Tips and Tricks - Dealing with Sick Pets (Medications)

Pills   

Having to give your cat or dog a pill is never fun.  It is easiest if you can get your dog or cat to eat the pill with their meal (make sure to ask your vet if this is an option).  You can also consider grinding up the pills and putting it in the food –  but make sure to ask first. Some pills have a bitter taste, and pills that are coated or extended release formulations may not work as well if they are ground up  If you are feeding your pet the pills with food, you want to make sure to only offer a small amount of food with the pill.  Don’t give them a huge bowl of food with a little tablet inside and hope that they eat it all.  It is better to give them a  spoonful of their food with the tablet inside and make sure they eat it first before the rest of the meal.  If they don’t, keep trying.  If you can’t feed the pill with a meal, try coating the pill with a small amount of tasty food, such as canned food, peanut butter (my personal favorite) or cream cheese.  Spray cheese works well, but I haven’t seen much of it available here in Hong Kong. Hold the pill (coated with the food) in your hand and your pet will lick up the food with the pill.  If they don’t swallow, you can put a bit of peanut butter or cream cheese on their nose for them to lick off – that way they have to swallow (this is a great trick for cats)!  If they won’t take the pill easily with food, you are going to have to force them to take it by pilling them.  Remember - safety first!  Have the pill ready to go.  Use the hand that you don’t use to write with to grasp the upper jaw between the teeth, and then use your other hand to push the pill into their mouth – you must push it past the bump on their tongue!  You don’t want them spitting it back out.  Once it is in, hold their mouth closed and try blowing gently in their face.  That usually causes them to be startled and swallow.  The same trick works for cats, but the teeth are much pointier.  

Liquid Medication  

If you are using liquid medication, you can mix the medication with food or you can use the syringe to get it into their mouth. I like to find the gap between teeth, position the syringe in that gap underneath their cheek,  and then gently push in the medication.  Some of the medication will be drooled out. Cats are especially prone to drooling and foaming at the mouth after any medication, especially liquids.   

If you have a hard time giving medications, make sure to talk to your vet.  We can compound some medications into flavored treats or medications that you can put on the Skin. 

Eye Drops  

It is important never to touch the eye with the eye dropper – you can scratch the eye and contaminate the eye drops themselves.  Tilt your pet’s head back and hold the eyelids open gently, then drop the appropriate number of drops in.  For an ointment, you want to pull down the bottom eyelid and apply a thin line of ointment inside the pouch between the lower eyelid and the eye itself.  If you are giving multiple eye drops, we recommend that you wait 5 minutes between drops so that each drop is absorbed properly.  

Injections  

You may be asked to do injections of medications such as insulin or fluids under the skin.  This type of injection is called subcutaneous.  Your vet should go over the proper steps ahead of time and show you exactly how to administer the medication.  It will seem very daunting at first, but it does get easier with practice.  If you are administering subcutaneous fluids, you will want to attach the line to the bag, and attach a capped, fresh needle prior to getting your pet in place.  Tent the skin between the shoulder blades, and then insert the needle – you only need to insert the needle deeply enough that the end of the needle is covered by skin.  Pull back on the syringe (if you are using a syringe) to look for blood.  If you get back blood, pull out the needle and try again.  Once you are in the right spot, inject the medication or turn the fluids on.  

Bandage  

If your pet has a bandage on from the vet, make sure that the bandage stays clean and dry.  If you are walking your dog outside and the bandage is on the foot, place a loose-fitting plastic bag around the bandage to keep it clean.  Any wound or bandage should be monitored closely for signs of infection, such as bad odour, heat, pain, swelling, or discharge.  If you observe these signs, it is best to contact your veterinarian for advice as soon as possible.