Guest Billysmom Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Hello, I'm new here, but have been reading y'alls posts every day for quite some time while deciding to take the plunge and adopt. I took the plunge . I adopted a precious big guy who just turned three, and has seizures of unknown origin. He's on two meds, one of which is the liquid Potassium Bromide, which he absolutely >>> deeeeee spises <<<. When I pick up the bottle he literally turns and slinks away. His pill is no problem... I stick it in cheese and he thinks I'm the greatest thing EVER. But THIS stuff is GROSS. I tasted it myself. No WONDER he doesn't want to take it! It tastes like salty, dirty, soapy water!! BLECH!! I put it in canned food.... it worked once, but he caught on. In peanut butter? Same thing. Yogurt? He smelled it. Pumpkin and chicken broth didn't fly at all. Soooo, I just went back to my old stand by with my previous breed and pulled it up in the syringe and gave it to him straight. Well.... THAT lasted all of about 15 seconds. He barfed it rrrrrright back up!! LOL!! I swear, it's like we're having a battle of the wills at this point. I say, "You're taking this medicine!" and he says, "Nooooo I'm not!!" Has anyone been SUCCESSFUL at hiding this nastied up stuff in anything? I know it comes in pill form, and it can probably be compounded for his exact dosage. But I've got an entire bottle of this. Any help would sure be appreciated!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryJane Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 It really needs to be given with food as it can irritate the throat and the stomach but, as you said the taste is disgusting ..... I put it in my dog's meal twice a day and she doesn't have a problem but, it's about 2 cups of food so gets well-hiden. You might want to try giving it in yogurt and applesauce but, you'll need a few tablespoons (1/2 cup) to disguise the flavor. There are pills but, they will be more money. And, thanks for adopting a boy with seizures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Might try a banana chunk or hot dog chunk. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cristar Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Our boy hated the bromide too. I tried putting it in his food but then he refused to eat. I finally resorted to just squirting it on a piece of bread and shoving it down his throat - I know, sounds cruel but that's the only way I could get it down him. I always did it right before his meals (morning and night) and then we'd feed him right away so the horrible taste of the salt was washed down. Yup, there are pills and that's easier but if your boy is like ours, we had to regulate the dosage so often that the liquid just worked better for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Is it a huge dose? Can you use one of those syringes that you use with Metacam? Those are great for squirting liquid down the back of the throat. I see that it can be irritating and needs to be taken with food... but can the meal not be eaten immediately afterwards? Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallgreydogmom Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I would put it in their kibble. No problems with them taking it. It does have a terrible taste, I tried it. I might have wet the kibble down a little. Quote Then God sent the Greyhound to live among man and remember. And when the Day comes, God will call the Greyhound to give Testament, and God will pass judgment on man. (Persian Proverb) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradymom Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I had to drink it before I had major surgery in my early 20s. I had really low potassium levels and they needed to shock my system because they could not postpone or delay my surgery. I offered to eat pounds of bananas to no avail. I would mash it in sardines-tripe- thinking maybe the fishy taste and smell will mash.. mash well and make a paste. What about avocados, mashed cooked sweet potatoes... I don't know what your dietary restictions are but I am trying to think out side the box. Hope this helps. Quote The handsome boy Brady, mid-morning nap. The sun, the sun feels so, so, so good. I can't keep my eyes open ... ... Retirement agrees ... ... and the Diva Ms India, 2001 - 10/16/2009 .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 (edited) Huh, I don't hear of too many vets prescribing KBr anymore. I know it's less taxing on the liver than Pb, but can have a lot of weird side effects. I'm just wondering (and I understand he's very new, so you might not know), did they settle on this protocol because other meds didn't work? I've had great luck with Zonisamide for my seizure boy. He's on 200 mg twice a day, no side effects, no liver damage, and the seizures are very well controlled. The price isn't too bad either. Best of all, it comes in pill form! Edited May 27, 2015 by a_daerr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Billysmom Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Wow! Thanks for all the replies and help, y'all! I must confess, I had no idea my little buddy ("little"... HA!) can eat most of the things y'all mentioned. Bananas, applesauce, hot dogs, sweet potatoes, avocados, sardines, etc. My angel babies were all 5 pound Chihuahuas, with my most recent precious Annie sent to Heaven on April 8th. She was 15. If I had given any one of my four, but especially her, any of those things, we would have been in the ER within 30 minutes. It's nice to know I have a variety of things to try now!! Billy Boy was on this med, and two others when I got him. Potassium Bromide @ 5ml morning only, AND Phenobarbital @ 1.5 morning and evening, AND Soloxine @ 0.5mg morning and evening. I will definitely ask about the other med. