How to Give Medicine to a Cat or Dog That Refuses It
📝 Summary
Your pet is sick and needs medicine, but the vet is a hassle. Here is how to medicate at home and the key points.
1 Overview
How to give solid medicine.
Method 1: hide the pill in favorite food at feeding time.
Method 2: place hand on the bridge of the nose, press upper lip in with thumb and middle finger through the teeth onto the palate to open the mouth, put the pill on the tongue with the other hand, push to the root, close the mouth and stroke the chin until it swallows and licks out.
Method 3: hold both ear roots, tilt the head up, use blunt-tip long tweezers with a rubber tube to place the pill at the tongue root, close the mouth until it licks.
How to give liquid medicine.
Method 1: mix the liquid into favorite food.
Method 2: draw the liquid into a syringe, hold the head up, insert from the corner of the mouth between teeth, and slowly inject.
Method 3: for weak, depressed pets, use a gastric tube of proper size, hold the mouth open with a hard object between teeth, pass the tube via the throat into the stomach, confirm placement, and inject via syringe.
Local application
Eye: for water-based drops, 2-3 drops suffice; most last about 2 hours, and the bottle must not touch the eye. For ointment, apply to the lower lid; effect about 4 hours, repeat then.
Ear: hold the head, flip the outer ear up, clean the canal with a cotton swab, add a few drops of ear oil, and massage the base.
Other methods include injection, inhalation and rectal dosing; they are complex, so use a veterinary hospital.
Want to learn more about pet health?
Explore our pet health channel for more science-based care guides
Read More Articles →