Give Your Dog a Pill
Can you give your dog a pill? Most of us are probably able to give one pill, but what if your dog needs multiple pills every day for two weeks? Would you be able to do that without causing stress for you and your dog?
Giving dogs pills can be challenging, and some dogs have made pill refusal an art form. Here are some tips to help you medicate your dog effortlessly with the least amount of stress possible.
Mix the medication in with your dog's food. Verify that the medicine is okay to be broken, split or chewed before using this method, and if it's okay, this may resolve any of your problems. Mixing medications in with food is an easy way to get dogs to take their meds. Most dogs will happily eat canned foods or home cooked meats, especially if you usually feed kibble. If you have multiple dogs, you may want to feed the dog that needs the medication separately, so the right dog is getting the drug.
If you have a picky dog, the hide it in the food method may not work. Some medications smell and taste awful, and dogs may refuse those unless you administer them more creatively.
Play a Game of Keep Away. Start by putting the pill into a tasty morsel like chicken, hot dog pieces, sliced deli meat, then set that piece aside. Now give your dog a treat with nothing inside. The next treat still has no medicine inside. Next, take the treat surrounded pill and put it next to your dog's nose but don't let him eat it. Pull the treat away to pique his interest and then move it back toward your dog's nose and mouth again and again, quickly pull it away. On the third time moving the treat toward your dog's mouth, let him eat the treat. Follow up with a fourth treat with no pill. The keep away method of medicating dogs works well for most dogs and medicines and makes the entire process fun for your dog.