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!! Let's see.... I have tried putting it in his kibble and he wouldn't go near it. I tried hiding it in yogurt and peanut butter to no avail. When he first arrived he WAS taking it in half a container of canned food. That lasted exactly one day. Then he would not touch it. I thought it might be the bowl, the temperature, the height it was being served, the location.... I tried everything. So now I'm just using the 5ml Metacam type syringe and just squirting it down his throat gently. BUT he gags terribly, and has three times thrown it immediately back up. Like... immediately. He seems to have a really sensitive gag reflex. LOL, of COURSE he does, LOL!!! I think the idea of the sardines is excellent. Stinky and a bit salty. I will most definitely get those and try them. Oh... and I can't believe a HUMAN had to DRINK THIS. Oh. My. God. You'd just have to go on and kill me, 'cause that ain't happenin'. Again, thanks for all the suggestions!! I'm LOVIN' my boy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiveRoooooers Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 How much does he get with each dose? I wonder if filling capsules would work. Quote Old Dogs are the Best Dogs. Thank you, campers. Current enrollees: Punkin. AnnIE Oooh M Angels: Pal . Segugio. Sorella (TPGIT). LadyBug. Zeke-aroni. MiMi Sizzle Pants. Gracie. Seamie . (Foster)Sweet. Andy. PaddyALVIN!Mayhem. Bosco. Bruno. Dottie B. Trevor Double-Heart. Bea. Cletus, KLTO. Aiden 1-4. Upon reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBass Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Can the compounding pharmacy flavor it in some way to make it lee icky? Sadly, it's been several years now since I was dealing with Piper's epilepsy, but if I recall correctly, his KBr was purchased from a compounding pharmacy and they could add various flavors to the liquid. For the current bottle, something strongly flavored and scented might help...sardines, mackerel, cheapo canned dog food. I lived in Summerville for about 7 years and loved it there. Lucy Quote Lucy with Greyhound Nate and OSH Tinker. With loving memories of MoMo (FTH Chyna Moon), Spirit, Miles the slinky kitty (OSH), Piper "The Perfect" (Oneco Chaplin), Winston, Yoda, Hector, and Claire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revamp Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 (edited) I have a seizure dog who was on potassium bromide (tablets) for about a year. All it seemed to do for him is make him nauseated and frequently vomit and had the odd side-effect of discoloring his fur (he's white and the KBromide made his eyes and mouth feet and ears turn brown. Due to continued seizures he was changed to Zonisamide and Phenobarb and dropped the KBromide. The staining cleared up completely, the vomiting stopped, and his seizures are (mostly) now under control. I'm not personally a fan of the drug. Edited May 30, 2015 by revamp Quote ~Amanda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatricksMom Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Once you get the pill form, also buy empty gel caps at the compounding pharmacy (or get them from someone who uses sprinkled cosequine. Pop the pill in there, stick the gel cap in something he likes. Quote Beth, Petey (8 September 2018- ), and Faith (22 March 2019). Godspeed Patrick (28 April 1999 - 5 August 2012), Murphy (23 June 2004 - 27 July 2013), Leo (1 May 2009 - 27 January 2020), and Henry (10 August 2010 - 7 August 2020), you were loved more than you can know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane4114 Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 We have a GH on potassium bromide. The compounding pharmacy we use has 3 flavorings in addition to the non flavored. Chicken, beef and peanut butter. This dog eats it willing in his food. The first flavor was chicken. Although they say there was no chicken protein in it, he seemed to be losing fur. The second bottle was peanut butter. Whether it was the peanut flavor or the addition of melatonin, his fur has grown back. It is my understanding that the more often you have to give the medication, it leaves their system quicker. Some dogs do better on the bromide because it stays in their system longer, our dog gets one dose per day. It's a fair amount, to much to put in a capsule. Quote Willow( Hi Tech Popandgo ) CGC #31965 Calico Salad x MayPop 8-9-93/9-24-07 Austin( Nodak Austin ) #55202 Chrisse's Twelve x Lotsa Liz 2-25-96/2-15-05 Matt( Kelsos Metaphor ) #90695 Oswald Cobblepot x Kelso's Movita 8-10-00/2-28-14 Buddy (Aljo Class Act) #78137 Action By Design x Miss Classy 12-8-98/8-29-09 Sonny (Onaim Excalibur)#97927 Flying Train x Rough Diamond 9-7-01/1-9-2016Hunter (SS Snow Roll) #35135 Craigie Whistler x Lightning Snow 10-4-2005/9-23-17 Leo (Yolo Empleo)#72060 4-13-18 Fiesta Paraguas x Mega Bien Hecho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Billysmom Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Thanks for all the additional replies and suggestions. Although Billy is getting "better" at taking it straight, (meaning he's not resisting me as much), he still huffs and puffs and gags and acts like I've cut a limb off or something. Holy DRAMA KING, Bat Man!! The capsule idea was a good one. I was already checking it out! (Great minds think alike!) Unfortunately, it's just too much liquid, the capsules would start melting before he'd swallow it, he'd smell it... just a whole mess. Soooo.... my daughter is checking the cost of having pills compounded. If that's too much, maybe he'll take the beef or chicken flavored liquid. And finally, I will definitely be looking into the Zonisamide. And Lucy? We love Summerville so much that we'll never leave. Been here over 25 years now. For the past 10 we've owned a 145 year old home right downtown in the historic section. Love, love, LOVE this place!