No matter what animal you have as a pet, the odds are that you will have to provide them with medical care at some stage in their special lives. You will also probably be asked by your vet to administer the medication to them. Most of the time it can be a fairly easy process, but then there can be those tricky cases where some advice could make your life much easier.
Lets look at the various options that you can try out:
- Placing the medication directly in their food bowl, mixed with their normal food.
- If the above does not work, try to add a little more tasty food than usual, to distract them from the medication and hide the medication in between the tasty food.
- Treats to consider are pieces of bread, peanut butter, cheese, wet dog food, a slice of meat or liver. Roll the food into a ball with the medication hidden inside the food. If you are at treat stage, then we suggest you give them a few treats without the medication in too.
- Breaking the medication up could pose 2 problems, the one is it could taste very bad, and the other is the fact that the medication is designed for a slow release into the system. Try not to crush or break the medication into smaller pieces.
The vet might request that you give your pet their medication on an empty stomach. This is always a little trickier, but it can be done.
If you have to give your pet his medication manually, there are ways to ensure he swallows it.
- Tilting the animal’s head back and using your hands to open his mouth first. Then, fold the animal's upper lip over the teeth so if he bites down, he'll bite his lip instead of your fingers first. Place the pill as far back in the mouth as possible and close the mouth and hold it closed. To get him to swallow, try blowing on his nose while stroking his neck.
Giving a dog or cat liquid medication can also be challenging. Try using a syringe or dropper to measure and administer the medication.
- Hold the animal's nose up and squeeze the liquid into the animal's mouth between the cheek and teeth, as far back as possible. Remember to hold the nose up and hold the mouth closed and try to get the animal to swallow it by blowing on his nose and stroking his throat.
If your pet needs to get injected, it’s best to speak to your vet for a lesson on how to administer the injection.
