EASY AEROKAT USE: TIPS AND TRICKS - by Sacha Dam-de Vrijer
Dierenartsenpraktijk West-Betuwe - the Netherlands
1. Cat’s love their routine, they put trust in a predictable daily pattern
2. You know your cat best! Having a temperament which trusts you in all matters and adapts to a medication routine immediately with happy purrs, either clinging to the ceiling or hiding under the bed, no matter in which category they fall, the goal is for them to associate the "med time" with what they find routine and pleasurable.
3. Think of places and activities that your cat enjoys. Does she have a favourite spot in the house? What does she like as a reward? Praise, cuddles, stroking, catnip, treats and/or food? Bed time? Your arrival home? There's usually several things on your list and you can combine them in your ‘best reward’ strategy to make using an inhaler as stress-free as possible.
4. Let the cat get used to the inhalation process and start with the face mask: acclimatise your cat to this object over several days, letting him/her investigate it on the floor or by the food bowl. Leave it at her favourite spot, put some food on the mask to lick off, stroke her with verbal praise and stroke her with the chamber to get her personal scent on it.
5. Reward fearless approaches to the device with a suitable reward like food, catnip or stroking, and start placing it near the cat's face. Detach the face mask and place it on the cat's nose area for just a second with a suitable reward. Build up from there. Watch carefully for signals that she’s had enough and stop there.
6. Practice with the mask and chamber over your cat's face without anything in the chamber, and reward the cat for not reacting adversely.
7. If a cat is on Salbutamol, administer this bronchodilator first, to allow better delivery of the corticosteroid.
8. The puff sound of an inhaler, which most cats dislike, is a common concern for new users. But the sound can simply become part of the happy activity, or at the least, the tolerated activity that gets the treat. It’s better to preload the chamber with a puff of medication (in addition to the dose required) and place the mask over the muzzle, and be sure to hold it for four to six breaths.
9. Keep track of the puffs so you know when your MDI is nearing empty.
10. Let the cat drink water afterwards, they don’t like the smell or taste of the inhaler medication and prevents fungal overgrowth caused by the locally acting corticosteroids in the oral area. Don’t forget the treats!
You know your cat best and with a plan, patience and lots of love, you'll have success. The key points are: predictable daily pattern, safety, choice, reward. In the beginning, it seems impossible to imagine our cats will come seeking us out to tell us what time it is - their med time! But eventually they all do!
Looks easy? Maybe not at first! Do you want to see how we struggled at first trying the Aerokat inhaler on our own cats? And how we eventually succeeded? Have fun watching this RU-vid movie: IMBEDDEN. Questions? Call us on 0345-573211 or email info@dierenartswestbetuwe.nl
Greetings,
The team of Veterinary Practice West-Betuwe
25 июл 2024