How To Give Pills To A Dog?
Even the most obedient pets tend to react when taking a medication. Taking into account that this is essential for the maintenance of your health, we propose 5 tips on how to administer pills to a dog.
The easiest option would be to choose the liquid version of the medicine. It turns out that it is often difficult to find a higher concentration of the active principle in an aqueous medium. Therefore, the vast majority of medicines for veterinary use are usually offered only in their solid version.
It is unlikely that the animal will naturally accept to ingest the medication. Therefore, some tips were created to make life easier for many owners.
How to administer pills to a dog?
The most important thing when giving pills to a dog is to make sure the medicine is being taken correctly.
Therefore, it is always recommended to take a look at the animal’s mouth to verify that the pill has not been under the tongue or stuck to the mucosa of the mouth or the roof of the mouth. Otherwise, the animal may spit out the pill and the treatment will have no effect.
The main thing to do so as not to harm the pet is to be patient and careful when administering any medication, even when you can choose to apply a liquid medication through a syringe.
A violent attempt to give the medicine can cause vomiting, irritation and mood swings in your pet. So when someone feels unable or afraid to medicate an animal, it’s best to go to the vet and ask for help.
Some advice on how to administer pills to a dog
1.Choose chewable medicines with a pleasant taste
Chewable medications are easier to administer, creating less work for the owners and less inconvenience for the pets. Several laboratories that manufacture pills they often release chewy versions with pleasant flavors, making you offer the medicine as if it were a treat.
2. Crush solid tablets
The size of the solid pills is usually the characteristic that makes it more difficult to administer the medicine to the dog; mainly to puppies or puppies.
A good option is to choose to crush or break the medication into small pieces. The advantage is to be able to minister more easily and without disturbing the pet. The downside is that you have to be very careful not to waste the medication and reduce the dose prescribed for our pet.
3. Dilute or dissolve the medication
The vast majority of remedies are hydrophilic. This means that they can be dissolved in water without harming their chemical composition and organic effects.
Therefore, one of the most practical tips is to dissolve the tablet in water and apply it directly to the animal’s throat with the help of a sterile syringe. It is possible to crush the tablet to dilute it more easily.
The application must be careful not to cause vomiting, wounds or throat irritation and the dog’s mouth. In addition, caution must be exercised when opening and keeping the animal’s mouth open during application.
If the dog is prone to irritable or aggressive behavior, another method is better.
4.Mix the medication with the food
A very good way to “camouflage” the unattractive smell and make the animal consume the medication voluntarily is to mix it with its food.
However, it is necessary to add moisture for the powdered tablet to integrate with the food. You can use cans of wet dog food or make a cream of rice without salt or other flavorings. Just mix the crushed medication with the food and offer it to the animal.
5. Have the animal swallow the pill
It’s a controversial method. On the one hand, it is the best thing to do to ensure that the drug is fully administered. Furthermore, it is not wasted or loses its effect due to mixing with other substances.
However, many people consider it an aggressive way to administer medication. Among other things, because it can cause vomiting, irritation and burning, in addition to irritating the dog.
Therefore, this method should not be applied to animals that have violent behavior or self defensive. It should only be chosen by more experienced owners, who trust their pet.
The way to minister is simple. It consists of opening and holding the animal’s mouth open with one hand, while pushing the pill into its throat with the other. Then make him keep his mouth shut for 1 or 2 minutes and make sure the pill hasn’t been spit out.
Main image source: Marco Stregatto
