You love your pet, but you also hate forcing her to take her medicine every day. You do not want to be the bad guy, and more importantly, you want your pet to enjoy life to the fullest. Whether your pet is taking daily medication for an ongoing condition or only for a limited time until she feels better, we have some tips that will make giving her medicine a breeze.
As always, follow prescribed instructions from your vet when administering any type of medication to your pet! Let’s get started! What follows are some tried-and-true methods. These are backed up with advice from experts like those on PetCareRx to make sure Fluffy doesn’t spit out her pills again.
This blog provides tips on how to help pets take their medicine in a way that’s enjoyable for both of you. These suggestions are meant for cats or dogs who are extremely stubborn about taking their medications.
Hiding the Medicine
Here are some ideas on how to help your pet take its medicine.
Hiding Pills in Food
If your dog usually likes wet or canned food, you can hide a pill in their portion of food. You might want to prepare a little extra in case they don’t eat every piece of food and swallow the pill at the same time as one of these pieces.
Hiding Pills in Treats
A lot of pets will eat treats because they’re delicious things, not just because there might be something else hiding inside them. Some pet owners choose to put ground-up treats into a ziplock bag with the pill and then let Fido eat straight from the bag. This way, you know exactly what your pet ate and took his medicine with.
Remember that many dogs are so clever that they can tell when something bitter is medicine, and they’ll spit it out, even if the snack is otherwise yummy.
Masking the Taste
If you have a pet and it needs to take prescription medication, there are a few ways to make this easier, including the following.
- Place the tablet or capsule in your pet’s mouth and hold its jaws firmly closed for 30 seconds.
- Put the tablet or capsule into food such as wet canned food or tuna fish. Giving your pet a treat will help mask the taste of the medicine, but try not to do this in public areas like parks. If that’s too difficult, try giving your pet a toy instead.
Crushing Medicine
- Talk to your veterinarian. Ask if the tablet can be crushed and how to do it properly.
- Using a pill crusher or mortar and pestle, crush the tablet into a fine powder. Make sure there are no pieces of tablet remaining.
- Mix well with your pet’s food. You can add it with canned cat food or any other tasty treat that works for your pet!
Make a Game
If your pet is taking liquid medication, try mixing it with a favorite treat or make a game out of administering it. Use a syringe or dropper to give the medicine and then immediately follow with something they love, like their food.
If your pet needs to take pills, try mixing the medicine into their food or using pill pockets. Another trick? Put the medicine in a peanut butter jar and let your pet lick it off the spoon.
An Alternative Route of Administration
If your veterinarian says that it’s okay to do so, an alternative route of administration may be better for you and your furry friend. It’s important to remember that different types of medicine have different forms. Some dogs prefer liquid medicine, which can be mixed into food or given directly by mouth. Some dogs prefer a chewable treat or tablet, which is often made with meat flavoring to appeal to their palates.
All Forms of Medication Have Side Effects
If you are giving your pet a prescription, it is important to adhere to the amount of medicine and frequency that is prescribed. Giving more medicine than required can be toxic to pets and will not make them better faster. You should also avoid discontinuing medication early.
Also, let your vet know if you notice any symptoms of side effects or if your pet seems sick or lethargic while taking the medicine. Sometimes, prescriptions can interact with other drugs that pets are taking, so it is important to tell your vet about all medications your pet is on.
Some medicines may not be safe for certain breeds or ages and should not be given to pregnant animals. Some medicines should not be given to pets with certain conditions such as liver disease.
Most Pets Prefer Not to Take Their Medicine
As a pet owner, you already know how important it is to keep your pet safe and healthy.
Unfortunately, most modern medications taste quite bad and are easy for animals to detect. In most cases, tablets can be crushed and mixed into canned food or treats.
Liquid medication can be mixed into your pet’s favorite wet food. We recommend talking with your veterinarian about which method to use in your specific situation, as they may have additional information on the best way to give medicine to your pet.
Pets are very smart animals that can learn what different things taste like over time. Because of this, any trick you use to get them to take their medicine will stop working eventually. But there are many methods you can try out until you find one that works for you and your pet!