All dogs at some point in their life will need medication whether it’s a monthly parasite preventative or a medication prescribed by your vet to cure an illness, and how to get a dog to take the medication can sometimes be a challenge. 

It’s important to know the best way to administer medicine to your furry friend. Doggy medicines come in several forms such as pills, liquid medicines, ear and eye medicines, and injections.

Giving your dog a pill

The simplest way to give your dog a pill is to hide it in their food or a treat. 

There are hollow dog treats that you can buy that are made specifically for this purpose. These treats have a hidden pocket in them where you can hide your dog pill so that your dog does not even realize they’re getting medication – they think they’re simply getting a treat. 

They even come in different flavors and brands, here are a few examples of highly rated treats available on Amazon Prime:

Greenies Pill Pockets, Capsule Size Natural Dog Treats Chicken Flavor, 15.8 oz. Value Pack

VetIQ Pill Treats Advanced Formula for Dogs, Chicken Flavor Soft Chews, 30 Count

Milk-Bone Pill Pouches Dog Treats, Real Chicken Flavor, 6 Ounces (Pack of 5)

You can also hide your dog’s pill in a piece of meat, a piece of bread, or anything that you coat with peanut butter. Be sure to check with your vet first before hiding a pill in any food because there are some foods that should not be given with certain types of doggy medicine.

If these methods do not work with your dog, you will have to give the pill directly by mouth. Do not try this method if you think your dog may bite. And if you have a boisterous dog, you may need to hold the dog between your legs to keep him still. 

You want to make sure that your dog is sitting and follow these steps to give him the pill:

1. Open their mouth with one hand and while holding their head upward, drop the pill into the back of their throat. Try to drop the pill as far as possible into your dog’s mouth so that it gets over the hump of the tongue.  
2. After you drop the pill into their throat, hold your dog’s head up slightly, close their mouth with your hand, and gently stroke and massage your dog’s throat until they swallow the pill.  
3. Once you feel your dog swallow and you see them lick their lips you will know the pill has gone down. This is a great time to praise your dog for their good behavior.

Giving your dog liquid medication

Giving your dog liquid medication requires a different technique from giving him a pill.  You will want to hold your dog’s upper jaw as you would when giving them a pill but keep their head level rather than tilting it upward. 

Tip or squirt the medicine into the side of your dog’s mouth between their teeth. Do not squirt the medicine into the back of the throat because this could cause the liquid to go down the windpipe. Close your dog’s mouth and gently massage and rub their throat until they swallow.

Applying eye medicines

Certain conditions may require you to administer medicines into your dog’s eyes.  Follow these steps to apply eye medication safely and effectively to your dog:

1. Remove and sticky eye discharge from your dog’s eye and their surrounding skin using a cotton ball soaked in warm water or in an eye wash solution.
2. Hold your dog gently with one hand, and with the other hand, bring the drops or ointment toward their eye from behind. 
3. Squeeze the medicine into your dogs eye from above and make sure that the container does not touch their eye.
4. After applying the ointment, hold your dog’s eye closed for a few seconds. Your dog’s body temperature will warm up the ointment which will help it disperse within their body.

Applying ear medicines

Certain conditions may require you to administer medicine into your dog’s ears. Follow these steps to safely and effectively apply ear medication to your dog:

1. Before you start, roll the tube or ointment or drops in your hands to warm up the medication. This will help make the procedure more comfortable for your dog.
2. Clean away any excess wax from under the ear flap, especially from at the bottom which is the opening of the dog’s ear canal.
3. Hold your dog’s head still and insert the nozzle into the ear hole, pointing the tip of the nozzle toward the tip of their nose. Squeeze the bottle gently.
4. Drop your dog’s ear flap back into position and gently massage the area below the ear canal opening. It’s very important at this point to not let your dog shake their head. If they shake their head, they will just get the medicine all over you, instead of in their ear where it belongs.

Giving your dog an injection

In certain circumstances, you may need to give your dog injections. Giving injections to your dog should only be attempted after discussing the procedure fully with your vet. 

Although an injection sounds daunting, giving an injection is straightforward and can be simpler in many ways than giving medicines by mouth. 

To give your dog an injection, follow these steps:

1. Draw the medicine into the syringe and tap it until any air bubbles rise to the top. Expel the air by squeezing the syringe until the first drop of medicine emerges from the needle.
2. Hold your dog, and while speaking calmly to them, grasp the relatively insensitive fold of skin on his neck between his shoulder blades.
3. Insert the needle through the skin into the tissue just underneath but above the underlying muscle.
4. Carefully expel the contents of the syringe and remove end dispose of the needle.

Conclusion

Giving your dog medications, no matter what the form, does not need to be a difficult or traumatic experience – for you or your dog. 

It’s important to give the medication as fast and efficiently as possible. And don’t be afraid to use bribery to get your furry friend to take his medicine!  Ask your vet if you have any trouble giving your dog medicine and be sure to always complete the full prescribed treatment.