How To Give Medication To Pets
Administering medication to an animal is not always easy, as a dog or cat will immediately recognize your intentions and refuse to ingest the pill.
With eye drops, it is helpful to have a second person on hand to hold the animal. For more tips on giving your pet medication , check out our article today.
Because if your dog or cat is prescribed a treatment by the veterinarian, it is important to use it accordingly. With a little patience and a few tricks, you can outsmart your animal darling.
How to give medication to pets
Especially if the tablet is large and has a bad taste, your pet will refuse to swallow it. The following tips can help you trick him into taking the prescribed medication:
1. Keep calm
This first step is very important as animals can read our body language and perceive our emotions. If we are nervous or anxious, the animal will notice it immediately.
If you need to give him medication, the first thing we recommend you do is relax and calm down. Be gentle when, for example, you need to open their mouth to put a pill in or slowly lift their snout to make them swallow the medication.
2. Hide medication in the food
In most cases , pills can be cut in half or into quarters. This is great as it makes it easier to hide the pieces between the lining.
You can make a small ball of cheese or ham and wrap the medication in it. It definitely needs to be a small serving that doesn’t require too much chewing and is easy to swallow.
3. Play
Another way to give pets medication is to turn that moment into fun, like a game.
Before administering the medication, we recommend that you take a few minutes with your dog or cat.
If you link this to the idea of the food balls with the pill, you can throw the balls at the animal. With so much conversation, the animal will not notice in which of them the drug is hidden.
Remember that this practice can be done at different times, not just when the dog or cat is about to take medication. That way, it becomes a habit.
4. Make use of your pet’s character
If your dog is very voracious or desperate for food, you can use this personality trait to give him the medication. Prepare two food balls: one with a pill and another without.
Show your animal friend both food balls and give him the first one with the pill while you show him the second. He will devour the first so he can quickly enjoy the second!
5. Ask about medicines with taste
Because it can be a bit complicated to give medication to pets, laboratories have been making products that are pleasing to pets for some time.
Ask the veterinarian if these medications are available to treat your dog or cat. It will be much easier to mix the drug with the food and even put it straight into the mouth without the animal spitting it out.
6. Ask for help
The best way to administer a syrup or drop is to use a syringe. This allows you to inject the drug directly into the animal’s mouth.
If it is powder, you can mix it with the feed or, for example, a chicken broth.
While one person is holding the animal so it cannot escape or move, the other can administer the medication. Remember that everyone should be calm to avoid problems.
