Kruuse Buster Pet Pill/Tablet Syringe with Classic Tip

I read quite a few reviews for several different pillers. I decided on this item due to it's soft rubber tip, and it's ability to also use water to help get the pill swallowed. I have a small female Bengal cat, age 10, who began "marking" about a year ago. She lives with 2 male mutt cats who are also her age...raised together. For some reason unknown reason she decided to mark any place one of the males would walk or lay...countertops, window sills, top of the dryer, etc. It got to where it was a nightly thing, and each morning I'd have to hunt down her pee spots and clean them. Totally disgusting and frustrating. I tryed every hormone plug in, collar, natural calming treats, etc., but nothing worked. I was to the point of considering having her put to sleep. My vet recommended trying Prozac, as it was helping one of his cats with the same issue. So I decided to give it a try, as she's a doll baby other than the marking issue. First I tried compounded flavored liquid medication thinking it would be easier, but she vomited violently with the first dosage. So went to pills instead. We had to cut them into pieces, and it took 2 people to pill her each day. Occasionally if I happened not to get it down her throat deep enough, she'd spit the pill out again...and vomit, foam at the mouth, etc. We'd then have to skip that dosage and try again the next day. Not good. A few months later my son was accepted to college, and I knew I'd have to figure out how to pill her alone.I bought this item, hoping it would let me pill her easily alone. I also got a few fantastic tips from some of the reviews, which ultimately made pilling her by myself a breeze! At the same time I ordered the piller, I also ordered some very small # 4 empty gel capsules...one of the review tips! The capsules seemed expensive to me, but I was willing to try them...crossing my fingers that they would work as well has they had for other people. When they arrived, I played with the pillers water feature, but decided for my small cat, I didn't want to risk her choking on water, or inhaling it accidentally. This would work better for a larger animal I imagine. I loaded up a capsule with the meds, and tried it. It didn't eject well, and the tip retained a static charge (even after washing), and the pill would pretty much barely pop out...and then cling to the rubber tip. After trying several more times with the same basic result, both the cat and I were stressed. My son helped also, as this was a new adventure for all of us. Ever try to hold a cat still for any length of time while you "experiment" with shoving something down their throat repeatedly?? Doesn't work well...even with 2 people!! Hmmm...so I figured I had wasted my $$...I was very disappointed!!Then I remembered another tip from a reviewer... Coat the capsule with butter before loading it into the piller...which I did several times to be sure the inside of the rubber tip was also coated well. I also put a small blob of butter on the tip once the pill had been loaded. Went and hunted down the now "hiding" cat, and tried it again...still with help at this point. SUCCESS!! First try. It went down so quick and easy that my kitty wasn't sure what had just happened. PERFECT!!!That was about a month ago. Fast forward to today... Using the piller alone is a breeze, and my cat stays totally calm. Granted, she is NOT fond of having her mouth pryed open to be pilled, but she no longer fights for her life. I sit down indian style, place her between my legs, her back facing my body...this keeps her from backing up...gently reach over her head with my left hand and open her mouth...and POP!!!...it's over. Afterwards, she's actually in no hurry to leave, she let's me pet her and is totally calm. Every once in awhile she manages to spit the capsule back out (about 1 out of 10 times), but since it's coated in butter, I just place it back in the piller and repeat, and it goes down easily.Some advice... Be sure to pull the plunger fully out of the pill chamber. If I don't do this, the capsule doesn't seat all the way in the holding tip. You can visually see if it's back far enough. The capsule size I use ( # 4) is perfect for the piller and my cat. It's also fine for the very small pieces of pill I have to give her (1/4 of a pill). I could actually fit 3/4 of a pill in the capsule if I needed to...cut in several pieces. The beauty of using capsules is that the cat won't taste the medication...only the butter I use...which she likes. I'm sure that the next larger size capsule would work just as well, however, if you need to pill with large capsules, I have no idea how well it would work. But I'd definitely use butter or some other oily lubricant before loading them. The water loading feature is a nice idea, but water dissolves most pills, so if it doesn't go down the first time, it'll be wet and dissolving if you have to try again...and taste terrible for the animal. The soft tip assures that if you happen to bump delicate tissues, it won't scratch or injure anything...when hand pilling I was always worried about scratching her mouth with my nails. Just be sure the inside of the rubber tip is well coated with butter or something else...I really think this is the key to it working easily and quicklyAfter using this piller for about 5 weeks, I can say that it's been a life saver for me. I know others have had issues with it, but I haven't experienced any...other than a small learning curve. For a cat or small dog it's great...size wise for their mouths...which isn't an issue for larger animals. If anything ever happens to this piller, you can bet I'll be replacing it with the same kind!!

