Little Lesson Number One:

How To Give Your Dog A Pill

By Nancy K. Crevier

(Life is a series of tasks. Some are easier to perform than others. Some are a little trickier. Some tasks we have mastered, while others remain, for one reason or another, a mystery. In the coming weeks, The Newtown Bee will present a series of short articles of Little Lessons meant to light the way to a new or easier way to tackle those day-to-day duties, or even those less commonly encountered tasks, each one accompanied by a video at newtownbee.com. Welcome to the classroom.)

If you own a dog, said Dr Rock Vali of Mt Pleasant Hospital for Animals in Newtown, you will certainly have to give that dog a pill at some point. It might be a daily, weekly, or monthly chore, or it might be during a time of illness. When the know-how is missing, though, pill time can be an unpleasant interaction between owner and pet.

“The two biggest mistakes that people make are using peanut butter or cream cheese to hide the pill, but using too much. For older dogs, especially, it can be a choking hazard,” said Dr Vali. Other dogs quickly wise up, devouring the covering and then spitting out the pill.

The other mistake is in shoving the pill so far down the throat that it is pushed into the windpipe, said Dr Vali.

Mt Pleasant Hospital for Animals veterinarian technician Mary Simpson agreed with Dr Vali that while easy, hiding the pill inside of a tasty treat does not work for all dogs.

“You need to know your dog. It will take some trial and error early on to determine what is the best way to pill your dog,” she said.

When pilling a dog manually, said Ms Simpson, it is important that the dog is able to swallow the pill itself. If the pill is placed too far forward on the tongue, the dog will spit it out. Aim for the back of the tongue, she suggested.

“Be assertive, and just do it,” said Ms Simpson. “It will save everyone a lot of distress.”

Gently but quickly open the dog’s mouth, place the dog’s top lips over its teeth to discourage the dog from accidentally biting down, and place the pill at the back of the tongue. A bit of butter smeared on a larger pill will encourage easy swallowing. With one hand, gently hold the muzzle closed and pointed slightly upward, then stroke the dog’s throat to induce swallowing. A brief puff into the dog’s nostrils will also encourage it to swallow, she said.

“I like to follow up with a treat, too, to make sure that the pill has really been swallowed and that the dog is not hiding it in the side of its mouth,” Ms Simpson said. “Some dogs are very tricky like that.”

The process is the same whether pilling a large dog or a small dog. Placing a small dog on a tabletop will make the task easier, she said.

If the dog struggles and the pilling is unsuccessful, take a break before trying again. Then, try a different method. With practice and confidence, giving a dog a pill can be mastered.

For a close up look at giving a dog a pill, view Little Lesson Number One at newtownbee.com.