How to give your dog a pill:

If your dog needs to ingest medication, welcome to the club. Whether it’s medicine for a slight ailment or a chronic illness, chances are your veterinarian prescribed medication to help your dog regain maximum health and wellness.

As a responsible pet owner, it’s important to know how to give your dog a pill. If it can be administered with food, simply hide the fill in a piece of food your dog is eating. For instance, if your dog is on the BARF diet, in order to properly give your dog the pill, mix it in with raw vegetables and meat. It’s most effective to give your dog a small amount of food without the pill and then mix the pill in with the next little portion.

If your dog can not take the pill with food, it’s simply down the hatch! In order to give your dog a pill, you’ll need to put on a happy face as you administer the pill to your dog. For instance, take your dog to a comfortable spot in the house. Place your dog’s hind against something so he’s unable to back away and move to another location. Next, hold the pill between your thumb and index finger. By using your other hand, you’ll need to grasp your dog’s muzzle with your thumb on one side and fingers on the other. Slowly tilt your dog’s head back over his shoulders and his lower jaw will automatically drop slightly.

By using your other hand to give your dog the medication, quickly place the pill very far back in your dog’s mouth but be careful not to insert your hand too far into the mouth since your dog could gag. Then close your dog’s mouth, hold it closed and lower its head back to a normal position. This will help with swallowing.

Now comes the fun part: praise! Hug your dog, praise your pet, and possibly give Fido a treat for swallowing the pill. Keep in mind the faster the medication can be consumed, the easier it is on both you and your pet.

At The Dog Bowl, nothing is more important than your pets’ health and well being. For more information about how to give your dog a pill contact your local veternarian.