Things You'll Need
- The prescribed oral medication
- A dropper or syringe
- Possibly a towel, if your rat is uncooperative
Instructions
Read the instructions that come with the medication, or that your vet may have written down for you. Make sure you understand how much of the medicine your rat is to receive and how many times a day it is to be given.
Use the dropper or syringe to draw out some of the medication. If you are to give a precise dosage, draw the liquid up to the appropriate line on the syringe.
Hold the dropper to your rat's mouth and see if it will voluntarily take the medicine. Very often, small animal medications have flavorings and sweeteners in them and your rat may think the medication tastes delicious! If your rat likes the medicine, your job will be very easy. Just push the medicine out of the dropper or syringe while your rat licks it up.
If your rat is uncooperative and does not seem to like the taste of the medicine, you will need to restrain it using a towel. Wrap the rat in the towel making sure its front legs are inside the wrapping and only its head is visible. Make the towel snug so that the rat cannot squirm out of it.
Put the tip of the dropper or syringe into the rat's mouth and slowly push some medicine out of the dropper or syringe. Your rat's swallowing instincts should help at this point, and it should begin to swallow whatever you squeeze in. If the rat tries to reject the medicine, try putting the dropper or syringe into the corner of the mouth (back where the molar teeth are) instead of at the front. If you force the medicine into the back of its mouth, the rat will have no choice but to swallow when the liquid hits the back of its throat.
If your rat is extremely difficult and nothing you do seems to work, take your rat back to the vet and ask a vet assistant to give the medicine to your rat. Watch carefully as the vet assistant does it, so that you will be able to do it yourself at home.
Rinse out the dropper or syringe with hot water each time you use it.