Comments on How to Give Pets Oral Medication

My dog thinks bread is a treat, so I take a piece of bread, tear a bit off (like a 1" x 1" square) and wrap it around the pill. Works like a charm.

My dog thinks bread is a treat, so I take a piece of bread, tear a bit off (like a 1" x 1" square) and wrap it around the pill. Works like a charm.

There is a new product on the market called Pill Pockets. They are little "meaty" bits with a hole in the middle. You can put the pill inside and then pinch the hole closed. They are a bit expensive, but don't melt like butter or peanut butter, so I find it much easier to administer--especially if the pill is large or bitter tasting.

You could also just try to give it to them the quick way. Pin the animal between your legs, use one hand to open the jaws and pinch the cheeks gently, and with the other hand push the tablet right to the back of their throat (lucky they don't have a gag reflex) until the jaw snaps shut. They will automatically swallow it in one go. It does take a bit of practice and is easier with 2 people, but I think it's a quick and effective way to get it done (if you don't have a phobia about sticking your fingers in your pet's mouth).

Don't ever give your dog more than one cortisone shot in its lifetime. Cortisone shots ruined my Miniature Schnauzer's liver and we finally had to have her put to sleep to end the misery our little "Lady" had to experience and the need to filter her blood every week. Also, after the second rabies vaccination, wait three years until giving each follow-on rabies vaccination. The rabies vaccination will cause many health problems for your pet if given more often than every three years.

Don't ever give your dog more than one cortisone shot in its lifetime. Cortisone shots ruined my Miniature Schnauzer's liver and we finally had to have her put to sleep to end the misery our little "Lady" had to experience and the need to filter her blood every week. Also, after the second rabies vaccination, wait three years until giving each follow-on rabies vaccination. The rabies vaccination will cause many health problems for your pet if given more often than every three years.

You could also just try to give it to them the quick way. Pin the animal between your legs, use one hand to open the jaws and pinch the cheeks gently, and with the other hand push the tablet right to the back of their throat (lucky they don't have a gag reflex) until the jaw snaps shut. They will automatically swallow it in one go. It does take a bit of practice and is easier with 2 people, but I think it's a quick and effective way to get it done (if you don't have a phobia about sticking your fingers in your pet's mouth).

Stick the pill into a soft cat treat. Works every time for me!

Stick the pill into a soft cat treat. Works every time for me!

I found that for our dog, putting the pill in a little peanut butter works awesome! The peanut butter sticks to the pill and it just slides on down his throat nice and easy.

With a semi-agreeable cat, make sure you are wearing thick fabric trousers like jeans. Place the cat on your lap, have pill(s) ready, and quickly open mouth of cat and place one or if size warrants it, two, pills in cats mouth, and push them in to encourage swallowing. If cat tries to spit the pills out, try to push them in as they are being pushed out. For alternative treatments, where human-sized supplements are approved or recommended by your vet, you can cut capsules in half. Just wet the capsule until it softens, then use knife or strong scissors to cut. It helps if the outer shell adheres to itself to minimize the spillage. Then pour a few drops of olive oil on the pills and smear it around. This greasing makes it easier for the pill to not get stuck on a cats tongue. Some pills are nasty tasting, such as Benadryl. There are substitutes, such as Tagamet, that do not taste nasty. Ask your vet if you can substitute. Likewise, once in a rare while there will be a vet with no comprehension of the size of a pill that a cat can take comfortably. Ask for a different pill or get a different vet. Finally, at some point quality of life is more important than quantity of years. If your cat is on chemo and the cat tells you "no more," listen to the cat. Respect your pet, many of them have great intuitive power of what is right for them -- particularly for elective treatments. Every cat is different. If the cat absolutely needs the medications and is strong and resists, then consider having the vet or a second person help pill your animal.

What works for our dogs is crushing the pill and mixing it with a little bit of honey.

Purchased from my veterinarian, it is a morsel of food with a small hollow hole in it - just big enough for a pill. My cat is on medication for the rest of her life - and when she hears that bag - she thinks its treat time (but its really pill time). You get about 45 pill pockets for $9.95. The best invention ever!

What works for our dogs is crushing the pill and mixing it with a little bit of honey.

With a semi-agreeable cat, make sure you are wearing thick fabric trousers like jeans. Place the cat on your lap, have pill(s) ready, and quickly open mouth of cat and place one or if size warrants it, two, pills in cats mouth, and push them in to encourage swallowing. If cat tries to spit the pills out, try to push them in as they are being pushed out. For alternative treatments, where human-sized supplements are approved or recommended by your vet, you can cut capsules in half. Just wet the capsule until it softens, then use knife or strong scissors to cut. It helps if the outer shell adheres to itself to minimize the spillage. Then pour a few drops of olive oil on the pills and smear it around. This greasing makes it easier for the pill to not get stuck on a cats tongue. Some pills are nasty tasting, such as Benadryl. There are substitutes, such as Tagamet, that do not taste nasty. Ask your vet if you can substitute. Likewise, once in a rare while there will be a vet with no comprehension of the size of a pill that a cat can take comfortably. Ask for a different pill or get a different vet. Finally, at some point quality of life is more important than quantity of years. If your cat is on chemo and the cat tells you "no more," listen to the cat. Respect your pet, many of them have great intuitive power of what is right for them -- particularly for elective treatments. Every cat is different. If the cat absolutely needs the medications and is strong and resists, then consider having the vet or a second person help pill your animal.

Some medicines for animals are safety coated, harmful, or rendered ineffective if they are crushed, chewed, halved, or given with food. Always consult your veterinarian before using any of these wondrous short-cuts that I too have used on my dogs. Also remember that vets are human too and can make dosage mistakes. Check twice, give once. Another alternative to these stress-inducing situations of giving our pets medicines is to ask your vet if the medicine can be compounded and administered orally via syringe. Keep accurate notes of your dosing times and any adverse reactions your pet may have to the particular medicine as there are numerous substitutions, in most cases, available these days. Another common sense key is that if your pet requires long-term medicine, ask your vet to have a reputable vet pharmaceutical company to fill your pet's Rx and most of these companies do an auto-pay method. I read in shock that no one posted that deviating from the form of medicine to be given could cause serious short term and long term side effects. Please take this under advisement.