Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T GUESS
Never administer any kind of medication to your cat without first
consulting your veterinarian. Do not assume a remedy that has been
recommended in the past for a particular symptom will again be
appropriate if the same or a similar symptom appears. Many medical
conditions resemble one another, but their treatments may be very
different. Don't guess at what treatment is right for your cat.
Using a compounding pharmacy can add to the cost of the med-
ication, but it's worth it if you are then able to get the medicine into
your cat.
Another form of medication becoming more widely used is trans-
dermal.The medication is made into a cream that is applied to a hair-
less area, such as the inside of the ears.The biggest problems with trans-
dermal medications are that they are not uniformly absorbed through
the skin, there is no easy way to measure whether they are reaching
therapeutic levels in the blood and it is not known if they are bio-
chemically changed when they are absorbed. At this time, routine use
of transdermal medications is cautioned except in cases where a
response can be measured, such as lowering thyroid hormone levels in
the blood of cats treated with transdermal methimazole.
A final option for the difficult-to-medicate patient is taking him to
a boarding facility where trained staff administer the medication prop-
erly. However, sick cats seem to do better at home, where the stress lev-
els are lower than at a boarding facility. So if you can medicate your cat
yourself at home, it's worth the effort.
