Struggling To Make Your Dogs Take Their Pills? – Tricks And Easy Solutions

Humans and dogs alike all fall sick and need to take medicines. But while it is usually easy for us to just swallow a pill, our canine companions usually pose more of a challenge. It is usually very difficult to force your pet dog to take a pill and because of this reason, many pet owners are unable to complete their dog’s full dose of medication. 

Struggling To Make Your Dogs Take Their Pills?

• For canines that have a hard time taking pills, new liquid and compounded variations of dog medications are now available. A compounded medication usually is just the medicine mixed in with some treat that your dog will enjoy. But liquid or compounded medications are usually more expensive than the simpler variety of pills. Some veterinarians also recommend against using compounded medications because these can impact the effectiveness and reaction time of essential medicines.

• Pill pockets are very useful to trick your pet into taking their meds. Pill pockets are basically pills wrapped in a variety of food items. Pill pockets can also be made at home by wrapping a small piece of cheese around a pill. But pill pockets only work for those dog breeds which prefer to just swallow their food quickly without much chewing. Dogs that chew their food more thoroughly will end up biting into the medicine and the horrible taste will make them even more averse to taking another pill. If you are planning to buy a pill pocket from the store for your pet make sure to check all the ingredients thoroughly so that your pet does not have any allergic reactions. 
• Making a dog swallow a pill is a very difficult task. Pet owners often have to place their hands deep inside the dog’s jaws in order to place the pill. But this often leads to many cases of accidental bites. To prevent this, a new device called the pill device is available in the market. It places the pill inside the dog’s mouth. 

But in order to make your dog take pills, a basic anatomy lesson of the dog anatomy is required. The shape of a dog’s mouth is such that most dogs have a tongue hump. Placing the pill below the hump will just allow your dog to spit out the tablet. Place the pill over the hump, and then hold your dog’s jaws closed. Gently stroke their throat downwards to encourage swallowing. But make sure not to be too forceful during this process. If the dog struggles too much during swallowing they may choke and harm themselves.

Basic tips to help your canine friends take their medicines 

No matter how many smart devices you use, or how much you try to outsmart your pet, sometimes it seems impossible to feed your dogs their medicines. Here are some basic tips to keep in mind when trying this challenging task:

• Never give your pet any new medicines without consulting a veterinarian. 
• If you are about to try any new method to trick your dog into taking medicines, consult a doctor first. Some commonly suggested tricks are very dangerous for certain breeds.
• The most difficult task in forcing dogs to take medicines has to be to force them to sit still in one place. As soon as your dogs see you approach with medicines they start running away. Experts believe that dogs are reacting more to the sight of the pill bottle or the medicine bottle, rather than the medicine itself. So make sure to open the medicine where your pet can’t see you and then approach them. This way your dog won’t be running away as you try to approach.
• Once you have fed your dog their medicine, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly. If the dog smells the medicine on your hands throughout the day, they will be able to identify it again the next time you try to use the same medication. 

It might seem challenging and time taking to make your pet take their medicine. You may be tempted to give up after a few days. But remember that is essential for your loved pet’s health to complete the entire dose of medication.