Is giving your pets the medicines a royal battle? Dogs and other pets are resilient to oral pill administration, but it’s necessary when vets recommend it. However, a few fortunate dog owners might have pets who easily swallow the pills as prescribed.

The Internet is flooded with images and funny stories depicting the struggle to feed a dog a pill. Pet parents need to be vigilant about giving these pills or search for ways to feed them with food motivation or through treats. The extract below deals with all important data about helping dogs with pills and ways to make this experience stress-free.

While we address pills for dogs, they refer to all types of oral medication prescribed by vets in the form of capsules, tablets, medicines, or natural supplements. So, let’s begin with the guide.

Top Ways to Administer Oral Pills to Dogs

While dealing with a sick pet, understanding their emotional state is imperative. Be careful about giving timely medications to them and ensure it’s not given with inappropriate food combinations. It can be cumbersome to deal with a mess if a pet retaliates to the intake of these pills. Consulting a good vet might prove helpful in this scenario.

Here’s how to give pills to your pets:

1. Coat the Pills with pet food

The simplest way to give your pets oral medication is through their favorite food treat. Giving them the pills inside the food can be a desirable way to feed them the medicine without a struggle. 

Lure them with treats that are easy to gulp and small in size so they do not bite into it. This will prevent them from the bitter taste of these pills. Be extra cautious while administering capsules as they are suggestive of breaking apart in any case.

Never introduce any pill and food combination to your canine friend without a vet’s suggestion. They are the best authority to guide you to foods that might react with the drugs. For instance, dairy products are not viable for tetracycline antibiotic pills as they interrupt the complete benefit of each dose delivered.

A few good food ideas exist in your pantry to create a pill treat for your pooches. Some of them might also be their favorites:

• Peanut Butter: Keep a pill beneath the sticky layer of peanut butter and let the pet taste it. Pet parents can also roll the pill into the ball of this butter and present it as a treat to them. Check the butter ingredient and ensure it isn’t made from xylitol, the artificial sweetener that might prove toxic to dogs. Go through the labels carefully before picking them up from the pet store.
• Liverwurst: It is a soft meat product and a good choice to roll up the pill in its center. Tempt your doggy to a recipe made from this food and ensure it is fresh. Avoiding canned food is always advisable for pill administration to prevent side effects.
• Cheese: Low-sodium, soft, and part-skim mozzarella cheese is also a good choice to restrict your pet’s calorie count and sodium. It is easy to slide off the pills into the delectable cheese chunk and give it to your pup. Slightly mold it and forming an appealing ball around the medicine also works here.

2. Thoughtful Treats to Slip Pills Inside

Apart from giving pills to sick pets through regular foods, you can also go for the commercially accessible and pet-friendly treats referred to as ‘pill pockets.’ They have a hole-sized inside, which helps hide the medicine. 

These pet pill pockets are available in multiple flavors and have good nutritional content. They are low in sodium and sugar content compared to most similar foods. If you have a bulky furry friend, opt for a lower-calorie-count treat.

Dogs are good at sniffing and might get suspicious easily. This could also cause them to be in denial about taking medicines. To avoid such an unwanted scenario, feed them with a couple of non-medicated treats and then give them the medicated one in a fluke. Keep this action so rapid that they instantly swallow it without much speculation.

3. Try to Make Pill Taste Better for Dogs

Consult your vet about medicines they prescribe that can be administered to canines in good flavors. Enhancing the taste notion through special pill compounds is another way of easily giving them pills. 

They may intake the compound independently if the flavors are decent enough. If there’s any pet-focused pharmacy in your vicinity, getting the desired medication through a special treat might be possible.

3 Thumb Rules to Administer Dog Pills

1. Never Play with Dog Pills: Give medications to your pets as directed by the vet. In case of any queries, it is advisable to contact them and get revert easily.

2. Finish the Prescription: Leaving or quitting medications mid-way will never help your sick doggy. Stopping pills like antibiotics earlier than recommended might result in drug-resistant bacteria growth. Thus, be very careful about the vet’s prescription, including dosage, timings, and number of days for pills.

