One of the most dreaded things for any dog parent is administering medication. Be it one-off or regular its often quite difficult to give dogs medication. Obviously, they don’t like pills pushed down their throat. Now imagine a situation where your dog might need medication every day, like mine does? Our dog Mr. Popo needs anti-seizure medicines thrice a day, which he obviously doesn’t like. But we’ve no choice. So, recently during a vet visit when I heard a dog parent say: my dog refuses to take his medication. What should I do? I could totally empathise.
Since this may be a common question that many dog parents might have, here are some hacks that we’ve tried.
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Make homemade pill pockets
Use your dog’s favourite food items such as small pieces of chicken or beef to create homemade pill pockets. We use Mr. Popo’s favourite boiled chicken hearts to create small pill pockets in which we hide the medicines. Since we have a very finicky eater with an incredible nose, initially he refused his favourite boiled chicken too. But we kept trying for a few days after which he started accepting the treats and hidden in it the medicines. [Sigh of relief] There are commercially sold pill pockets too, but homemade ones are a better option especially if your dog needs to take medication for a long-term.
Remember to wash your hands thoroughly before giving the pill pockets to your dog. Why do I say this? Because my dog won’t touch his favourite treat if he sniffs even a trace of the medicine in my fingers.
Lace the medicine with peanut butter, cream cheese
Many dogs love peanut butter and cream cheese. Try lacing their medicine with a generous helping of peanut butter and/or cream cheese. However, many dogs might find an escape route by licking off the peanut butter and cream cheese, leaving the medicine behind. So, make sure you lace it in a manner that they can’t but have the medicine.
If all fails, administer by hand
No matter how much you try, some dogs will never give in to the above hacks. So, if nothing works, medicines will have to be administered by hand. Yes, it is usually an unpleasant experience, particularly if it needs to be done daily. So, consult your trusted veterinary doctor on what’s the best and recommended way to administer oral medicine to your dog. In any case, before adding anything new to your dog’s diet, its always recommended to run it by your trusted veterinary doctor.
Note: This article is meant for information and awareness and should not be considered as medical opinion.
