The post How to Get That Pill Down<\/a> by Dr. Ernie Ward<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n \u201cTold you she wouldn\u2019t take it!\u201d There I was, sprawled on my exam room floor, desperately trying to coax a capsule into the maw of a beast known to many as Sugar Bottoms. I was losing this clash between canine and human that threatened to dethrone me as the Tamer of Tablet Takers. But this champion wasn\u2019t giving up yet. I had yet to reach inside my left coat pocket.<\/p>\n The best medicine can\u2019t help if your dog won\u2019t take it. As Honey Princess (aka Sugar Bottoms) was proving, giving a dog a pill, tablet or capsule can be a challenge \u2014 and then some. Over the past 30 years of veterinary practice, I’ve identified three of the toughest tablet takers along with tips to get meds down the hatch where they can get to work healing your pooch.<\/p>\n Before we start, many of you are thinking, \u201cI just pop the meds down, simple as that!\u201d And to you amazing humans, congratulations. Even better when it\u2019s the dogs who are awesome like that. For the rest of us, read on.<\/p>\n Prying open a dog\u2019s mouth and shoving a pill down their throat can:<\/p>\n \u2724 Be terrifying for the dog<\/p>\n \u2724 Potentially cause injury during the struggle<\/p>\n \u2724 Create fear and distrust.<\/p>\n Did I mention it\u2019s just not very nice? Let’s focus on less intimidating and more compassionate methods.<\/p>\n Concealing your dog\u2019s meds in a favorite treat is undoubtedly the easiest, and most successful, method. Coating capsules with peanut butter, spray cheese or honey or concealing them inside a veggie dog are my go-to tricks. Wrapping with cheese or stuffing in a banana or bread slice, baked tofu chunks or sausage also works for most puppers.<\/p>\n To amp the appeal for even pickier pooches, try burying the dose in a hunk of canned puppy food. Few can resist the aroma and flavors of a growth formula\u2019s high fat levels. If that fails, try plopping in baby food or hiding within mixed-texture foods, such as a scoopful of rice and beans or meat. Sometimes by adding meds with mixed, crunchy consistencies and aromatic foods, they\u2019ll forget a pill is in there.<\/p>\n The Spitter wins by either coughing up a pill you\u2019ve worked hard to get down or after he dissects and devours whatever you hid the medication inside. If you know, you know.<\/p>\n The winning tactic with a Spitter is to make it nearly impossible to separate pill from p\u00e2t\u00e9 or make the taste so doggone irresistible, he wouldn\u2019t dare miss a morsel. Most of the tricks used on Picky Poppers work here, but you may have to level up your game to win over a Spitter.<\/p>\n Sometimes, simply increasing the size of the food you hide the meds (half veggie dog to whole) helps discourage selective spitting (\u201cIt\u2019s too much goodness!\u201d) and other times a change in flavor profiles (more salty, sweet versus savory, etc.) is what the vet orders.<\/p>\n Regardless of your approach, always observe your dog until you\u2019re certain the meds are on their way to the stomach. I once had a patient\u2019s thyroid levels fail to budge after three increases in dosage. Turned out the clever Cocker was covertly chucking his meds behind the couch. Secret Spitters can be hard to spot.<\/p>\n The Clencher is without equal when it comes to refusing meds. He is infinitely picky, able to dig out the most cunningly concealed pills \u2014 and good luck if you try to wrest open these jaws of steel. This is when I reach into my left pocket.<\/p>\n Before I share my final measure to medicate, I\u2019ve got to admit it\u2019s not foolproof. I\u2019ve found that if I try too many tricks, the Clencher becomes wary of my motives, and nothing will persuade that pill down. If this happens to you, I\u2019ve discovered that giving a food reward (or three) without the meds and trying again in an hour or two is the only smart move. If you escalate your efforts and forcefully cram the pill down, you\u2019re only going to make the next dosing more difficult.<\/p>\n When I\u2019m out of options, flopped on the floor, unable to wipe the tears of defeat from my eyes because my hands are drenched in doggie drool, I crack open a can of the smelliest, goopiest, most succulent kitten food I can find. Rare is the dog willing and able to resist the wafting wonderfulness that awaits. I proudly proffer the pill in the tin of tastiness and move away. Nine out of 10, I exit the exam room a winner.<\/p>\n I hope these tips and tricks help you give your dog medication and crown you \u201cTamer of Tablet Takers.\u201d Whatever type of dog you have or tactic you choose, make the experience as pleasant as possible. Many dogs needing meds may not feel well, making swallowing pills even more of a chore. Bring out your culinary creativity, take it slow, be patient, and always be kind when dealing with a tough tablet taker.<\/p>\n Inevitably there are times you have to \u201cpop the pill\u201d due to urgency or emergency.<\/p>\n The post How to Get That Pill Down<\/a> by Dr. Ernie Ward<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n The post How to Get That Pill Down<\/a> by Dr. Ernie Ward<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n \u201cTold you she wouldn\u2019t take it!