August 23rd, 2010 by Jenny

Being a pet parent entails a lot of responsibilities to guarantee the health of the pet. All dog owners must know how to give the dog a pill as dogs, like humans, get sick. Giving the dog a pill is a task that must be done until the pet gets well. Pilling the dog can be a daily routine too as similar to humans, dogs benefit from vitamins and supplements as well. So how do you give a dog a pill? 

The task is even made harder if the dog is an escape artist that would easily elude the pill being administered by the owner. Giving the dog a pill often becomes a battle of wits as the wise master would disguise the taste of the pill with the taste of food but because of the dog’s ultra sensitive senses, the pill will be discovered. Because dogs would not understand that the pill would make him well, it would be up to the owner to learn how to make pill giving a little easier.

Dogs can be accomplished con artists that would act like good little boys that would willingly open the mouth so that the master can pop the pill. Dogs though are cunning animals and it would be a simple matter to spew the pill once the master’s back is turned. To make sure that the pill was swallowed, an owner has to stay with the dog for a while.

Another pilling technique is to disguise the taste of pill with the taste of food. Mix the crushed pill with a little amount of the dog’s favorite food. This method though can be used only if the dog is not under dietary restriction. The dog would not know that the pill is hidden in the ham, chicken breast or liverwurst as dogs usually gobble up their food.

It is common for very sick dogs to refuse food. Masking the taste of the pill with the taste of food would not be an effective technique. The pet must be coached to swallow the pill by placing it directly to the base of the tongue. This technique would be easier if the dog is accustomed to being touched or to teeth brushing. You need to gently open the dog’s mouth to insert the pill at the base of the dog’s tongue. Make sure that the teeth are covered by the flews to prevent the dog from biting your hand. Gently blow on the nose and rub the throat to encourage the dog to swallow the pill.