Being a pet parent entails a lot of responsibilities to guarantee the health of the pet
. Knowing how to administer medication to a sick pet is very important task that must be learned by a dog owner. Administering oral medications to sick dogs would not be too burdensome as the task will be over when the dog gets well. The need to give the dog its daily vitamins and supplements can be a very arduous task for an owner that does not know how to pill the dog the easy way. So how do you give a dog a pill?
A dog that spews the pill or eludes the master makes pilling even more difficult. Giving the dog a pill often becomes a battle of wits as the wise master would disguise the taste of the pill with the taste of food but because of the dog's ultra sensitive senses, the pill will be discovered. Dogs do not know that if they take the pill, they would get well thus a pet owner has to find ways to make the task a little easier.
Some dogs would take the pill offered by the master without a fuss. Dogs though are cunning animals and it would be a simple matter to spew the pill once the master's back is turned. After giving the pill, an owner must not leave at once to make sure that the pill was swallowed by the pet.
Another pilling technique is to disguise the taste of pill with the taste of food. Mix the crushed pill with a little amount of the dog's favorite food. This technique though is not applicable for dogs with dietary restrictions. Dogs usually gobble their favorite foods thus; ham, liverwurst or chicken breast can be used to hide the pill.
Generally, very sick dogs would turn away from food. Masking the taste of the pill with the taste of food would not be an effective technique. The pet must be coached to swallow the pill by placing it directly to the base of the tongue. Dogs accustomed to teeth brushing would not make a fuss if the mouth is opened. The mouth must be opened so that the pill can be inserted at the base of the tongue. To prevent the dog from biting your hand, the teeth must be covered by the flews. Close the dog's mouth and gently blow on the nose to encourage the pet to swallow.