How to Safely Give Your Dog Medication

There are going to be times when your dog is ill and would need to be put on some sort of medication whether it's in tablet form or other. Knowing how to administer medication safely to a pet makes life a lot easier for everyone concerned including your doggy. Getting a pet to take any sort of medicine can be not only challenging but stressful too, so it's important to make the whole process as painless and pleasant as possible for both you and your pet.

Liquid Medicine

Many dog owners find it a lot easier to give their pets medicine which is in liquid form. However, it still takes a lot of patience because you have to get it right. You need to be firm but gentle as you attempt to get your dog to hold still, to swallow the right amount of the liquid and do this without causing them or you any stress.

Below are a few tips on how to give your pet their liquid medication which should help make the experience a whole lot earlier:

• Liquid medication is often given to dogs for many reasons and to treat various conditions. Vets will usually give owners liquid medication when owners have trouble getting their pets to take tablets

• You should always follow the directions closely and complete the course without fail even if you think your dog has recovered. If you don't finish the course, your pet might fall ill again

• The majority of liquid medication usually comes with a syringe or a dropper so it can easily be administered to a dog. It also ensures the right dose is given each time

• You would need to hold your pet's head very still with one hand and then gently insert the end of the dropper/syringe into the corner of their mouths making sure it's between their cheek and their teeth whilst aiming the tip to the back of your pet's head

• Avoid tilting your dog's head backwards as this may just cause them to inhale the medicine into their lungs – something which has to be avoided at all costs

• Gently squeeze the dropper or push the plunger down if it's a syringe until your dog has swallowed the right amount of medicine

• It's important to gently yet firmly hold your pet's mouth closed whilst stroking their throats to encourage them to swallow the medicine

• Once you dog has swallowed the medicine, you need to give them a favourite treat – making sure it's a healthy one as a big reward for having taken their medicine

How to Give Your Dog a Tablet

You may need to give your dog a tablet, whether it's a wormer or medication and the best way of doing this safely without causing too much stress to your pet is to do the following:

• Gently hold your dog's muzzle, tip their heads back so their noses are pointing towards the ceiling

• With your free hand, open their mouths by gently pulling down the lower jaw so you can place the tablet at the back of their tongues ready to be swallowed being careful your pet doesn't close their mouths on your fingers!

• You then need to close your dog's mouth before massaging their throats to encourage them to swallow the tablet

• You have to make sure they have indeed swallowed the tablet because dogs can be clever and hold it in their mouths so that as soon as you look away they can spit it out again

• Another way to get your dog to swallow a tablet is to hide it in a small piece of their favourite food but again you have to make sure they don't eat the treat and spit out the tablet

How to Put Drops in Your Dogs Ears

If you have to put any ear drop in your pet's ears to clear up an infection or to get rid of mites, you first have to make sure there are no sores or scratches in their ears because the alcohol will sting and this could make it hard to use ear drops in the future because your pet will remember the pain. You must read the instructions on how many drops to put in each ear and then do the following:

• Hold your dog's head closely to you and tilt it away from you before gently folding the top part of their ears on the top of their heads so you can clearly see inside your pet's ears

• Squeeze the amount of drops into your pet's ears as directed on the instructions and then pull the top part of their ear back over and gently rub it so the liquid drops go down the canal

• Hold your dog's head for a minute or two to prevent them from shaking it which could result in the drop being sprayed around the room

How to Put Drops in Your Pet's Eyes

Make sure your dog is sitting down having given them the command to do so. If you have someone to help you all the better, but if you don't then do the following:

• Gently but firmly hold your dog's and tilt it so they are looking up at the ceiling

• With one hand roll back your pet's upper eyelid being extremely careful when you do so

• With your other hand carefully put in the required amount of drops into your pet's eyes, making sure you follow the instructions to the letter

If you find your dog will not cooperate you may need to talk to your vet but if you have a helper you should be able to manage it between the two of you with one person holding your pet's head whilst the other person puts the drops in their eyes.

How to Cope with a Dog that Struggles

If you find that your dog keeps struggling when you try to give them any sort of oral medication there are certain things you can do to make the whole process a lot easier. If you are by yourself and own a largish dog, you may need to stand behind them and ask your pet to sit back up against your legs and then attempt to give the medicine. For smaller dogs that tend to wriggle, you can wrap them in a towel making sure you don't do so too tightly and then hold them close to your body to give them their medication.

The thing to bear in mind is if a dog starts to struggle, you should stop and wait for them to calm down. There is no point trying to do anything with your pet when they are too agitated. Once they are calm, you can try again but if it just proves too hard, you may need to seek advice from your vet.