Dear Pilling: Most likely the biggest objection to the pill is the taste. Therefore, the best approach to getting her to accept the pill is to disguise the taste and or let her think she’s not even eating the pill. Here are a few suggestions:

wPlace the pill in a small spoonful of peanut butter. Then let her lick the sticky food off the spoon and in the process the pill will be licked clean away. This works like a charm.

wOther foods like cheese slices or lunch meat work well if the pill is wrapped tightly inside. She will bite off pieces and one will contain the pill.

wStore the pill in the dog’s treat jar and it will absorb the smell of the treats. Then when you grab a “treat” out of the jar, she will gobble down what she thinks just happens to be a smaller treat.

wSome dogs will eat a pill directly out of their food bowl at regular meal time. Sometimes you may need to crush the pill to adhere to wet dog food.

wYou can also crush a pill and put it in a plastic syringe with a little water. Then place the syringe in the dog’s mouth and press the plunger. However, this tends to waste some of the pill. Usually ten percent of a pill is lost just in the crushing process.

Dear Lisa: When I take my floppy-eared dog to be groomed, he sometimes comes back shaking his head like his ear is bothering him. It appears to be a little irritated. He does occasionally get ear infections. Is there any connection between his grooming and ear infections? – Shaking My Head

Dear Shaking: Grooming, per se, doesn’t cause his ear infections, but if he is prone to them there are several things that might be happening at the salon to irritate a pre-existing condition or susceptibility.

 Most outer ear canal infections are caused by overgrowth of bacteria and yeast. Water in the ear can create the moist environment for this to happen. Another possible cause is debris that gets stuck in ear wax that causes irritation, inflammation and infection.

So when your dog gets a bath, he may be getting water in his ear that starts an infection again. Also, while drying, that warm floppy wet ear covering the ear opening may create enough moisture to cause bacteria overgrowth. Or when he is trimmed, hair could be falling down into the ear canal, again sparking onset of another infection. I don’t recommend any home remedies to treat this condition, but keep a supply of medication from your vet on hand when these early symptoms arise.

A better way to prevent problems is to keep the water and debris out of his ear canal in the first place. Since he is a floppy-eared dog, I would suggest putting cotton balls in his ears during bathing, drying and when they clip the hair around his head and ears. At least this way you can remove two possible situations that might trigger another ear infection.

Lisa Peterson, a long-time breeder of Norwegian Elkhounds, is the Director of Club Communications at the American Kennel Club. Contact her at ask@lisa-peterson.com or Dogma Publishing, P.O. Box 307, Newtown, CT 06470.