Congestive Heart Failure

[smilingcat]

tricks to get a cat to take a hard pill.

one is to coat the pill in baby formula. Gerber baby food chicken/turkey/beef/lamb in broth. Chicken works the best. Let the kitty lick just the baby food and when the cats gets excited with the food, take a dab of baby food on your finger and stick the pill in middle of the dab of baby food and give it to the cat. Make sure you don't get bit.

If you still have a problem, after the pill is in the cat's mouth, squirt about 0.5cc (0.5ml) of water into the mouth. This forces the cat to drink the water and the cat will swallow the pill. Don't squirt the water down the throat, just into its mouth. use a syringe without the needle.

The trick has worked every time. We have a cat who has to take meds everyday and he is only 3 yo.

[skhill]

This thead has me a bit alarmed-- I think my elderly dog Pokey might have CHF. He's been coughing for a while, panting a lot, and he keeps running out of gas on his walk, and having to sit down and rest a bit. Thought it was probably a combination of the heat and humidity, his thyroid condition, and his bad kidneys. But maybe his heart is involved too. Time to call the vet...

Good luck with Hunter-- hope he's feeling better fast.

[nancielle]

Smilingcat, thanks for the suggestion. I picked up some baby food today to see if he'll take some of that. I hate the stress that pilling puts on him.

Brandi, not sure if treatments have changed much. This is my first experience with a really serious health issue with any animal. The vet did suggest having a cardiologist look at him. If finances permit, I may consider that. Right now he's just on meds and he spends most of his time sleeping or staring off into space (seriously!)

But Ghost continues to give him his space. Every now and then he will walk over and sniff at him then he walks away.

Again, thanks for all the good wishes and healing juju being sent my little punkinhead's way.

[Tri Girl]

sending healing vibes and good wishes your way. I know how much we love our pets and want the best for them. I hope that you can figure out how to deal with this best. Hugs to you both!

[alexis_the_tiny]

Poor Hunter, feel better soon!! Another way of pilling a cat, if its ok to crush the pill, grind it up and mix it into a small spoonful of those cheap canned foods in a really smelly flavor like sardines. The stink of the fish combined with the salt is usually enough to make a finicky cat ignore the pill.