From:
Pam Sessoms
Date: 2002-01-23 22:20:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Question about carafate dosage.
KC,
Understand I'm not a vet, but I've given a lot of carafate...
On Thu, 24 Jan 2002, kgc4981 wrote:
> I just came from the only vet in my area that will even look at
> ferrets. My four year old female has ulcers. The Vet gave me
> carafate. What she left for me was 600 mg tablet and said to give
> 1/16th of it. My question is how would give a ferret a 1/16th of a
> pill and how often.
Something may be weird about this... I've only ever seen Carafate tabs in
1 gram (1000 mg) form; never 600 mg. Has anyone else ever seen a 600 mg
form before? Is it a whole, unbroken tablet? Is the 600 mg written on
the tablet itself, and does it say anything else on it? Also, from the
doses I've given, 1/16th of 600 mg would be a really tiny dose: 37.5 mg.
How big is the ferret? If she's itty-bitty that may be alright; still
sounds really small though.
OK, that said, probably the easiest way to dose carafate tablets is to
turn them into a suspension with water. Do NOT grind up the
tablet! Sounds crazy, but ground up carafate powder is nearly impossible
to mix up with water. Find a small bottle with a lid, drop the tab in
whole, and then add a measured amount of water. With a 1 g tab, I add 10
cc's of water for easy math. Just read ahead, and others have done the
math for your dose, so I won't tax my brain on that. :) Anyway, if it's
carafate, the whole tab will just fall apart into a solution that looks
like milk when you shake it. You'll have to shake it and then draw it up
into your syringe fast, before it can settle, each time you dose it. Give
it 15-30 minutes before food; if you add other meds, ask the pharmacist
about how to time things.
> I also asked about biaxin and was told the vet said she never heard of
> it. So I wonder if there is anyplace I can get some of it?
It's a prescription medication, so you may need to try again with your
vet...
Best wishes,
-Pam S.