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryJane Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I just noticed that you are giving it once a day -- talk to your vet about doing 1/2 dose in AM and 1/2 dose in PM. That should make it easier to get it down. Also, you don't worry so much if a dose gets missed because there will be another one later in the day. Also, talk to the vet about switching to NaBr (Sodium Bromide). It has less of the side effects that the Kbr has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBass Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Isn't Summerville a wonderful town! Lovely, welcoming, and historic. I miss it. I hope you get your boy's meds sorted out so that it won't be such a fight. Lucy Quote Lucy with Greyhound Nate and OSH Tinker. With loving memories of MoMo (FTH Chyna Moon), Spirit, Miles the slinky kitty (OSH), Piper "The Perfect" (Oneco Chaplin), Winston, Yoda, Hector, and Claire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I have a seizure dog who was on potassium bromide (tablets) for about a year. All it seemed to do for him is make him nauseated and frequently vomit and had the odd side-effect of discoloring his fur (he's white and the KBromide made his eyes and mouth feet and ears turn brown. Due to continued seizures he was changed to Zonisamide and Phenobarb and dropped the KBromide. The staining cleared up completely, the vomiting stopped, and his seizures are (mostly) now under control. I'm not personally a fan of the drug. I'm active on a canine epilepsy site, and this seems to be the general consensus about KBr as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boopieface Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 My vet had a compounding pharmacy make up capsules with the powder because we did a lot of travelling with the dog and the KBR is supposed to be refrigerated if it is a liquid and that was tough to travel with. Apparently it is a powder first, then it gets "made" into a liquid for most patients. Ask if they can do this for your boy. Good luck! Quote Aljo Atomic Kogo and DC Man of Steal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3greytjoys Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 No avocados please. Avocados are toxic to dogs and cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiveRoooooers Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 The capsule idea was a good one. I was already checking it out! (Great minds think alike!) Unfortunately, it's just too much liquid, the capsules would start melting before he'd swallow it, he'd smell it... just a whole mess. Soooo.... my daughter is checking the cost of having pills compounded. If that's too much, maybe he'll take the beef or chicken flavored liquid. And finally, I will definitely be looking into the Zonisamide. Is it possible to put the capsules in his food, "hiding" them by covering with nuked sweet or mashed potato, peanut butter, banana, or something similar that he likes and can have? Quote Old Dogs are the Best Dogs. Thank you, campers. Current enrollees: Punkin. AnnIE Oooh M Angels: Pal . Segugio. Sorella (TPGIT). LadyBug. Zeke-aroni. MiMi Sizzle Pants. Gracie. Seamie . (Foster)Sweet. Andy. PaddyALVIN!Mayhem. Bosco. Bruno. Dottie B. Trevor Double-Heart. Bea. Cletus, KLTO. Aiden 1-4. Upon reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KF_in_Georgia Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Re. Avocados: Avocado contains a toxin called persin, but despite the rumors, avocado is not poisonous to dogs, nor likely to cats. Only certain species are poisoned by persin. While dogs and cats don’t seem to be affected by persin, avocado poisoning can be deadly to birds and large animals (such as cattle). The bigger risk to dogs and cats is a foreign body obstruction, which can occur if the dog swallowed the whole large, round avocado seed; due to size alone, this seed can get stuck in the esophagus, stomach or intestinal tract of dogs. Quote Kathy and Q (CRT Qadeer from Fuzzy's Cannon and CRT Bonnie) and Jane (WW's Aunt Jane from Trent Lee and Aunt M); photos to come. Missing Silver (5.19.2005-10.27.2016), Tigger (4.5.2007-3.18.2016), darling Sam (5.10.2000-8.8.2013), Jacey-Kasey (5.19.2003-8.22.2011), and Oreo (1997-3.30.2006) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoundHeavenAZ Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Sorry to hear you're having to deal with the liquid PB, that sounds awful! Jimmie takes the 500 mg tablets of PB and 1.5 tabs of pheno twice a day so I feel very fortunate that I found the magic formula for him is cream cheese. He is totally believing that I give him a gifts of love each time he gets them Not sure what I'd try to disguise it besides what's been suggested, maybe a big gob of chunky peanut butter?? Best of luck with your sweet boy. Quote Jody, Leah & JimmieYou left us much, much too soon Lima & Chip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Billysmom Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Ok, I have a GREAT NEWS to report!!! Billy has decided to... well, for lack of a better term... "work with me".... on taking the liquid. YAAAAAY!!! He has fallen SO in love with me that he actually lets me open his mouth, and gently squirt it down his throat. Then I talk to him very softly in his ears, telling him what a GOOD BOY he is.... and THEN we go get PEANUT BUTTER, hahahaha!!! :beatheart Yeah, it's probably not actually meeeeee he's in love with, but the thought of the impending PEANUT BUTTER.... buuuuut I can pretend it's me. THANK YOU EVERYONE for all your suggestions!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBass Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Oh what good news! Billy, you are a good, loving, sweet, cooperative boy. You deserve your reward of peanut butter. Quote Lucy with Greyhound Nate and OSH Tinker. With loving memories of MoMo (FTH Chyna Moon), Spirit, Miles the slinky kitty (OSH), Piper "The Perfect" (Oneco Chaplin), Winston, Yoda, Hector, and Claire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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