3 simple ways to give medicines to dogs.
There are simple ways to give medicines to dogs or strays on the street.
However first and foremost a rule I follow at any point of time is never administer any medicine to your pet without consulting your vet.
It would be great if our dogs had medicines as if we were feeding some sweets to them. Though the medicine manufacturers and vets may claim they are chewable and tasty to have, some of our pets just refuse to have these medicines.
So I have listed out 3 simple ways that I use to administer medicines to my dogs when they are not well.
1. Mixing the medicine in the meal of the dog.
The most common method is to mix the medicines in the regular meal of your pet. The tablets are crushed and then mixed into their food. If the medicine is in liquid form , it is poured into their meal and mixed.
Care should be taken that the amount of food and type of pet food should be sufficient enough to drown out the smell and taste of the medicine.
Ensure to use their favorite pet snack while attempting to give their medicines to them. It is also important that the dogs should be a little hungry when you give this meal so that they quickly gobble up the food ignoring the possible taste or smell of the medicine.
| Note : Why mixing the medicine in food might not always be best for the dog. Medicine in the form of tablets or liquid have a peculiar smell and taste. The sense of smell of dogs is extremely sensitive and your pet might end up not eating the dog food that is mixed with the medicine. The other concern that arises is that what if the dog eats only a portion of the food. This would mean the dog has not had the full required dose of medicine which is not recommended. What if the medicine to be given is a capsule or the dog has lost its normal appetite ? |
Pill Splitter and Crusher
Pill Cutter
2. Using a peda to give medicine to dogs.
I use this method with my dogs both at home and on the road. Pick a food they love, in my case, the dogs love pedas. Its quick and ensures that the medicines are taken.
Take a small bit of a peda and insert the medicine into it. The dogs will not be able to smell the tablet since we have not crushed it and it is totally covered by the peda. The dog will quickly gulp it down. It is easy , convenient and this method ensures that you know the medicine has surely been given and has been injested by the dog.
Instead of a pedha, one could use jaggery, halwa, mawa cake, a piece of liver, chicken or even a biscuit which has been rolled into ball by dipping it in some water.
Care should be taken to ensure that whatever food is used in this method, the size of it should just big enough to cover and hide the tablet. If the piece of food if too big, the dog will begin to bite and chew on it and will realize there is a tablet in it.
For caretakers who take care of stray dogs and the animal does not come too close to you, put the medicine in a peda and roll it in the direction of the animal.
If there is a concern using sweets to give the dogs even though the amount is really negligible and it is a short term duration of giving of tablets, do consult your vet.
Sugar free deserts, bakes and cookies could also be used.
3. Using a Syringe (without the needle of course!) to give medicines to dogs.
A situation may arise when the medicine is in liquid form and the dog is refusing to eat the meal with it. There also can be a situation where the dog has lost its appetite but the vet has instructed that the medicines (tablets or liquid) must be given.
In these circumstances it is advisable to give the medicine via a syringe. We do not use the needle nor are we going to inject the dog, we are just going to use the syringe to squirt the medicine into their mouth. Any medical syringe will do. You now also get syringe kits designed only for dogs as well.
Buy a syringe that will hold the required of the dosage of medicine (liquid) to be given (1 ml, 2 ml, 5 ml etc..). Take out the plunger and pour the liquid medicine into it and push the plunger back.
If the medicine is in tablet form, crush the tablet and dissolve it in water or soup by stirring it and fill up the syringe. Dissolve the tablet in just enough water so that it can fit in the syringe. Shake the syringe so that the medicine get dissolved totally and does not stick to the sides of the syringe.
Now hold the dog gently but firmly with its head upright, open its mouth slightly (do not force the dog), push the tip of the syringe slightly into the mouth , between the jaws and slowly start squirting the medication into its mouth.
Ensure that every squirt of medication is swallowed completely by the dog, massage its neck and then squirt the next portion into the mouth.
It is an easy and effective process if done calmly and carefully. Do not fight with the dog and do not force the syringe into the mouth as you can injure the dog. Gently and carefully and it works for sure. Do not panic.
So these are just some suggestions that can be used by us to give medicine to our dogs at home and on the street. It is my sincerest wish that our dogs are always in good health but we must be prepared in case they fall ill. Being able to give medicines on time as per the Vet’s instructions is a crucial responsibility.
Author : Zarir Karbhari