GIVING THE DOG HIS MEDICINE

Depending on how you go about it, medicating the dog can be an easy chore or a struggle. Dogs are very much like people when it comes to taking medicine. They just don't like it. Some dogs will clamp their mouths shut and struggle fiercely, others will simply regurgitate the medicine if you are inept. The result in both cases is that the dog gets less than the prescribed dosage or none at all. But with a little patience and skill, you can give the dog his medicine with a minimum of wear and tear on your nerves and very little struggle on the part of the dog.

Until you've acquired some skill in administering the medicine, it's best to have someone help you. The assistant can restrain the dog while you give the medicine. When you take the dog to the veterinarian, he usually has you or an assistant hold the dog while he examines or treats the dog. Now bear in mind that the veterinarian is a skilled man when it comes to handling animals. Yet he rarely tries to wrestle with a dog and at the same time give medicine. So there is no reason why you should try to overpower the dog and try to medicate him at the same time. The idea is to get the medicine into the dog, not prove that you are the boss. When you are working with a very sick or paralyzed dog, the job is not too difficult. The dog will be too weak to put up a struggle. Your main problem here will be to get the dog's mouth open. But this can be done.

Capsules, pills and tablets

The simplest way to give capsules, pills or tablets is to put them into the dog's food or a specially prepared meatball. Since he ordinarily gulps or bolts his food, the medicine will go down easily. Once in awhile, a dog is not taken in by this subterfuge. He detects the medicine in the food and will eat around it. If you have such a dog or one that refuses to eat at all, you will have to put the capsule, pill or tablet directly into his mouth.

Here is the way to give the dog solid medicine:

Open his mouth by grasping his upper jaw with your.
left hand. Push his upper lips down over his teeth and hold
them there with your fingers. If he tries to bite, he'll bite
his lips.
Tilt his head upward. This action will cause his lower
jaw to open.
Next, place the capsule, pill or tablet well back into
his mouth at the base of the tongue with the fingers of your
right hand. Hold down his lower jaw as you do so. If you
are left-handed, reverse the procedure.
When you have placed the medicine, close the dog's
mouth and hold it shut with your fingers.
Stroke or massage his throat until he swallows. It's important to wait for him to swallow, otherwise he'll spit out the medicine when you release his mouth.

Liquid medicines

Administering liquid medicines is not as difficult as it may seem. A few "tricks of the trade" will help you to give the dog liquids without spilling them. It's best to have someone restrain the dog until you have some experience.

First, pour the medicine into a small bottle or syringe. Make a pouch in the side of the dog's mouth by pulling out the fleshy lower jaw skin or jowels. Now slowly pour the liquid into the pouch, close the pouch and let the dog swallow. If you pour slowly, the dog will usually swallow as the medicine is being poured into the pouch.

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