Geni Swing Guitars

Pick Med

The Secrets to Administering Pet Meds without Stressing Your Dog or Cat

Having a sick animal can be just as nerve-racking for the owner as it is for the pet. The first signs of illness can be frustrating because it isn't like you can just ask your pet what hurts or how they feel. Even after they have been diagnosed by the vet and put on a medication regiment, administering that medication can be stressful for both the pet and the owner.

It can get even more complicated when you start to consider all the different types of pet medications and all the different ways they can be given. Luckily, there are a few tricks of the trade so that you can get your pets the medicine they need as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Sneaking it in

If your pet is on a medication that can be taken with food then you are in luck. In most cases, sneaking your pet's medication in with a little treat is the easiest way to get them to take it.

Say, for example, your dog is on a separation anxiety medication like clomipramine. This medication can be administered with food, but not with cheese, which is usually a really easy food to hide a pill in. In the case of clomipramine you might just coat it with some peanut butter and wrap it in a little bit of bread. Most dogs will just think it is a treat and gobble it right up.

Make sure that they don't just eat the good stuff and spit the pill back out though. Sometimes this may take a few attempts.

Or maybe your cat has bad allergies and has been prescribed an allergy medication like clemastine. Try wrapping this up in a little bit of cheese and feeding it to your cat. You don't want to use a cheese that is too hard or too soft. It should preferably be something that you can wrap around the pill and make it into a bite size morsel. Since cats are a lot smaller than dogs, the pills usually correspond size-wise. This makes things a lot easier.

Forcing it Down

Sometimes either a medication isn't supposed to be taken with food, or your pet just keeps spitting it out. They don't realize that this is medication that they need and unfortunately, you can't explain it to them.

Let's say your cat is on an anti-seizure medication like gabapentin, and it just refuses to take it down voluntarily. Start off by calmly approaching your cat. It can sense when you are nervous so just start out by picking it up and petting it calmly like there's nothing out of the ordinary. It is often a good idea to wrap your cat up in a blanket so that just its little head is sticking out. This way they can't claw at you or fight you.

Once you have your cat calm and wrapped up, you should get that pill in them as quickly as possible. Hold the pill with your thumb and index finger and use your other hand to gently place your thumb and index finger on the sides of its jaw hinge. Tilt its head back so that the jaw drops, and then quickly push down between the bottom canine teeth. Toss the pill in toward the back of the mouth and close its mouth. You will also want to gently rub or blow on your cat's nose at this point. Believe it or not, this should stimulate the swallowing impulse.

Dogs are a little different of course. Let's say you have to administer your dog's dosage of an antibiotic like amoxicillin. First you are going to want to make sure that your dog's hindquarters are backed up against a wall. That way they can't try to squirm away from you.

Again, hold the pill between one thumb and index finger and use your other hand to grab around the top of their snout behind their upper canines. Tilt your dog's head back and push down between the lower canines with a finger. Get the pill in there and then hold your pet's mouth closed. Again, you can use the trick where you rub or blow on your dog's nose to induce swallowing.

The most important thing to remember about administering medication to your pet is not how you do it, but what you do afterwards. Whether your pet immediately gobbles up their medication with a little slice of liverwurst or whether it takes twenty minutes of repeated attempts, it is imperative that you remember to reward them afterward.

Positive reinforcement is the most important way to get your pet to continue to take their medicine in the future. After they have taken their medication you should hug them, tell them what a good job they did, and even give them another treat. Give your pet as much love and affection as you can after they take their medication and they will eventually start to associate med time with happy things.

However you get your pet your medication, just remember that it is important to keep them on the prescribed schedule. You will both be happier and your pet will be healthier in the long run.

About the Author

Anita Hall is a freelance writer who writes about pet care and dog medicine.

Herco He112 Med Thumb Pick $1.62 In Store Clearance HERCO HE112 MED THUMB PICK

Dunlop 9205 Heavies Med Thumb Pick Ivroid $1.12 In Store Clearance DUNLOP 9205 HEAVIES MED THUMB PICK IVROID

Pick Pick Pick It Up $10 Pick Pick Pick It Up

Billing Boats USA PTW1132 Pick And Place Tool Med Point $24.29 Billing Boats has been a market leader in the USA since 1965 with over 400 000 model boat kit varieties sold. These model boat kits are renowned for their authenticity and quality and are highly sought after by model and hobby boat enthusiasts the world over. Our Billing Boats products are your one stop source for consumers museums and hobby shop retailers interested in purchasing our quality model boats hobby tools craft tools model boat fittings and accessories.sticky silicone end

Med $10 Med - Mika Smolik

Pick On You $10 Pick On You

Pick Me $10 Pick Me

Pick It Uuup $10 Pick It Uuup

Pick of the Crop $15.99 Pick of the Crop

Pick Up Pick Up The Telephone $10 Pick Up Pick Up The Telephone

Pick Up Or Do Not Pick Up $10 Pick Up Or Do Not Pick Up

Duro-Med Aluminum Reachers with Magnetic Tip, 26 $18.16 Features of the Duro-Med Aluminum Reachers with Magnetic Tip: Durable aluminum construction. Allows users to pick up small objects such as coins and pills; as wall as larger objects such as a glass of water or articles of clothing. Sideways opening jaws work well when picking up boxes from shelves, or items with an open top.

Duro-Med Aluminum Reachers with Magnetic Tip, 32 $16.54 Features of the Duro-Med Aluminum Reachers with Magnetic Tip: Durable aluminum construction. Allows users to pick up small objects such as coins and pills; as wall as larger objects such as a glass of water or articles of clothing. Sideways opening jaws work well when picking up boxes from shelves, or items with an open top.

Duro-Med Suction Cup Reacher, 33 $19.37 Features of the Duro-Med Suction Cup Reacher: Palm-activated full hand trigger allows the full strength of the user’s hand to close the jaw; unlike a conventional trigger, which uses only a couple of fingers. Lightweight reacher allows the user to pick up the smallest objects (pills, coins, etc.), and yet still be able to pick up larger objects such as a glass of water or articles of clothing. Sideways opening jaws work well when picking up boxes from shelves, or items with an open top.

Pick It Up $6 Pick It Up - Donnie Klang

Pick a Relative $99.99 Pick a Relative - Wood Sign

The Perfect Pick $29.99 The Perfect Pick - Giclee Print

Pick a Duck $24.99 Pick a Duck - Photographic Print

Pick Up $10 Pick Up - Ms Austin Taylor

Monkeys Med $10 Monkeys Med

Penguins Med $10 Penguins Med

Nu Med $14.49 Nu Med

Pen,300 Med,Be $4.99 PEN,300 MED,BE

Pick It Up Pick It Up Up Up $10 Pick It Up Pick It Up Up Up

Planet Waves Pick Ryte Training Pick $3.95 Planet Waves Pick Ryte Training Pick

A Days Work Therapy Pick Assists Pick Assists $11 A Days Work Therapy Pick Assists Pick Assists

Pick Me! $114.99 Karen Dupré Pick Me! - Framed Art Print

Pick of the Pack $119.99 Carl Brenders Pick of the Pack - Framed Art Print

The Pick of the Basket $89.99 Jules Leroy The Pick of the Basket - Framed Art Print