My labrador always has phantom pregnancies. I'd like to have her spayed but vet says no as she is over weight. I've tried dieting her but as she has skin problems and has to have steroids several times a year and the aforesaid phantoms it is v hard to slim her down.
She is given Galastop for the phantom pregnancies and I always have a miserable time trying to get it down her. (so does she).
This time she absolutely WILL NOT take the medicine.
If only the makers designed the bottle with a wider mouth so that I could put in a decent syringe and then administer it in one go, it would be a really terrific help. Maker please take note. I've disguiised it and it is supposed to be tasteless I don't know what to do.
PLEASE someone help.She will NOT have the Galastop. I have tried and tried but she will not touch anything that has been near it. I want, desperately for her to get better, but she WILL NOT take the stuff.

JMA

Only once have I resorted to Galastop. If I have a bitch who has a phantom I cut the food right back (Lots of veg...very little meat) and up the excersise (Sounds like it would do her good anyway! :-) )
You need to work hard at getting the weight off her, she cannot regulate the amount you feed her so blunt as it it .. it is your fault she is so overweight. Take her swimming if you can, lots of brisk walks, cut right down on her food and substitute veg. If you feel cruel, remember the fatter she is the shorter her life will be and the more chance of orthopaedic problems, you will be doing her some real good by working hard at her diet, and it will make her feel so much better. It will give you a real scence of atchievment is you can do it as well.
Go for it, you know you can !
Aileen
PS why not squeeze out the amount you need into a bowl and then suck it up with the syringe

"If only the makers designed the bottle with a wider mouth so that I could put in a decent syringe"

A 1ml syringe will pass through the bottle neck easily. It's much easier to measure the dose with a smaller syringe as well.

I had a bitch who had 4 phantoms after being mated and never resorted to meds, she would suddenly return to normal at 6/7 weeks, cut down her food and kept her occupied.

Another one here who won't use anything for phantoms.  Lots of exercise and a big cut in food is what I would go for.

I give my bitches evening primrose oil from the middle of their season.   The oldest one had awful phantoms and used to be very full of milk, but is much better now.  Cutting her food never worked, despite it working for her mum.  The youngest one has't had a phantom since starting the EP

EP is know to help with skin problems too :-)

EP is known to be a problem for epileptics though

Thankyou for your reply, but if I use the given syringe, I have to do it 4 times according to the amount my vet recommendsa. A larger neck-hole would enable me to insert a larger syringe and get the dose down in one go. After the first dose she will not even approach the syringe.I find that the smaller ones just don't suck up the full amount. I wish the medicine would come in capsules.
Thanks for caring. J

can you not find a bit of tubing.plastic straw taped tight to syringe nozzle to attach to the right size syringe or there are stoppers for the top of the bottles and you invert the bottle with syringe attached.

Go to the chemist and buy a larger sryinge. I tend to save all sorts of sryinges, just wash out well and put into some boiling water for 5 mins then wrap in a clean new bag or clingfilm and tuck away in your medicine box for future use. You can give the vet a ring and ask for a larger one as well. prob free of charge.
All sryinges have the same sized neck so it may be nessesary to pour some into a small container and suck it up into the lager sryinge.
Aileen

Whenever i have a liquid to dose with I use one of those medicine measuring cups, (like in cough mixture) and pour some into that then pull the required amount with syringe, if it's 5ml 10ml etc you can  simply sue the measuring cup.

Your post is interesting Dill.  Some years ago I had a lump in my breast.  The doctor I saw said it wasn't suspect, but hormonal.  He put me on huge quantities of EPO for 8 weeks.  It worked.  :-)

Jean, that's really interesting, makes me wonder how many women could be helped.

I take it daily for hormonal reasons and for my skin, it's made a huge difference.  If I don't take it for a while I soon know about it

can you not just decant the galastop into another container?

Thank you for the EPO from mid-season Dill, I'll try that with my bitch who usually times her phantoms in time for a show *rolls eyes*!  where's that 'thanks or like' button?!