don’t know how applicable this method is to other medications, but we’ve been having great luck giving our eldest (13-yo female) thyroid meds in the form of a cream that you rub on the inside of her ears. You have to wear little latex fingerguards so you don’t absorb the stuff yourself, which is a bit fussy, but the compliance part is wonderful–she just sits there and purrs while you massage her ears.</p>
<p>Hi…</p>
<p>We have a “compounding pharm” nearby who will take pet meds and mix them into tastier concoctions…</p>
<p>Of course, will do this with human meds, too.</p>
<p>I love the rubbing cream in the ears idea! My cats loved to be rubbed.</p>
<p>Agree with the wrap the cat in a bath towel idea. Growing up my job was to give my cat a liquid medicine daily for his kidney problems and that was always my trick!</p>
<p>This reminds me of a question I had. My dog had to go on antibiotics and I filled the prescription at my local pharmacy per the instructions of my vet. My insurance paid for all but the co-pay. Is this weird? Do they usually cover animal meds?</p>
<p>That is weird. I don’t think medical insurance covers pet meds. Perhaps they thought it was for a child. (which it was in a way, but not generally for insurance). Odd.</p>
<p>Did the rx have a person’s name on it? It’s funny because it is hard enough to get insurance to pay for some people’s rx, let alone a pet!</p>
<p>Medical insurance does NOT cover pet meds. Boy, why aren’t I that lucky? :)</p>
<p>Did the dog have a human-sounding first name? I’ll have to try that with my Ziggy if I ever need to fill a prescription for him. After all, Ziggy is just a nickname; his full name is Siegmund L-----, of course.</p>
<p>Momlove (re post #45) – it sounds like a mistake from the pharmacy. The pharmacy probably has your insurance on record in its computer system, and the dog was probably prescribed something that could also be prescribed for humans – so the pharmacist or some employee probably just ran things through the system based on your name and that’s why you were charged only your copay. It’s possible that their computer system isn’t even set up to override the family or household insurance information. (I assume that you went into the pharmacy and gave your name to the pharmacist – maybe if the dog walked in and tried to pick up its own prescription there would be a different result).</p>
<p>*Did the dog have a human-sounding first name? *</p>
<p>Do you remember the “old days” when credit card companies would just send you a credit card before you signed anything? I think they bought “lists” and then sent out credit cards.</p>
<p>Well, my MIL had a subscription to a pet magazine, but the mailing address had her dog’s name on it, “Max (family last name)”. </p>
<p>One day a Visa credit card arrived in the mailbox for Max (family last name). We still laugh about it.</p>
<p>
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<p>Oh boy would there. The one time I took him to PetSmart he ‘left a gift for them on the floor’ if you know what I mean. Now, the only place he visits is the vet. And every time I take him to the vet he 'leaves a gift for them on the floor" again if you get my drift. I think it’s his nerves. At least we never have to collect a stool sample for the vet 
- the vet gets to do it herself!</p>
<p>His name could be a human name, but the vet ordered it under his name and I picked it up as so. The pharmacies must be used to filling scrips for pets (at least those that are the same as humans - this was just an antibiotic)? Don’t remember if I told the pharmacy it was for my dog, although they never asked for his date of birth, which they always do with us humans to match us to their system. The insurance company has a list of all dependents on our policy, and he isn’t on it, so it probably just slipped through their system somehow.</p>
<p>Momlove, I can relate to your Petsmart experience! We decided to treat our pooch to a toy from said store after his vet exam. When the dog started sniffing corners of the store shelves, H took him outside just in time - the dog made a deposit right in the middle of the sidewalk! I ran to the store to get some cleaning supplies, and H stayed outside to guard the deposited “treasure” so no one could accidentally step in it. Surely enough, a bicyclist decided to take a shortcut in the middle of the sidewalk, and started signaling to H to get out of the way. Instead of stepping aside, H started making hand signs warning the bicyclist about the “minefields” ahead. The biking dude did not get it, and just kept on going angrily signalling to H to clear the road. H had to step aside to let the guy through. As soon as the guy approached the spot, he realized what was in his path. The bicyclist yelled, “Oh, s<strong>t!” and swerved off of the sidewalk. Oh, s</strong>t, indeed! Needless to say, that was our dog’s last trip to PetsMart 
If anyone needs advice on how to catheterize a male dog or how to administer a doggie enema, H and I have tons of expertise :D</p>
<p>Well thank heavens its not 8 in the morning, BunsenBurner, or I’d have to pop over to the thread about getting coffee out of a laptop! Catheterization? Canine enemas? Um, never in my life thank you very much.</p>
<p>Well, the PetSmart visit. So, I had never had a dog and got a rescued 1-year-old mutt. Had seen the commercials with all the happy little well-behaved dogs at PetSmart so we headed over with our new lovely doggie to get whatever he might possibly need to love his new home and us, and clearly, they wanted us to bring our doggies with us.</p>
<p>Big mistake. He peed in the first aisle. Oh, no problem, the clerk cleans it with a half-smile with his mop. Head to the next aisle and “plop” and then “plop” and one extra “plop” for the ultimate in embarrassment. Clerk had zero smile on his face and our dog just doesn’t go a-visiting anymore :)</p>
<p>Pill strategy- I use chicken flavored Pill pockets (bought at Pet Smart).
Which he won’t eat alone. So I put it down on the floor with a few pieces of another feline treat Guess the smell of the other treats makes the pill pocket more tasty.</p>
<p>Usually, just place pill pocket in side of his mouth, and he takes it quite well. But, the pill without the pill pocket is a battle- no fun!!!</p>
<p>I love the PetSmart commercials…</p>
<p>I keep the Bobo toy commercial as a fav on YouTube because the doxie reminds me of my doxie. </p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Petsmart Commercial – BOBO](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3FEM-pPfBQ]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3FEM-pPfBQ)</p>
<p>Speaking of giving “human” meds to pets - my old cat was hyperthryroid and was prescribed tapazol, which I purchased at our local pharmacy. I always loved picking up that prescription, just to hear the (unsuspecting) pharmacist call out “Prescription for Psycho Smith!”</p>
<p>how funny :D</p>
<p>Psycho Smith!!! LOL…</p>
<p>It’s funny how many human meds (not all) can be given to pets in correct dosages. My dogs (not cats!!!) can be given small amounts of aspirin (I buy the 71mg ones and cut them cuz my dogs are small). Dogs can also have benadryl in the correct amounts. </p>
<p>Do not let your pets lick Tea Tree oil if you put some on yourself and don’t put it on them.</p>