Giving medications to your dog can be a grueling experience for you, especially considering you're also worried about your dog's health. You know very well that your dog needs the medication in order to recover from his illness or injury. Planning beforehand how you are going to give the medication, though, can be helpful and keep the process smooth for both of you.
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Pills and Tablets
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The easiest, most efficient way to give medication, if it can be given with food, is to pack the pill inside a ball of canned food, cheese, peanut butter or a similar food. Give your dog a ball of this food without the pill first, to see how your dog eats the ball. If he swallows it whole, you may be safe giving pills this way; if he chews the ball, there's a chance he'll feel the pill and spit it out.
If you can't give pills with food, or if your dog won't swallow the pill, you will need to give it to him by hand. Hold the top of your dog's muzzle with the index finger and thumb of your left hand (or right hand, if you're left-handed) and tilt your dog's head so that his muzzle is pointing up. Pull open your dog's jaw with your right middle finger, and insert your left thumb into his mouth by pushing in the lip to protect yourself from his teeth and pressing your thumb into the roof of his mouth. Use your right hand to drop the pill as far back in your dog's mouth as you can, then hold his mouth closed until he swallows. You may have to push the pill to the far back of your dog's tongue in order to keep the pill from falling out or your dog from spitting it out.
Liquids
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Using a syringe or dropper, squirt the medication into the area between your dog's cheek and teeth. Don't tilt your dog's head back like you're giving a pill; this will cause some medication to get into your dog's windpipe. Hold his mouth closed until he swallows.
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