May 30th, 2016 Update: The new ones (ordered two just in case) came in a couple weeks ago. They look a fair bit different than my old one (still haven't found it) and I was a little concerned after reading a couple of the reviews about quality issues. I gave it a try though with an encapsulated (#3 cap) dose of Zyrtec and it went so much better and quicker than the struggles we had been having with the old "solid" plastic (no rubber tip) that I had been using while waiting. It works even better than the one I lost. Just to be sure I check the tip each time (once daily) before use to be sure it's not loose or anything but I'm very happy with what was sent. I saw the "Single Use Only" but I can't imagine these being used that way outside of a Vet's office perhaps (these couldn't be sterilized). I wouldn't share it among our other cats if any had anything communicable but outside of that, they should last a good while. I'm so happy to have something that works well again.Original:I purchased mine in Nov. 2012 and it's been super ever for my cat(s) (one in particular that needs meds regularly) except that I've lost it and am back to get another (18, May 2016). I don't think mine said "One Time Use Only". I never noticed it at least. From some of the reviews I'm seeing potential problems with the tip. I've tried others (none w/a similar soft tip) but didn't have much luck. Hopefully the quality hasn't changed.Here's what I've learned over the years to make it "easy" with my (now) 8 yr. old, 17 lb, part Maine Coon, male, A-Type cat (one of 3 cats in the house):1. Always, always, always use gel caps (#4 fits perfectly in this one). Gel caps reduce the drama by 80% (good position and control take care of most of the rest). #4 cap is not very big though. You may need to cut (single-edge razor blade or pill cutter found online or in any pharmacy) the pill and/or grind the prescribed amount and fill one or more caps. I've not had a problem with Prednisone or Zyrtec (I use generic Zyrtec: Cetirizine Hydro..5mg online which is nice and small) or other meds. I tried a number of methods w/o gel caps and w/hard-tipped syringes (for larger pills) with little or no success and a ton more drama.2. I've not tried it with water but w/#4 caps it shouldn't be needed. It's not always easy to get the exact mouth/throat placement so to make it a bit easier I coat the outside of the tip with olive oil, others have used butter. If I don't get it far enough back, he'll spit it right out so I go far enough back and get a light gag reflex and push the plunger at the same time. Done. He gets a treat in a "special" dish (just diff from regular feeding bowl and always in that same "different" bowl) right after it successfully goes down.3. I do it myself (60 yr old male, not in the best shape healthwise) and have found the best position for me to do it is from the back. With the syringe positioned (practice which fingers you want where for the the quickest/easiest plunge, you don't want to have to reposition the plunger halfway through the process :)) in my right hand, I "sit" just behind him on the kitchen floor (any place w/o a rug), pulling him into a sitting position as close to me as possible (be the boss, they'll usually react accordingly and be more docile) with my left hand. I shift my left hand up from his chest (using my forearm and elbow to keep him in place) and put my thumb and index finger at the side of his mouth and press/pull down a bit to get him to open up, insert the the syringe, pop the pill and release. Takes some practice but getting it to one quick smooth motion is possible and it's all done before he knows it. Doesn't go that smooth 100% of the time but 90% is fine with me. He huffs and puffs a bit but when I bring out the treat bowl, it's all quickly forgotten. Your mileage may vary.

I ordered one of these from Amazon on 5/20/2017 and received what I expected - the version with the soft (split) silicone tube on the tip. I know some people have had problems with this version, but it has been perfect for us. I check the tip each time to make sure it is firm and in fact it has never hinted at slipping. The split holds the pill very well and with the soft tip I can open our cat's mouth, insert the shooter pretty far back, and shoot the pill right down without any problem. The cat sits there and does not seem bothered. Yes, little pills and split pills sometimes stick, so a wider plunger would be nice, but this version works for us.See the second two attached pictures - this is what I ordered and expected.Fearing that the pill shooter might tear-up, we ordered another one on 2/25/2018. I specifically went back to the exact same source as the original pill shooter even though it was available for less (with Prime shipping) elsewhere on Amazon.What we received is unusable and dangerous. This "new" version has a hard plastic "clip" on the end that will cut a cat's throat, and that will not properly hold various sizes of pills. The tip scratched my fingers, so there was no way I would consider sticking it down my cat's throat. It is my opinion that this product should not be on the market.Also, the pictures on the Amazon entry match what I was expecting to get - what I ordered. When I went back to the entry to file for a return, I did see one new picture that shows what was delivered. See the first attached picture - this is what I receivedI am returning product for a refund, and to add insult to injury, I am forced to pay return postage.