Yes - of course. Thanks for posting. Fantastic information!
From @Beth
This is a lot, but hopefully there is something for you to glean from this novel, stained with my blood sweat and tears.
Iāve had medicine compounded into a tuna flavored liquid that I would mix with tuna juice (liquid from salt free human canned tuna). I would have the medicine done in a super concentrated formula instead of relying on their much bigger dose supplied with their flavorings. This worked some of the time.
Pills in hidden in churu tuna goop have never worked for my cats more than once or twice because they could smell/taste the pills.
My cats have never been willing to eat Greenies pill pockets, but until that fateful day my cat bit into his pill pocket and foamed at the mouth when tasting the hidden pill, one of them LOVED Royal Canin Pill Assist for Cats. They are harder to find.
One cat would eat pills hidden inside Churu Bites (you sorta stick the pills into the soft center). This worked until the cat one day bit into the pill.
https://www.chewy.com/inaba-churu-bites-chicken-recipe/dp/262444
My vet taught me to pill using a pill gun which worked for me, but it also ruined our relationship because my cat feared me. (RapaAdmin just posted one, silicone soft tip)
The vet taught me to be behind the cat and stick the gun into the side of her mouth. This prevented the stress of seeing something coming straight at her face.
I was then turned onto these vetoquinol pill wraps that work, and, knock on wood, are still working. But, I do doctor up the wrapsā¦
https://www.chewy.com/vetoquinol-pill-wrap-dogs-cats/dp/102186
I was coating them in Purina Fortiflora that most cats love. Itās a low quality probiotic, but the taste drives many cats wild (supposedly itās the flavor they spray onto kibble). When my cat eventually bit into the pill, he stopped liking fortiflora
https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets/dp/49853
Then I was coating the wrap with nutritional yeast which a lot of cats loveā¦ until he bit into a pillā¦ kill me
Drum rollā¦.
Then I learned to put any pills given into empty gelcaps!!!
This tip changed my life. The cat almost never smells or tastes anything which makes it easier to hide pills into treats/pockets etc. This means that, at least so far, the cat never gets turned off to a particular treat/coating. (When wet, these gelcaps dissolve quickly, so it behooves you to get said gelcap into said cat before your cover is blown).
I think itās also kinder to use a gelcap when pilling them with the gun, because even if successful, they never have to have a bitter taste stuck in their mouth which makes it easier when you need to do it again. If pilling, I coat the gelcap with pork fat or butter to help it slide down.
I have a variety of gelcap sizes. 5 are my smallest, but if I have a wider pill, instead of cutting it up into many pieces to stick it into the size 5, Iāll put those in a larger cap and cut the half shorter and then put the top cap back on and create a little round pill vs an oversized oval that is too big.
Even if I have to pill a cat these days, which is rare, because they donāt smell/taste anything, while they donāt like what just happened, they really donāt understand what I did.
If you are looking for a slow release empty gel cap for rapa, I found these when buying something else from them. From what I know, they are a trustworthy company. I saw someone else posted about them in another thread
(Regular gelcaps on amazon are dirt cheap, btw)
Putting pills into gelcaps and hiding them in treats is going to be the most economical method. If my day wasnāt filled with giving pills, itās what Iād still do.
I buried the leadā¦
After trying multiple compounding pharmacies and even the famous wedgewood (my cats wouldnāt take one thing from them), a few months ago I discovered Mix Lab.
I can not say enough good things about their service and product. They are quick to respond and you can text and ask if they can compound rapa.
My #1 life changing medicine product is their āMicroā tuna chew because itās the smallest thing Iāve ever seen. Pure sorcery! (See below image).
For one cat, I put multiple micro chews into the vetoquinol pill wrap, then I coat the sticky wrap in powdered chicken liver (because he still doesnāt want to eat the wrap as is), then I put that wrap on top of a tiny bed of bonito flakes and a couple of other treats, and then he inhales it. Aside from liking it, a bed of flakes helps get whatever is on top of it into his mouth because it keeps anything from sticking to the plate and getting pushed around as heās licking. This method would still work with a pill inside of a gelcap, but this is easier due to the tiny size and how many pills I need to give him multiple times per day.
My other cat gets her micro chews into a blob of delectables goop, with no wrap (delectables, because as noted about, pill tastes have ruined the churu option) and a little liver power on top of the goop blob. The powder gives it a little grip to prevent her from just licking everything and accidentally leaving pills on the plate
Here is a visual of a couple of their chews. (Even if they donāt compound rapa, they might come in handy for something else one day. So far, with success, I have gotten chews for prednisone, telmisartan, palladia, cerenia, gabapentin, and clopidogrel. One day I even stuck a bunch of the micro chews into an empty gel cap.
I still want to explore the rapa for cats question, but with their multiple comorbidities, and knowing I shouldnāt take rapa if I get sick, Iām not sure what might be a contraindication
