How To Trick Your Dog Into Drinking Liquid Medicine

Some dogs are just like children - some of them absolutely hate their daily dose of medicine! There’s good reason to, because most liquid medicine isn’t that appealing to start with. Medicine in the form of pills are a bit easier to administer. You can simply tilt their head back slightly and pop the pill right in, or hide it inside a really tasty, mouth-watering treat without them even knowing it. Liquid medicine, on the other hand, is trickier, and can be messy if your dog doesn’t want to comply.

Basic Precautions:

Before you give your dog any type of liquid medication, it’s important that you read the instructions very carefully. Certain liquid medications require specific storing instructions, dosing guidelines, and may not be mixed with certain ingredients. Some questions you should be asking before giving any type of medication should be:

The Ultimate Trick To Making Your Dog Drink Liquid Medicine:

This might sound silly, but really, the only ultimate trick to making your dog drink liquid medicine is to make it a fun and enjoyable experience for him. It might sound tricky, but there are plenty of ways to make medicine time an enjoyable experience for your pup. You’ll have to work on a trial-and-error basis though. Since some medicines also come in the form of pills and capsules, and we’re talking about giving medicine to your dog, we’ll include some bonus tips for those needing to give their pup a solid form of medication, too.

Soft Foods or Food Packets:

One of the best ways, and most enjoyable for your pup, is to hide the medicine into a soft treat big enough to encase it. Plus points for treats that are so enticing to your pet that they will just want to gobble it down within a millisecond! The tricky part about this method is that some dogs are picky eaters, and really do choose what they eat. With picky eaters, you run the risk of them refusing to eat it, or simply just eating around the pill.

Competition:

If you have more than one pet, making your dog think that he has competition can be a great way to get him to unexpectedly take his medicine. By combining this with the trick above, you can get your pet to chow down on a pill or a liquid capsule in no time. However, if you have pets who have aggressive and/or possessive behaviors, it is advised not to proceed with this trick. You can use soft treats for this one, as one of the treats will contain the medicine. Keep a bunch of treats in one hand, and the treat with the medicine inside. Give the other pets treats, one at a time until they wait for their turn. Then give the treat with the medicine combined to the dog that needs it. It’s a dog’s instinct to eat quicker in the presence of other dogs and usually won’t think twice to eat whatever comes his way.

Hit the Jackpot with Scraps:

Dogs love table scraps, that’s a solid fact, and when they catch a scrap, and when they do it’s like they’ve hit the jackpot. This trick is very simple - all you have to do is pretend that you’re preparing some tasty food. Drop a few scraps here and there until he’s distracted with instinct, then drop a scrap that contains the medicine. His canine instinct will most likely make him eat it without hesitation.

Lick ‘em Paws:

This one is especially for liquid medicine. You can mix the dosage with some peanut butter and dab some on your pet’s paws. Naturally, he’ll simply lick it off because he won’t like have something stuck to it!

Methods To Administering Liquid Medicine In Dogs:

For liquid medicine, there are two ways in which you can administer liquids for dogs. You can administer liquid medicine by mixing it with their food or by using a syringe. These are generally the most easiest methods of administering liquid medicine because it ensures you’re giving the proper dosage.

Mixing the liquid medicine with food:

When mixing in liquid medicine with your pet’s food, you’ll want to choose a soft, easy to mix, preferably canned food. Food that is enticing and can strongly mask the smell of the liquid medication will help, such as canned fish or pet food with a strong, meaty scent that your pet will be bound to love. When administering medication using this method, it’s important that you only use a small proportion as you’ll want to ensure that your pet will the food entirely. If you have other pets, be sure to separate the pet that needs the medication as other pets may sneak in and overtake his food bowl. In case your dog doesn’t finish his medicated dosage, you can always spoon feed the remains to make sure he completes his dosage.

Administering with a syringe:

Preferably one of the most easiest ways to administer liquid medicine is with the use of a syringe. When opting for this method, be sure you use a silicone tipped soft feeding syringe that won’t won’t harm the teeth, gums, or cheeks of your pet. This pet pet feeding syringe offers exactly that - and it works not only as a feeding syringe, it can substitute as an oil syringe, medication syringe, liquid and food syringe and perfect for pets of all sizes with a handy conversion chart already imprinted. The convenient dosing measurements and the quick administration of a syringe allow you to dose your pet with his meds in just a few seconds with the steps below:

Find the Right Technique and Make Medication Time a Rewarding Experience:

Liquid medications may be easier to administer to some dogs than pills and capsules - it all depends on your dog’s preference and behavior. Having patience and some practice will usually result in a successful administration of liquid medication. It’s also essential that you make medication time a rewarding experience for your pooch by treating him after receiving his dosage. If the medication doesn’t allow for food consumption, you can treat him to some well-loved attention and a belly rub to reassure him that practicing good behavior during medication time will result in a pleasant experience for him afterwards.