The prizes when the dog takes his medication without problem help him not to refuse the moment of taking pills or syrups
- Author: By CAROLINA PINEDO
- Last update: April 17, 2017
Often, the dog rejects pills, syrups, drops, ointments and, sometimes, injections. For owners, getting their dog to ingest the medication can become a headache. But there are some tricks that facilitate the application of medical treatments with the dog at home. Let's meet them.
Dogs have great ability to spit the pills. They hide them under the tongue and the owner may believe he has swallowed them, when it is not. There are ways to facilitate administration of medications at home, but always under veterinary supervision:
- Hide the tablet inside a piece of food that you especially like. If the tablet is very large, it can be divided into two parts. It can also be crushed to powder and mixed with a food.
- Syrups can be administered with a syringe without a needle. It is placed on the side, behind the teeth, and the content is injected.
- In the case of powders, it is more difficult to spit them out because they will remain attached to the mouth. They can be given directly or mixed with some food.
- Eye drops are more cumbersome to apply. You have to hold the dog's head well and carefully open the eyelids to drop the drops. If you can count on someone's help, it will be easier.
- The ears are very delicate. You have to hold the dog's head, so that it is tilted. After dropping, you can gently massage the base of the ear. In this way, the liquid spreads through the ear canal.
- When you have to apply ointments and creams, you must first clear the hair of the area and clean it to avoid infections. The dog should not scratch or lick, so it is convenient to place a gauze. In the veterinary consultations there are also the so-called Elizabethan collars, which surround the dog's neck, so as to prevent him from touching or licking any area of the body. The veterinarian can provide one for a few days to prevent the dog from licking.
Put the thermometer on the dog
In general, the dog is not very collaborative at the time of taking the body temperature. It is necessary to use a thermometer of rapid reading and material that cannot be broken. Rectal temperature is the most reliable. The end is introduced and waiting thirty seconds or until the acoustic signal sounds. When finished, the thermometer is disinfected with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol and the day, time and result are recorded. For females, body temperature can be taken through the orifice of the vagina.
Syrups can be administered with a syringe without a needle
If you have to track several days, it is advisable to do it every six or eight hours And before the meal. During digestion, body temperature varies. Do not forget to go to the veterinarian to supervise the actions to be done from home.
Give medication to the dog and the rewards
The fact that the dog associates the puppies with the act of collaborating in the taking of medication can help to show less reluctance to the intake of medications at home. If, when he behaves well, we give him a prize, be it a dog biscuit or his favorite toy, and we always congratulate him on how well he has done it, he will be more collaborative with taking medication at home.
Dogs have a lot of ability not to swallow and spit quickly something they don't like, so make sure you take the treatment.
For females, body temperature can be taken through the orifice of the vagina
Their survival instinct marks them to reject substances with strange flavors, which are not their usual food. And, of course, they do not understand that a medicine can be cured. Yes remember that after that effort comes a positive experience (prize, congratulation), which motivates them to try to open their mouths to take the medicine.
First aid kit for the dog
It is advisable to have a first aid kit with the necessary utensils to act effectively in case of emergency. Do not forget to have at home utensils such as:
- Sterile rubber gloves.
- Scissors.
- Elastic rubber for turnstiles.
- An antiseptic solution
- Splints to splint.
- Sticking plaster.
- Clinical thermometer
- Tweezers.
- Cotton, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol and gauze.
It is advisable in case of accidents and emergencies to go to the veterinarian to attend to the dog, but it always helps to have some knowledge about first aid. You may have to follow the veterinarian instructions by telephone to be able to act efficiently and quickly, so that first knowledge in this regard helps to keep calm and save the situation.
Getting used from puppy to dog to take medication at home is a rule that must be met.
Let him approach the medicine cabinet and medications to familiarize himself with them.
Always reinforce with prizes and congratulations your attitude of collaboration to take medications.
If you have any questions regarding the administration of medications at home with the dog, consult the veterinarian.
Keep medications out of reach of the dog, especially if it is a puppy.
How you should NOT give liquid medicine>
To avoid any mistake in the administration, then we will show you those actions that you should not perform under any circumstances, since they entail the risk that your dog does not receive the drug he needs to recover or to maintain his health.
What you should not do is the following:
- Do not mix the drug with the drinking water, since you will not be able to control if your dog has taken all the necessary dose.
- Do not add liquid medicine over food, since it is possible for your dog to start eating but then notice that there is a change in taste and stop eating the food. In this case, how would it be possible to check how much drug you have ingested?
