How to give medications?

It is rare for a dog to go its entire lifetime without needing medication. Fortunately, for most dogs, this is uncommon until they are older. Unfortunately, this means your dog may not feel well when asked to take medication for the first time and may resist. Here are some options on how to give medications and try to make it a positive experience for your pet.

Always check with your veterinarian about appropriate treats or foods for your dog to encourage taking medications. Limitations vary based on medical condition(s).

Pills, Chews, and Capsules

You can try putting a pill on your dog's food. They might not notice it. Some pills taste better than others, so it might not work for every medication. You can also hide the pill in a ball of wet food. Always add the pill right before feeding and keep your dog away from other pets to make sure the right dog gets the medicine.

You can offer medication, typically wrapped in food or a pill wrap, directly from your hand as you would any other treat.

Some dogs will easily eat pills wrapped in treats, but others might bite into them, realize there's a pill, and spit it out. For these picky dogs, try giving them just the treat without the pill first, until they eat it quickly. Then, give them the treat with the pill inside, followed by more of just the treat. This helps them trust you and rewards them for eating the pill.

For dogs that are very cautious, you can try playing fake keep away. Start by using just treats and roll them around in front of your dog, but don't roll them directly to the dog. Encourage your dog to chase and eat the treat. Once your dog is quickly taking the treats, include the treat wrapped pill. As soon as your dog takes the pill, throw another treat in front of them. The goal is for your dog not to notice they took the medication.

Pilling. No one likes forcing their dog to take their medications, but sometimes there is no way around it. First, if you haven't already, read the mouth section of Body Handling. This will help you open your dog's mouth properly. When you're ready to give the pill, hold it in your hand or use a pill syringe. Open your dog's mouth and place the pill past the tongue, then let go of it. Keep your dog's head slightly tilted up and gently close their mouth. Stroke the bottom of their neck until they swallow. If they don't swallow right away, you can add a little water to encourage swallowing. 

*Warning: if pilling with your hand, your dog will naturally close their mouth some in the process of getting the pill to the back of the mouth and your hand could get inured.

**Do not open a capsule unless approved by your veterinarian because this can change the function of the medication in some cases.

Liquid Medications

You can practice giving liquid medicine using water, but check with your vet before adding any flavors. If you haven't read the mouth section in Body Handling, do that first. Use the method described there to pull back your dog's upper lip to see the back teeth. Carefully place the syringe tip behind the last tooth and slowly squirt the medicine while gently holding the mouth closed. When finished, gently rub the throat until your dog swallows.

Liquid medications can sometimes be made with a different flavor if your dog has a strong aversion or reaction. This usually appears as head shaking or excessive drooling for more than five minutes after receiving the medication.

If your dog readily takes flavored liquid from a syringe, you can do the treat, medication treat pattern (as long as the medication does not need to be given on an empty stomach) to reward their cooperation.

Eye Medications

If you haven't read the eye section in Body Handling, start with that. When giving eye medicine to a dog, I find it easier to have the dog sit on my feet or on a counter in front of me, facing away. This stops them from backing up and moving, which helps avoid missing or accidentally poking their eye. Use one hand to gently hold their muzzle and point it towards the sky.

For drops, while holding the eye open with one hand the other hand holds the bottle 1 to 2 cm above the eye and squeezes out the drops. For ointment, with the lower eye lid held open to make a pocket between the lower eye lid and the eye ball, dispense the ointment into the pocket and then allow the eye to close. 

*Note: eye meds often need to be given minutes apart to work AND sometimes in a specific order. Ask your vet and write it down. I like to label the containers with L(left), R(right) and 1, 2, 3 ect especially if there are multiple people that will be giving eye medications.

Topical

Start with Body Handling based on the area where your dog needs topicals. Most topicals are wipes, ointments, or foam that can be applied using the principles outlined in body handling. Sprays, however, may require more adjustment. Begin by providing some form of positive distraction, such as a lick mat. Once your dog is focused on the distraction, place a hand on their back and gently move that hand close to the area that needs to be sprayed. Gently spray the affected area. Your dog may whip their head around. Calmly encourage them back to the positive distraction and gently pet near the area that needs the spray. When your dog has refocused on the distraction, spray again, repeating the process until the desired area has been treated.