Site Accessibility Features: Skip to page menus

Reset Website Accessibility

facebook

 Site Menus Section  Skip to page content 
    


 New Clients  What to Expect
 Take A Tour
 Make an Appointment
 About Us  Location & Hours
 Team
 Careers
 Reviews & Testimonials
 Social Media
 Product Orders
 Small Animal Services  Anesthesia and Patient Monitoring
 Reproductive Services
 Emergency and/or Extended Care
 Medical Services
 Nutritional Counseling
 Preventive Services
 Surgical Services
 Wellness and Vaccination Programs
 Additional Services
 Large Animal Services
 Animal Health  Pet Health Library
 Blog
 Videos
 Pet Health Checker
 News

Giving your dog a pill

Transcript of Giving your dog a pill

00:00 Speaker 1: Make sure you have correctly read the label and understand the dosing instructions. Grease the pill with a very small amount of margarine or butter, so it doesn't stick in your dog's mouth or throat. Hold the pill between your thumb and index finger. Gently grasp your dog's muzzle from above with your other hand by placing your thumb on one side and your fingers on the other side behind the canine teeth. Once you have a firm but gentle hold, tilt your dog's head toward the ceiling, the lower jaw will usually drop. If not, open the mouth by placing the last two fingers of your hand holding the pill between the lower two canine teeth. Quickly place the pill as far back over the tongue as possible. Close the dog's mouth and hold it closed while you return the head to a normal position. Gently rub the dog's nose or throat or blow lightly on the dog's nose. This should stimulate swallow. Make sure you give your dog plenty of praise throughout the procedure and offer a treat after giving the medication.

Download Video: MP4, WebM, Ogg

Instructions

Grease the pill with a very small amount of margarine or butter so that it doesn’t stick in the pets mouth or throat.
Hold the pill between your thumb and index finger (use your dominant hand – for example, if you are right handed, use your right hand).
Gently grasp your dog’s muzzle from above with your other hand, by placing your thumb on one side and your fingers on the other side behind the canine teeth.
Once you have a firm but gentle hold tilt your dog’s head toward the ceiling. The lower jaw will usually drop. If not, open the mouth by placing the last two fingers of your hand holding the pill between the two lower canine teeth.
Quickly place the pill as far back over the tongue as possible. The pill is most likely to be swallowed if you place it beyond the hump of the tongue at the back of the mouth. Try not to place your hand too far back to avoid stimulating a gag reflex.
Close the dog’s mouth and hold it closed while you return the head to a normal position.
Gently rub the dog’s nose or throat, or blow lightly on the dog’s nose. This should stimulate swallowing.
Make sure that you have carefully read the label and understand the dosing instructions.
The easiest way to give a pill is to hide it in a small amount of canned dog food, peanut butter or cheez whiz.
Some dogs may spit out the pill, so it is important to monitor this activity.
If your dog persists in spitting out the pills or if dietary restrictions prevent you from hiding the pills in an appealing treat, you will need to administer the pill directly into the dog’s mouth.
The dog will be the most cooperative if the procedure is performed quickly, in one smooth motion.
Make sure you give your dog plenty of praise throughout the procedure and offer a treat or extra playtime after giving the medication. This will make the experience more positive and will make it easier to give the medication the next time.

Site Sidebar: Skip to end of sidebar

CONTACT INFORMATION

P.O BOX 790 410 Railway Avenue W. Outlook, Saskatchewan, S0L2N0

Tel: (306) 867-8777 Email: ovc@sasktel.net

HOSPITAL HOURS

Monday: 8:30AM-5:00PM Tuesday: 8:30AM-5:00PM Wednesday: 8:30AM-5:00PM Thursday: 8:30AM-5:00PM Friday: 8:30AM-5:00PM Saturday: Closed Sunday: Closed

Closed all statutory holidays

APPOINTMENTS

We are happy to book an appointment for you. Once we receive your request, we will contact you within one business day to confirm a date and time that is as close to your request as possible. If you require an appointment immediately, please call the clinic instead.

Schedule your appointment