HOW TO ADMINISTER MEDICATIONS?
Administering medications to a dog or cat can be a difficult task: after all, you have to keep it quiet to administer a substance that is strange and even unpleasant to you.
But it is a possible task: just know the techniques appropriate to each animal and each medicine (tablets, drops, liquids).
DOG - THE IMPORTANCE OF REWARDING
To administer medications one must be gentle but firm. Good technique also helps. Like this:
Tablets - with the dog sitting, open your mouth, holding it over. Insert the medicine as far back as possible on the tongue. Then hold your mouth closed and hold your head up, stroking the throat to feel if the tablet has been swallowed. You can also choose to give the tablet hidden in the middle of a food that the dog likes, such as a piece of ham.
Liquids - with the dog in the same position, insert the syringe (plastic) in the corner of the mouth, between the teeth: this is how you give liquid medicines, such as syrup, but also tablets that can be diluted in water.
Ear drops - with the flap of the ear back, insert the eyedropper into the ear, towards the muzzle. Without letting the dog shake his head, remove it and lower the flap of the ear again. With the palm of the hand massage the base of the ear.
Eye Drops - Clean the area around the eyes and then hold the dog and keep the eye open. Approaching the hand that holds the medicine behind, pour the drops and let the eye be bathed by the medicine.
In the end, the dog should be praised and rewarded: it is a positive reinforcement after actions that bother him.
SICK BUT COMFORTABLE
A sick animal needs health care as well as comfort: keep it in a warm, dry place with the hygiene zone nearby. And give her affection, to mitigate the annoyances of disease and treatment.
DO YOU KNOW THAT...
You should not call the dog to give him the medicines: he may be afraid, associating the name with an unpleasant moment. Go to him first.
The health and well-being of your pet are also areas of intervention at Penha Pharmacy. Here you will find professional advice on proper care of your dog and cat: the dispensing of the medicine is accompanied by useful and practical advice on the treatment and in particular on tricks that help you to better administer the medicines.