3. Do Not Share Pills Amongst Pets: This is any pet parent’s worst mistake. Giving dog pills to cats or other pups can be dangerous and toxic. Please be aware of pet safety and responsibly handle the pill course for dedicated pets as their vet prescribes.

Giving medicines to dogs is a good way to improve their health and allow them to recover from anxiety or illnesses. Remember that your canine companions are smart enough to figure out disguised medicines, which can pose a big challenge. 

Being clever and a step ahead of their thoughts can help you give them the medicines so they get back to good health soon!

How to Give Liquid Medicines to Dogs?

If your pet’s vet prescribes a liquid composition for their illness, it might pose a challenge. Mixing the liquid into a certain amount of wet food and hand-feeding the dog is a great idea. If this doesn’t work well, give the dosage straight to the dog’s mouth using the syringe. This is the simplest way of delivering medications in easy steps:

• Take a medicine-filled syringe to the side of the dog’s mouth carefully behind their teeth and keep the chin level up from the floor.
• Point down the syringe towards the lower teeth. It easily squirts down towards their tongue.
• Gradually, give them the medication and reward them for their cooperation.

Communicate with your pup about the medicine or pills, and do not hesitate to give them enough praise.

Tricks to Administer Pills to Dogs When They Refuse!

Even after multiple attempts, you are unable to give pills to the canines successfully; the last resort is to give them despite their refusal. While we never suggest you force them, there are a few steps to give them important medicines to help them recover from the illness.

1. Lubricate Pills- Take a pill pocket or gravy to help dogs easily swallow the pills.
2. Hold pill- Slowly grasp your dog’s muzzle to keep their head steady, and hold the medicine with your index finger and thumb.
3. Tilt dog head- Take the dog’s head backward and help them to access the pill through their mouth easily.
4. Keep the pill backside- Try to playfully open the pup’s mouth without hurting them and push the pill as far as possible inside the mouth.
5. Reward them for swallowing- Close down the dog’s mouth and bring their head to the usual position. Now stimulate pill swallowing by distracting them and applauding them for medicine intake.
6. Treaty Surprise- Keep some vet-advised treats ready to praise the dog for their pill intake as it depicts a positive gesture to them.

It is imperative to stay patient while giving pills to your canine friends and ensuring their comfort during the process. If they find it difficult, seeking assistance from your vet to equip them with other ways and techniques can also prove helpful.

Which Foods to Avoid While Giving Pills to Dogs?

When your dogs have to take medications for some sickness or disease, it is important to be mindful of certain unsafe foods that might interfere with their efficacy. This might result in potential health risks to them. Below is the list of foods to avoid while giving pills to your furry friends.

• Bananas: Bananas are a safe food for doggy but not under specific health conditions. They include high potassium content that can result in potassium-regulation issues for dogs getting treated with pills for blood pressure or heart issues.
• Dairy Products: Avoid intake of products like cream or cheese while giving pills to pups. It might result in an upset stomach and interrupt the adequate absorption of these medications.
• Creamy Peanut Butter: It is a good pick for dogs, but not when they are struggling with health issues related to digestion or pancreatitis. They must avoid high-fat foods such as creamy peanut butter in this case.

Bottom Line: Make Pill Time Exciting for your Pets!

The whole gist is to ensure that your dog desirably takes the pet-approved medicine dosage! There can be several ways to make these pills palatable for the canines: through treats, soft dog food, or meal balls. If, even then, the pup resists, other compounding pharmacies transform medicines into chewable treats and liquids for hassle-free administration.

As a pet parent, you are the best source to understand what your dogs are like, and various strategies can be used to make them take the pills. Reluctant dogs are a tough game, but a few trials might help you fetch the end goal. 

Concentrate on being calm and practice an emotional bond with your four-legged buddy to develop a relationship. It eases the convincing process.

Keep trying for your pet’s good health!