Pet medication - it's a hairy issue

Administering pet medication can be a challenge for both animals and their owners. But Boehringer Ingelheim is making this veterinary task easier with new, innovative pet medication formats and tastier options. Plus, pet owners and vets are sharing their tips and tricks to help with pet medication.

Coping with cats

Delivering medications or injections to our furry companions is almost never easy. Cats in particular have a reputation for being independent, albeit loving, members of the family. “Generally, it's a tough veterinary task for cat owners,” says Fouad Jeweidi, head of marketing India, Middle East & Africa, Boehringer Ingelheim in the United Arab Emirates. “If cats don't want to do something, they won't.”

Giving pet medication to two of my cats is a struggle. I always end up with my skin scratched big time.

Fouad Jeweidi, head of marketing India, Middle East & Africa for Boehringer Ingelheim in the United Arab Emirates

Of course, the degree of difficulty depends on the cat. Fouad has seven cats, all under four years old. “Giving pet medication to two of my cats is a struggle. I always end up with my skin scratched big time,” he says. Frosty and Anna sometimes have been so resistant that he has taken them to the vet “just to make sure they took their medications.”

“With cats, you want them to think the medications are their idea,” says Fran Rotondo, technical services veterinarian in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. “If you can trick them to take the tablets without handling them, that's the best method of pet medication. You have to try different ways until you find one that works.”

Tricks, treats and tablets

Some cats don't even need trickery. One of Fran's cats, Vera Lynn, takes an antidepressant. “She's easy, so I can put the capsule right in her mouth,” Fran says.

Her other cat, nine-year-old Rosie, is more challenging. Rosie was diagnosed with diabetes about a year ago and takes a once-a-day oral, liquid diabetes medication. “I put the medication on a bit of food, and Rosie eats it,” Fran says. Pet owners can use the syringe that comes with this pet medication to administer the liquid directly into the cat's mouth. “Rosie is a very skittish cat, so this has been amazing for her diabetes management.”

“You don't want to ruin the human-animal bond,” Fran points out. So, particularly with pet medication for chronic conditions, it's important to find stress-free delivery methods.

Pet medication: dealing with dogs

Some say dogs are easier, but pet medication is still tricky. Take it from self-described “cat guy” Marcus Rahmel, working as device platform lead at Boehringer Germany, who was already well-versed in giving pet medication to cats when he adopted Rosalie, an Australian shepherd, during the pandemic. “She was eight weeks old. We have a very close relationship, and I think she trusts me, so it's easier for me to give her pet medication than it is for others who know her.”

Only a week after coming home, Rosalie was stung on the eyelid by a bee. “When she had an eye infection recently, she remembered that, so getting the eye drops and ointment into her eyes was a huge challenge,” Marcus says. He solved the problem by moving the eye drops to a different location in his home. While he was petting her, he quickly squirted in the solution before Rosalie realized the pet medication was coming.

To minimize the stress, Marcus relies on what he calls “the three Ts: trust, tricks, and treats.” For flea and tick treatments, for instance, Marcus uses a pet medication that looks like a treat. “It's flavored, and Rosalie is very interested in everything that looks like food,” he says.

Singapore veterinarian Dr. Brian Loon deploys other tactics for administering medications. Dr. Loon is co-founder of Amber Vet in Singapore where he treats cats and dogs. He also opened a dedicated cat clinic in 2017. “It helps to come from behind the cat or dog, lift the head up, and then drop the eyedrops straight down into the eye. It takes a bit of practice, but if you do it swiftly and give them a treat or playtime afterward, they associate the administration of pet medication with something positive.”

Top 3 tips and tricks

Follow the pet medication with play or petting.

Look for easy-to-dose medicine formats.

Reserve the very best treats for times when you need absolute obedience.

Making injections less stressful

For small, wriggly cats or dogs, Dr. Loon advises wrapping them snugly in a towel, only exposing their head. “We call it a burrito wrap,” he says. It helps with eyedrops, as well as with tablets and other medications.

With injections, pet owners can use a topical anesthetic to numb the skin slightly before inserting the needle, provided this would be in line with the respective pet medication's label, he explains. “Owners can also ask their vet about the smallest needle that can be used.” Cats and dogs have looser skin than humans, so they don't really feel an injection as much, he points out.

Boehringer Ingelheim's commitment:

Boehringer Ingelheim makes it easier to give pets their medicines by developing pet medications that are tailored to their specific needs - they can be given less frequently or in easier-to-administer formats such as chewables, topicals, capsules or oral solutions. For instance, medications against heart disease in dogs are available as chewables, capsules or oral solutions. The company's broad-spectrum antiparasitic medication comes as a tasty monthly chew loved by dogs, and for cats Boehringer offers an easy spot-on solution. For cats and dogs there are liquid medications available such as solutions and suspensions which owners can easily administer either by mixing them with a small amount of food or by putting them directly into the pet's mouth.