- Do not mix liquid medicine with any type of juice. In addition to the fact that your dog does not have sugar, you should know that some acids and components present in these drinks can interact with the medication.
The best method: fast>
Below we show you how to give your dog liquid medicine in the simplest way possible, both for you and for him.
It's about a vet recommended method, which I could experience in my own dog with highly satisfactory results:
- Make sure your dog is calm and in a fixed position.
- Load the necessary dose of the drug into a plastic measuring syringe, obviously without a needle.
- Approach your dog sideways, keep calm if you don't want it to be disturbed.
- Hold your snout with your hands and insert the plastic syringe by one of the sides of his jaw, quickly pushing the plunger so that all the medicine reaches its oral cavity.
The stress that this trick to give syrup to your dog generates in him is minimal, although later We recommend you stay by his side and caress it to calm down, in this way, it will return to normal immediately.
Obviously, if your dog is aggressive, it is recommended that before putting this procedure into practice, you should place a simple muzzle that allows the introduction of the syringe. And if what you are interested in knowing is how to give a dog a pill, do not miss our article.
This article is purely informative, at ExpertAnimal.com we have no power to prescribe veterinary treatments or make any kind of diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian in case he presents any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to give liquid medicine to a dog?, we recommend you go to our Other health problems section.
How to give medicine to your dog and pass the test?
Whether it's a pill or a syrup, giving medicine to your dog can be a complicated mission. But it is always necessary to provide the medications prescribed by the veterinarian, even if it takes you all day. Many owners wonder what is the best method to comply with the shots and that the pet completes the treatment. Here are some tricks:
1. Keep calm
As a first step, we recommend that you be relaxed when giving medicine to your dog, because If you are stressed or uneasy, the animal will think that there is a danger nearby and it will be very difficult to give the medication. On the other hand, if you approach him as ‘if nothing happens’, he will almost not realize what is happening.
2. Syringe syringe method
Some veterinarians recommend syrups in very specific cases, such as if the animal does not have teeth, is very weak or the owner states that there is no way to swallow a pill.
But that does not mean that giving him a syrup or liquid is "a piece of cake" because it also has its challenges. To achieve this, you need a syringe (only the plastic part, without a needle), where you will place the dose of medication.
Then, you approach the dog slowly, hold its snout with one hand and with the other you introduce the syringe through one of the sides of the jaw. Quickly push the plunger so that the liquid comes out and keep the pressure in the snout until you make sure you have swallowed everything. When finished, stay by his side and cuddle with reward for having behaved well.
3. Hide and seek method
Let's now go to tricks so you can give medicine to your dog if this is a pill (regardless of size). A good way to trick you is to hide the medicine in a meal that you like, such as yogurt, wet feed, cooked rice or a piece of meat.
Many owners choose to place the pill inside a piece of cheese or a sausage so that the animal swallows it without chewing and does not spit the medicine. In some cases, it can also be mixed directly with the feed, especially if the dog eats very quickly, as with the Labrador or Carlino breeds.
4. Method of crushing the tablet
If the above does not work, then you should take the job of spraying the pill and mixing it with a creamy consistency meal. Keep in mind that some medications are too bitter when crushed and that taste ‘will flood’ food. It is likely that the dog does not want to eat anything on his plate.
5. Method of ‘la com>
This technique to give medicine to dogs is not the most effective of all, but it can result in some cases. It is about making the animal believe that it is enjoying a meal ‘of people’ instead of a pill.
To carry it out, you must first be having lunch or dinner. Pretend you don't realize and drop a small piece of food from your plate (for example, some chicken, meat, etc.). Once the dog eats it, repeat with the pill. The key is not to stare at it, but to continue your routine as if nothing happened.
Pills, tablets and capsules
One option is to prepare a meat or cheese meatball and "hide" the tablet inside. If your dog crumbles it and manages to separate it without eating it, then the medicine will have to be put directly in its mouth:
- Keep your mouth open, pressing the side of the jaw and place the medicine as deeply as possible at the base of the tongue.
- Then, leave the muzzle closed, with the chin slightly raised for a few moments to prevent it from being ejected.
- Once it "appears" to have ingested it, it is necessary to follow the dog in case he had not swallowed it well and vomited it in some corner.
Syrups and oral liquid medications
They are the easiest to administer. With a syringe, of course without the needle, it will be enough.
- Hold your dog firmly and keep his open jaw Pour the liquid from the syringe.
- If you close your mouth, you can lift the corner of your lip and form a gap to inject the liquid there.
- Keep your head up to help you swallow it. During the subsequent minutes, check that Do not throw up.
