Medications in Transdermal Gel form offer relief to caregivers & their companion animals
Does your daily routine include administering medication to your cat or dog? Has your companion animal grown wise to camouflaging techniques, such as hiding the pill in a treat or canned food, only to eat around it or spit it out? Using a pill gun or "pill popper" may ensure the pill goes down the hatch, but may cause momentary anxiety to all parties involved.
If you would like a non-invasive method to administer medications, ask your veterinarian if a transdermal gel may be an option. Many medications can be made into a gel-like substance, to be applied to the inside of your cat or dog's ear, where it is absorbed into your pet's bloodstream. The following conditions may be treated with a transdermal form of the medication listed (this is not an exhaustive list):
- Feline hyperthyroidism - Tapazole® (generic: Methimazole)
- Antibiotic - Flagyl® (generic: Metronidazole)
- Anxiety /Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - Elavil® (generic: Amitriptyline); Anafranil® (generic: Clomipramine)
Ask your veterinarian if the required medication is easily absorbed in transdermal form, and if bloodwork should be done within a period after starting the medication. Sometimes transdermal medications may not be completely absorbed into the animal's bloodstream, which could lead to serious complications. Do lots of research and ask your veterinarian lots of questions to make an informed decision.
How it works
| 1. | Your veterinarian prescribes the medication. The transdermal may be available at the veterinary hospital, or may need to be phoned in to a special "compounding pharmacy" such as Mark Drugs. |
| 2. | The medication comes in applicator tubes like the ones shown here. Latex gloves are also supplied. It is absolutely imperative that latex/vinyl gloves be worn when administering the medication to prevent it from being absorbed through your skin. |
| 3. |
 Put
a latex glove on either your entire hand, or on the finger that will be used
to apply the medication. Remove the cap. |
| 4. |
 Slowly
push the white part of the applicator tube up to dispense the amount
prescribed. Doses are marked on the tube. |
| 5. | Apply the medication to a non-furry part on the inside of your cat or dog's ear. |
| 6. | Remove the glove and wash your hands. |
Multiple medications
If your pet requires two or more medications daily, it may be possible for the medications to be compounded into one gel -- depending on the medications, doses, and possible drug interactions. Some medications do not have interactions once inside the body, but have interactions while being mixed/compounded outside the body. Consult with your veterinarian.
Cost
As with all medications, prices vary by medication and dose. To give a ballpark on anti-anxiety medications, one of our volunteer's personal cats has been prescribed Clomipramine for inappropriate marking (urinating on furniture). This 10-lb. cat takes .1 ml of Clomipramine once daily (one applicator tube contains 10 doses). The monthly prescription at Mark Drugs is $37. Previously, this anxious kitty was on Amitriptyline, which cost around $25 per month. Our volunteer has found the transdermal gel to be worth every cent!
Quality of Life
Compounded medications can offer an improvement to quality of life. Some cats and dogs happily take a pill as if it were a treat; others strongly protest. In our experience, if a cat or dog does not have to go through the trauma of being pilled daily, it significantly improves their quality of life and temperament. (We might be cranky too, if someone shoved 3 pills per day down our throats.)
Learn how PACT has used transdermal medications to improve the quality of life for cats in our care.