Giving your pet oral medication can be a
painstaking process. Here are some tips
to help make that process much easier.
When giving your pet
oral medication, it is important that
your pet is in a sitting position. Never
give pills to an animal that is lying
down since they could choke. Also avoid
giving oral medication to any animal
that is having a seizure or is
unconscious, vomiting or behaving
aggressively.
Use one hand to pull
the pet's snout up slightly toward the
ceiling. This will force the lower jaw
to drop a bit. Next, using your free
hand, gently pull down on the front most
part of the lower jaw and put the tablet
or capsule on your pet's tongue, placing
it as far back as possible. Then close
your pet's mouth and hold onto his snout
to keep his mouth closed until he has
shown evidence of having swallowed the
pill. Gently stroking a pet's throat or
blowing on his nose will make him
swallow the pill more quickly.
If your pet won't
swallow the pill, you can hide the pill
in food. Most pets have a strong sense
of smell, however, and would eat the
food while spitting out the pill. If
your pet is ill, her appetite may off
and may not eat all the food. If the
tablet or capsule is crushed or opened,
it may cause the food too taste bitter,
and your pet may not eat it next time.