How to give liquid medicine>
When our pets get sick and it is time to administer medications, the nightmare begins: how to give a dog a liquid medicine when he does not want to? How to give pills without refusing them? We tell you the best tricks to get it.
Dogs, like us, sometimes get sick. And as the doctor prescribes medications to us, the vet also prescribes the medications that must be given to them to recover their health. The problem comes when we don't know how to give a dog liquid medicine when he doesn't want, or how to make him take the pills if he has lost his appetite and refuses to eat. The company can be complicated, because as soon as the pet detects the smell of the pill or syrup, it will surely reject them and refuse to swallow them.
Faced with this situation, we can get nervous and make the animal nervous - which is the worst thing that could happen - which would lead us to a spiral of nervousness totally counterproductive and with unpredictable consequences. Before losing your cool, it is advisable to consider the following tricks and tips.
Suppositories
To introduce suppositories it is advisable to wear latex gloves and spread a little petroleum jelly on the tip of the product so that it enters more smoothly.
- Lift the tail and enter it with the index, as deeply as possible.
- Keep the tail pressed against the anus for a few seconds so that it does not eject.
Creams and drops
Both ear drops and eye drops should be applied with very careful. In the case of eye drops and ointments, it is necessary that your dog's head be immobilized to avoid injury to the eyeball.
- Clean with saline water first, lift the upper eyelid or lower the lower one.
- From above, and without touching the cornea because of the risk of hurting it, apply the drops or ointment. Close the eyelid and rub gently To extend the product.
You are ready to give your dog the medicines he needs. He trusts you more than anyone else in the world: you are his favorite person, don't let him down! And remember that any questions you have about medication should always be resolved with your Trusted veterinarian.
6. Method of introducing the tablet
Finally, an option that is ultimately indicated and when our dog is quite docile. Stand next to the dog and open his jaw with one hand. Place the medicine inside the mouth, as close as possible to the throat.
Close your jaws carefully and keep up the pressure until you notice that you have swallowed the pill. To make sure it goes smoothly, rub your throat down.
Calm and patience are essential so you can give medicine to your dog without noticing. Try any of these methods!
Tricks to administer medications to a dog
There are some tricks or skills to easily administer medication to our faithful friend.
The first thing we should do is control our anxiety, keeping us relaxed and calm, because dogs perceive our mood through our body language. It would be good to administer the medication when I'm hungry and calm, never after playing with him or before a walk, because his state of excitement would be counterproductive. Nor is it advisable to corner or chase them.
How to give a dog a pill
If you are going to administer a pill, you can try to give it directly, opening his mouth and putting it at the base of his tongue. Afterwards, the head is raised with the snout up and held in that position until we notice that it has swallowed.
If this does not work, you can try put the pill in a piece of bread or other food that you especially like. It is perhaps the most common and easy procedure. The idea is to hide its smell and taste by inserting the tablet into a food that has a strong smell, such as cheese, or that is especially appealing: meat, sausages, pates, etc. Everything can be easier if we put ourselves to eat, because surely he will ask us for something for him. Then, give him three or four small bites that he can swallow at once and in between the one carrying the pill.
How to give liquid medicine to a dog when it does not want
The thing is complicated when what you have to take is a syrup, because we cannot camouflage its smell or introduce it into any food and we must keep in mind that a dog's smell of a syrup is strange and will surely reject it.
So how to give a dog liquid medicine when he doesn't want to? The most important thing is that you present a calm behavior so that the dog does not notice that you are doing something out of the ordinary. If you get nervous, stroke it and wait a while to try again when you are calmer.
What you should never do is throw it directly in the water of the drinker or mix it with some type of juices, because you will not be able to control if you have taken the necessary dose. Nor in the food, because you can stop eating it if you notice a strange taste.
How to syrup a dog with a syringe
A very widespread and effective method of administering a syrup to a dog is to use a plastic syringe Without the needle
To proceed with the administration, first load the syringe with the prescribed dose and ensure that the dog does not see it so that it does not focus on it. Then with one hand keep the dog's mouth closed and with the other insert the syringe through the back of one of the sides of the mouth, and, when inside, gently press the plunger to discharge it. If the animal is very aggressive, it is most convenient to put a muzzle before it allows the introduction of the syringe.
After taking out the syringe, lift the dog's head to facilitate swallowing. This method, recommended by veterinarians, causes very little stress on our pet and is one of the ones that offers the best results.
However, after administration, you must caress it and reward it with a "very good" and with a treat for dogs to calm down completely and associate the syrup with a positive response from us.