\u201d There I was, sprawled on my exam room floor, desperately trying to coax a capsule into the maw of a beast known to many as Sugar Bottoms. I was losing this clash between canine and human that threatened to dethrone me as the Tamer of Tablet Takers. But this champion wasn\u2019t giving up yet. I had yet to reach inside my left coat pocket.<\/p>\n The best medicine can\u2019t help if your dog won\u2019t take it. As Honey Princess (aka Sugar Bottoms) was proving, giving a dog a pill, tablet or capsule can be a challenge \u2014 and then some. Over the past 30 years of veterinary practice, I’ve identified three of the toughest tablet takers along with tips to get meds down the hatch where they can get to work healing your pooch.<\/p>\n Before we start, many of you are thinking, \u201cI just pop the meds down, simple as that!\u201d And to you amazing humans, congratulations. Even better when it\u2019s the dogs who are awesome like that. For the rest of us, read on.<\/p>\n Prying open a dog\u2019s mouth and shoving a pill down their throat can:<\/p>\n \u2724 Be terrifying for the dog<\/p>\n \u2724 Potentially cause injury during the struggle<\/p>\n \u2724 Create fear and distrust.<\/p>\n Did I mention it\u2019s just not very nice? Let’s focus on less intimidating and more compassionate methods.<\/p>\n Concealing your dog\u2019s meds in a favorite treat is undoubtedly the easiest, and most successful, method. Coating capsules with peanut butter, spray cheese or honey or concealing them inside a veggie dog are my go-to tricks. Wrapping with cheese or stuffing in a banana or bread slice, baked tofu chunks or sausage also works for most puppers.<\/p>\n To amp the appeal for even pickier pooches, try burying the dose in a hunk of canned puppy food. Few can resist the aroma and flavors of a growth formula\u2019s high fat levels. If that fails, try plopping in baby food or hiding within mixed-texture foods, such as a scoopful of rice and beans or meat. Sometimes by adding meds with mixed, crunchy consistencies and aromatic foods, they\u2019ll forget a pill is in there.<\/p>\n The Spitter wins by either coughing up a pill you\u2019ve worked hard to get down or after he dissects and devours whatever you hid the medication inside. If you know, you know.<\/p>\n The winning tactic with a Spitter is to make it nearly impossible to separate pill from p\u00e2t\u00e9 or make the taste so doggone irresistible, he wouldn\u2019t dare miss a morsel. Most of the tricks used on Picky Poppers work here, but you may have to level up your game to win over a Spitter.<\/p>\n Sometimes, simply increasing the size of the food you hide the meds (half veggie dog to whole) helps discourage selective spitting (\u201cIt\u2019s too much goodness!\u201d) and other times a change in flavor profiles (more salty, sweet versus savory, etc.) is what the vet orders.<\/p>\n Regardless of your approach, always observe your dog until you\u2019re certain the meds are on their way to the stomach. I once had a patient\u2019s thyroid levels fail to budge after three increases in dosage. Turned out the clever Cocker was covertly chucking his meds behind the couch. Secret Spitters can be hard to spot.<\/p>\n The Clencher is without equal when it comes to refusing meds. He is infinitely picky, able to dig out the most cunningly concealed pills \u2014 and good luck if you try to wrest open these jaws of steel. This is when I reach into my left pocket.<\/p>\n Before I share my final measure to medicate, I\u2019ve got to admit it\u2019s not foolproof. I\u2019ve found that if I try too many tricks, the Clencher becomes wary of my motives, and nothing will persuade that pill down. If this happens to you, I\u2019ve discovered that giving a food reward (or three) without the meds and trying again in an hour or two is the only smart move. If you escalate your efforts and forcefully cram the pill down, you\u2019re only going to make the next dosing more difficult.<\/p>\n When I\u2019m out of options, flopped on the floor, unable to wipe the tears of defeat from my eyes because my hands are drenched in doggie drool, I crack open a can of the smelliest, goopiest, most succulent kitten food I can find. Rare is the dog willing and able to resist the wafting wonderfulness that awaits. I proudly proffer the pill in the tin of tastiness and move away. Nine out of 10, I exit the exam room a winner.<\/p>\n I hope these tips and tricks help you give your dog medication and crown you \u201cTamer of Tablet Takers.\u201d Whatever type of dog you have or tactic you choose, make the experience as pleasant as possible. Many dogs needing meds may not feel well, making swallowing pills even more of a chore. Bring out your culinary creativity, take it slow, be patient, and always be kind when dealing with a tough tablet taker.<\/p>\n Inevitably there are times you have to \u201cpop the pill\u201d due to urgency or emergency.<\/p>\n The post How to Get That Pill Down<\/a> by Dr. Ernie Ward<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Picky Pill Popper<\/h3>\n
The Spitter<\/h3>\n
The Clencher<\/h3>\n
When You Gotta Give It<\/h3>\n
\n
The Picky Pill Popper<\/h3>\n
The Spitter<\/h3>\n
The Clencher<\/h3>\n
When You Gotta Give It<\/h3>\n
\n