Tips on Giving Your Pet Oral Medication from the Doctors at The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic.
Cats
1. When giving a medication in pill form, first wrap it in deli meat, tuna fish, a pill pocket, or any treat that your cat will enjoy
2. Capsules are easy to break open and mix with wet food (a/d) or tuna fish.
3. For tablets, try hiding it in wet food. Be sure to ask before crushing up any medication as some should not be crushed!
4. If the above options do not work, you will have to force the cat to take the medication. Place the pill (throw the pill to the back of the throat) on the inside of the back corner of the mouth (as far back as you can get it) and then hold your cat’s mouth shut while they swallow. It usually slides down easier if dipped in a small amount of butter. You make also use a piller to get the medication to the back of the mouth.
5. If the medication is in liquid form, you can sprinkle it on their food or mix with their food, which your cat sometimes will eat without noticing. This will usually need to be a very tasty food such as a/d, tuna, salmon, beef jerky, deli meat, liverwurst, etc.
6. If you free feed your cat, you will need to give the liquid directly. Draw the medication up with a syringe and place the tip of the opening to the corner of your cat’s mouth. Place the syringe between the lips and slowly squirt the medicine into the mouth (not too quickly as to gag the cat, but quick enough she doesn’t have time to pull away). This may take a few tries because your cat will most likely pull away or struggle, until they understand what is happening. You can also hold the scruff, tilt the head back, and squirt the liquid in the side of the mouth. Giving them a treat or water chaser after medication, helps the medication go down and makes the next time easier.

Dogs
1. When giving a pill, simply wrap it in a very small piece of “Human” food (deli meat) or dog treat, and follow the “treat” with a much larger treat immediately. This will cause them to rapidly swallow the first treat with the medication as they anticipate the larger treat that follows.
2. When giving a liquid let your dog smell it first and then squirt it in on the side of the mouth. Remember to hold the mouth closed until you see a good swallow (about 3-5 seconds). Then give a treat after the medication as a chaser.
3. Pills may be given with a small amount of butter, followed by a treat.
4. Pills may be given with a small amount of peanut butter (since peanut butter is sticky it sometimes causes the medications to get stuck in the mouth).
5. A small hole may be punctured in a marshmallow and the pill may be given in this mechanism.

* If they refuse to swallow, holding their muzzle shut and blowing on their nose or rubbing their throat usually encourages them to swallow.

* At The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic we can flavor most medication here with our flavoring system to make it more palatable. We can mix both pills and liquid into a variety of flavored liquids your pet will enjoy. Ask us about Flavor Rx Mandarin orange, chopped liver, grilled tuna, crispy bacon, salmon, mom’s banana bread and other flavors.

* We can also give many medications in injectable forms. Ask about Convenia, this injectable antibiotic only needs to be given once every 2 weeks.

* Call us anytime that you have questions about medicating your pet!!!

* Call to verify that the particular medication that you are trying to administer to your pet can be given with one of the things or methods that are recommended in this handout.  Some medications cannot be mixed with certain food, medications, or methods.  Some medications must be given at certain times of the day.  Some medications are sensitive to heat, cold, etc.  If you have any questions consult your veterinarian on a particular medication or disease.

Dr. Bill Langhofer, The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic

TSVCpets.com

Open 7 days a week from 7 am – 9 pm.  Yes we are open on Sunday!!!.