Pet Meds

4 Ways to Get Your Pet to Swallow His Meds

Getting a person to swallow his prescription medications is no problem. They know it's good for them and they usually take them willingly. With dogs and cats, it's a little bit different. They find their pet meds to be nothing short of annoying. You can bet they won't take these pet meds willingly.

 

All is not lost, however. There are several ways that you can trick your dog or cat into taking them.

Pet Meds- A Pill Popper

A pill popper is a device specifically designed to force the pet meds down the dog or cat's throat. Still, a certain amount of trickery is needed. You must make the animal believe that you only want to spend some time petting and caressing it. Once you have the pet calm, insert the pill popper behind the animal's teeth at the back of the mouth and discharge the pill. Immediately begin massaging the throat to force the animal to swallow the pet meds. Push the pill back as far as possible while continuing to massage the throat to force a swallowing reflex. Some people find this easier if a friend helps.

Food Disguises Pet Meds

The most common way of getting pet meds down animals' throats - and the way that many people swear is the easiest -is to wrap them in some kind of food that your pets enjoy. Some people say that cheese works best, while others prefer a scoop of peanut butter. Wieners or cold-cuts are also good (Certainly, meats are better for getting pet meds down your cat's throat).

 

There are even specialty treats that you can find that have special pockets built into them, designed to hold the pet meds. Ask your veterinarian if he knows where to find these. If none of these ideas works, ask your vet if he knows of a compounding pharmacy in your area. A compounding pharmacy takes pet meds and turns them into edible treats that will appeal to dogs or cats. The medication costs more this way, but it's a cinch to get them to take their pills this way.

Liquid Disguises Pet Meds

Related to the food method is putting the pet meds in some kind of oral liquids. Some possibilities include gravy, milk or even mixed into the water bowl. This especially works well if you crush the pet meds up into powder form and sprinkle it into the liquid.

Praise and Reward

Dog trainers insist that your pet can be trained to take their pet meds willingly. It's all a matter of learning to praise them and reward them for a job well done. The idea is to turn medication time into play time. Again, ask your vet how to do this, but the basic concept is that you get the pet excited to be spending time with you, place the pill in his mouth. Then when he spits it out, use the force-fed method explained earlier. Then when he's forced to swallow it, praise him and give him a reward.