Alternatives to Declawing: The Options

At some point in your dog's life, you'll likely have to administer some type of medication. Many pet owners find medication to be one of the hardest challenges that they face with their pets. It's important to consider some of the tried-and-true ways that your veterinarian can suggest for easily administering medications. Here's a look at some of the ways that many veterinarians recommend.

Liquid Medication

Liquid medications can be tough to dose for your dog because they don't easily mix into things. You could put it into your dog's water, but you can't be sure that your dog will get enough water to actually get all of the medication. Sometimes, the easiest thing to do is to mix the liquid medication with a spoonful of peanut butter or canned dog food, then feed your dog the mixture directly so that they eat it all.

Pills

In most cases, pills are fairly easy to give if you know the types of treats that your dog might like. With most pills, you can simply hide the pill in a treat that your dog likes, whether you wrap some cheese around it, slide it into a piece of meat, or hide it in some peanut butter. 

You can even find treats on the market designed exclusively to hide pills in. These intensely flavored goodies are crafted specifically to be tempting to pups, which makes it easy to hide medications.

Another great thing about pills is that you can crush them and mix the powder into canned dog food, peanut butter, or even whipped cream. Dogs enjoy all sorts of treats, which makes it so easy to hide crushed pills.

Powders

Some medications come naturally in powder form, including some dietary supplements, probiotics, and similar products. These are usually the easiest to dose because you can sprinkle them onto your pup's food. If your dog eats kibble instead of canned food, add a small amount of water to dissolve the powder if your pup doesn't seem to want to eat it. Most medications dosed in powder forms are flavored with either beef, peanut butter, or pumpkin. This makes them far more palatable to your pup than they would otherwise be.

These are some of the great things to consider when you're trying to decide how to give your dog their medications. Talk with your veterinarian about any other tips or advice that they can offer to make the process easier. For more information, contact a veterinarian near you.