How To Easily Give Your Dog Medicine And Pills
August 18, 2009
Having a hard time getting your dog to swallow their medications? It may be especially difficult for dogs to swallow those large pills, but I have a trick that can help.
The Great Pumpkin
No, I’m not suggesting you put in a request to a mythical “Great Pumpkin”! Wasn’t that the theme of a Charlie Brown animated special some years back? No matter, what I am suggesting is that you simply buy some canned pumpkin, take a scoop of approximately 1 to 2 tablespoons and poke the pill into the middle of it. In other words, bury the pill in a nice little ball of pureed pumpkin and give it to your dog. As we all know, dogs usually just swallow things whole without chewing. I think you will find the same phenomenum here.
Pills Swallowed Whole
Most dogs love the taste of pumpkin. It is naturally sweet and full of healthy beta carotene. So, if you poke the pill into the middle of a small ball of pumpkin and carefully give it to your dog, he will happily swallow it whole.
I have also found this procedure to be easier and more “fool-proof” if you allow the pumpkin to be less liquid. I take a tupperware container and put a plastic mesh strainer at the bottom. Then I place the canned pumpkin on top of the mesh strainer. This allows any excess pumpkin liquid to drain to the bottom of the container leaving a slighty thicker, more tacky-textured pumkin sitting on top. It is this slightly thicker, tackier consistency that makes it easier to form the “pumpkin ball”, insert the pill, and place it into your dog’s mouth.
Just a Slight Warning
Your dog may like the pumpkin so much that you have to watch that he doesn’t accidentally nip your finger in anticipation of eating his pumpkin treat. I usually move very slowly toward my dog’s mouth and then he is less likely to try to grab for it too quickly.
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