How to Give Heartworm Pills to a Dog

Dogs that test positive for heartworms, are dogs whose heart is compromised by an infestation of parasites. The bad news is that heartworms are contagious, but the good news is that the only way a dog can get heartworms is by being bitten by a mosquito that has recently bitten another dog that had heartworms. The mosquito passes the baby heartworms (which travel through the bloodstream) from one dog to another. This also means that dogs living in warm moist areas are more likely to get heartworms, than dogs that live in extremely dry or cold environments. Dog's that have struggled with heartworms during their life, frequently deal with one of two side affects, in some dogs the heart valve's stop opening and closing properly and the dog's circulation is thrown off track. In some cases the walls and membranes of the dog's heart start to thin and become weaker, in some cases this can lead to cardiac arrest. The best way to make sure your dog is never diagnosed with heartworms, is to give them heartworm medication. Read on to learn how to give heartworm pills to a dog.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Pick a date. In order to work, heartworm pills need to be given to your dog once a month. The easiest way to make sure this happens is to pick a date (such as the seventh of each month) and make it heartworm day.

2. Read the instructions on your heartworm medication very carefully. Some heartworm medication is meant to be fed orally, and other heartworm medication is topical.

3. Separate your dogs. If you have more then one dog, you need to separate them, the last thing you want is for your more dominate dog to eat your more submissive dog's heartworm medication.

4. The easiest way to give your dog their heartworm pill is to mix it into a can of dog food. Most dog's don't even notice the medication. Supervise to make sure your dog eats all of the food.

5. If your dog refuses to eat the pill mixed in their food you will need to go to an alternate method.

6. Tuck the pill between your dominate hand's index finger and thumb.

7. Grasp the top of your dog's muzzle.

8. Gently tip your dog's head towards the ceiling, while applying pressure to the corners of it's mouth. This will force your dog to open their mouth slightly.

9. Place the pill in your dog's mouth. Make sure it is towards the back of their mouth or they will just spit it out when you release their head.

Tips & Warnings

• Another thing you can try is spreading some soft cheese on a cracker (generic animal crackers are perfect and cheap) and sticking the medication into the cheese.

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