Medicating Your Pet With Confidence

Medicating Your Pet With Confidence 

Do you scream in terror when your vet prescribes medication for your pet?

Do you fear what will happen when your bundle of fur senses medicine is coming his way?

Here are some simple tricks for getting your pet to take his medicine and give you confidence in your ability to give it. 

Cat: 

The first thing to do is to relax, because your cat can sense if you are upset or anxious and then your cat will become anxious too. 

Secondly, make sure you have the medication ready by getting the tablets or capsules out, liquids poured or drawn up into a syringe.

You can coat the tablet or capsule with butter or tuna or anchovy paste to lubricate the medication and give it a more palpable taste.

You may also want to have a second person on hand to help you by holding the reluctant cat. 

Use a slippery surface such as a table or counter top so that the cat will not be able to grip the surface and run away.

You can wrap your cat in a blanket or towel, in order to restrain it. Make sure you have trimmed your cat's claws before attempting to give the medication for your own protection.

Grasp the top of the cat's head with one hand and with the tip of your thumb and index finger positioned at opposite corners of the cat's mouth on the cat's upper lip; gently tilt the cat's head back sot hat the chin is facing upward. 

Medicine Tablets Antihistamines block receptors that trigger the itching, nasal irritation, and sneezing associated with allergies and decongestants work by narrowing the blood vessels in the lining of your nose, which shrinks swollen nasal passages. Cough medicines have two groups’ antitussives, which suppress coughs by blocking the cough reflex and expectorants, which help to bring up the mucus we have as a result of colds or flu. The thinning of the mucus makes coughing more productive and effectively clearing away mucus from our airways making it easier to breathe. Drugs and Medicine

 

Now, hold the pill between your index finger of the other hand and your thumb and place downward pressure with your middle finger on the front part of the cat's lower jaw.

This will cause the cat to open its mouth. If your cat is stubborn and refuses to open the mouth you can gently pry it open by putting gentle pressure on the lower jaw.

Drop or slide the pill as far back in the mouth as you can. The pill should go down, as the cat will not be able to spit it out. Give water by syringe after the pill.

Use a syringe or eyedropper to give the cat liquid medicine. Give slow squirts of the medicine, pausing in between squirts. 

Reward your cat with a favorite cat treat for taking the medication. 

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Dog: 

Make sure you have the pills or liquid out. Sometimes you can put these into food items that you dog will devour without knowing that the medicine is in it. Peanut butter works well and so does putting pills into hot dog pieces. 

Ask your vet to show you how to administer any meds that cannot be given with food. 

To give your dog medicine by mouth, first hold him securely against a wall, or between your knees. The last resort should be to use a muzzle, if you cannot hold your dog.

Place your hand over the top of the dog's nose and place your thumb and fingers on either side of the dog's mouth.

Tilt the dog's head back and push the lips just behind the canine teeth, which are the ones that look like fangs and the dog's mouth should open.

Place the pill onto the dog's tongue as far back as you can get it. Close the mouth and gently stroke his throat or rub his nose until he swallows. 

Liquid mediation can be drawn up into a syringe into the gap between the canine teeth. Squirt small amounts into the mouth a little at a time. 

Give your dog a treat afterwards as a reward for taking his medication.