Comments on: How to Give Pets Oral Medication

on 6/14/2009 5 stars all the way!
thanks!
rainmanmom

on 3/10/2009 Encasing the pill in some margarine or butter has always worked well for me, with both cats or dogs.

on 2/2/2007 Hope this info can help someone. I've had the hardest time getting pills into my cat and tried a variety of strategies. Just had perfect success using a cat piller for her last 3 pills and each time the pill went down on the first try!!! The cat was not upset like she would get when I tried to force the pill in her mouth. She used to spit the pill out about 5 times on each try. The cat piller has been a miracle for us and it only cost $3.

on 1/30/2007 I had to give my pit bull big pills before, like; supplements and antibiotics, now that was a chore. I was also Prescribed a cat hairball remedy at one time, because my dog swallowed a piece of plastic, after I was done with the ordeal I figured out that the tuna tasting hairball remedy paste was a great pill coater in the meals I gave her in the coarse of the day. Many are about to ask, "Is it safe and why not use a pill pocket/treat wrap or crush it into the food?". All i have to say to that is been there tried it and for a pill taht size they will have to chew it to swallow it and forcing it down was not the best option, and to the other question no it will not hurt the dog at all, because the paste is just a sticky lubricant with very little medicinal values. So I'd say its a very inexpensive way to help with pill taking.

on 1/15/2007 If a dog doesn't want it's tablet it won't have it's tablet even to the point of not eating it's meal, if this is where you've put it.
Open your dogs mouth by squeezing it's cheeks ( by doing this their cheeks are between their teeth and if they try to bite they are biting them selves) place the tablet as far back in their throat as you can, close mouth and massage down.

This works, i've used this method on the biggest mongrels of working dogs before.

on 9/20/2006 I think that all cats are different. One cat may let you put pasty medicine on their paws and they'll lick it off, while another will let it just stay there. However, I've found some ways to handle the scar inducing job of giving your cat medicine.

My cat has had severe allergic reactions to the oily flea and tick medications that you put on their shoulders (which I've now found out that a lot of cats are allergic to), and she also has a heart condition. So, we're talking about major scratch scars. The first time I gave my cat her allergy fluid, half got into her mouth and half went all over her. I was left bloodied and defeated, and my cat was left not medicated correctly. I called my vet! He told me to get a syringe, to fill it with the fluid and how to hold her while doing this. Get the syringe in your prominent hand while placing your other hand on top of your cat's head with your fingers over her ears and facing her nose. Slowly and gently, use your thumb and middle finger to find the corners of the mouth. Lightly squeeze the corners of her mouth, while at the same time lift the cats head upward and her mouth will open. Take the syringe and put it a bit in the cat's mouth and squirt quickly! Try to aim upward as you don't want to choke the poor thing, and have plenty of paper towels handy. Pull away fast or you can be scratch scarred!

I've found that the gentler you are with your cat, the gentler they'll be with you. If you're rough, the cat will be rough. The same applies for the pill in placing your hands the same way and lifting her head, but, you can buy a pill depressor from your vet for that.

I've found that when you give pills that the best way to give it to your cat is to put the pill depressor into your cat's mouth slightly on the side of her mouth, and make sure the depressor is halfway into her mouth or she'll spit it right out! In fact, after giving your cat a pill, watch her for about a minute or two to make sure she swallowed it.

Tools from the vet is best and be patient or you'll wind up probably bloody and scratch scarred.

on 9/19/2006 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.

on 9/4/2006 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.

on 8/8/2006 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).

on 8/8/2006 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.

on 7/15/2006 Stick the pill into a soft cat treat. Works every time for me!

on 7/8/2006 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.

on 6/30/2006 What works for our dogs is crushing the pill and mixing it with a little bit of honey.

on 6/30/2006 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.

on 6/30/2006 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!