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Giving Medication
Medicating your dog can be a challenging job, which requires practice to gain gradual expertise. Check the label of the medication(s) for specifics such as whether it should be refrigerated and whether it should be given before or after meals, etc. It is important that you understand from the vet when and how to give your dog its medication.
How to administer oral medications (pills, capsules, liquids):
- Open the dog’s mouth, then place the pill at the rearmost place (as much as you can) and in the middle of the tongue.
- Close the mouth and gently stroke the throat to stimulate swallowing. Any form of distraction (praising, stroking, etc) will also help the dog to swallow.
- At times, blowing a puff of air into the nostrils stimulates swallowing. However, some dogs may be frightened by the air flow and react aggressively. Its up to you, how you train.
- Many people often wrap pills in cheese or coating them lightly with cream cheese or peanut butter. You can also put it in the centre of a meat ball.
- You can also slightly wet the capsules to help prevent them from sticking to the tongue or roof of the mouth.
Liquid medicines:
- Gently pull the corner of the dog’s mouth away from the face to form a pouch.
- Slowly drop a small amount of the liquid.
- Allow the dog to swallow before dropping more liquid. Do not squeeze the entire medication into the mouth at one go.
- Liquids are more likely to accidentally enter the windpipe compared to pills or capsules. To avoid the dog inhaling liquid into the windpipe, do not tilt the dog's head backward.
Applying eye drops and ointments:
- Before administering eye medication, clean the eyelids of any discharge using warm water and cotton.
- Use your thumb and forefinger to open the eyelids. With your other hand, place 1-2 drops inside the eye or a small amount of ointment on the pink tissue around the eye. When applying medication to the eye, avoid touching the eye with the medicine bottle. If you have to give more than one eye medication, be sure to separate them by 15-20 minutes.
Administering ear medication:
- Use a cotton ball to clean out any dirt from the ear.
- Push back the ear-flap and gently position the bottle or tip of the tube in the base of the ear.
- Hold the head vertically, which will help the medication drop directly down into the ear canal.
- Drop the medicine deep into the canal.
- Then massage the area just below the ear to help distribute the medicine.
Administering injectable intramuscular or subcutaneous medication:
Some dogs require periodic administration of injectable medications, if suffering from ailments such as diabetes, allergies etc. Since you need to give it routinely, it is best to practice the art of giving this kind of medication at home.
- Make sure there are no air bubbles in the syringe.
- The skin between the shoulder blades is the best place to give injectable medications. The skin need not be cleaned with alcohol prior to administering the injection.
If you have any problem administering the medication, consult your vet. Do not stop giving medicine prematurely just because your dog’s condition has improved. Let your vet decide that.
Medicating your dog can be a challenging job, which requires practice to gain gradual expertise. Check the label of the medication(s) for specifics such as whether it should be refrigerated and whether it should be given before or after meals, etc. It is important that you understand from the vet when and how to give your dog its medication.
How to administer oral medications (pills, capsules, liquids):
- Open the dog’s mouth, then place the pill at the rearmost place (as much as you can) and in the middle of the tongue.
- Close the mouth and gently stroke the throat to stimulate swallowing. Any form of distraction (praising, stroking, etc) will also help the dog to swallow.
- At times, blowing a puff of air into the nostrils stimulates swallowing. However, some dogs may be frightened by the air flow and react aggressively. Its up to you, how you train.
- Many people often wrap pills in cheese or coating them lightly with cream cheese or peanut butter. You can also put it in the centre of a meat ball.
- You can also slightly wet the capsules to help prevent them from sticking to the tongue or roof of the mouth.
Liquid medicines:
- Gently pull the corner of the dog’s mouth away from the face to form a pouch.
- Slowly drop a small amount of the liquid.
- Allow the dog to swallow before dropping more liquid. Do not squeeze the entire medication into the mouth at one go.
- Liquids are more likely to accidentally enter the windpipe compared to pills or capsules. To avoid the dog inhaling liquid into the windpipe, do not tilt the dog's head backward.
Applying eye drops and ointments:
- Before administering eye medication, clean the eyelids of any discharge using warm water and cotton.
- Use your thumb and forefinger to open the eyelids. With your other hand, place 1-2 drops inside the eye or a small amount of ointment on the pink tissue around the eye.
- When applying medication to the eye, avoid touching the eye with the medicine bottle. If you have to give more than one eye medication, be sure to separate them by 15-20 minutes.
Administering ear medication:
- Use a cotton ball to clean out any dirt from the ear.
- Push back the ear-flap and gently position the bottle or tip of the tube in the base of the ear.
- Hold the head vertically, which will help the medication drop directly down into the ear canal.
- Drop the medicine deep into the canal.
- Then massage the area just below the ear to help distribute the medicine.
Administering injectable intramuscular or subcutaneous medication:
Some dogs require periodic administration of injectable medications, if suffering from ailments such as diabetes, allergies etc. Since you need to give it routinely, it is best to practice the art of giving this kind of medication at home.
- Make sure there are no air bubbles in the syringe.
- The skin between the shoulder blades is the best place to give injectable medications. The skin need not be cleaned with alcohol prior to administering the injection.
If you have any problem administering the medication, consult your vet. Do not stop giving medicine prematurely just because your dog’s condition has improved. Let your vet decide that.