Pembroke Welsh Corgi Harrison hates having his nails clipped, getting burrs brushed out of his thigh f
uzz, and enduring a thermometer you know where. But most of all, Harrison dreads taking his medicine.
It’s amazing how many people take the same approach to administering medication to a dog as Mickey Rourke did to that other guy in the ring in The Wrestler: body slam your opponent, flatten him to the ground, and apply as much force as necessary to make him submit.
And by the way, I do NOT recommend this methodology. How would you like to swallow your Centrum Silver under those conditions?
Okay, then, how DO you get essential prescription drugs into your reluctant canine? That would be the dog that is hiding under the bed as soon as he glimpses the bottle of Carprofen.
Assuming the medication is not in a chewable form – which truly picky dogs won’t go near anyway – here are the OTHER options:
INSERTION METHOD
Approach dog casually. Ask him to sit. Gently clasp his snout. Pry open his clenched jaws. Insert tablet at back of tongue. Quickly close his mouth. To encourage swallowing, stroke dog’s throat, or blow lightly on dog’s nose. Step back. Lean over and retrieve the pill the dog just spit out. Repeat procedure.
DISGUISE METHOD
Using back of spoon, crush tablet into a fine powder. Mix powder into creamy people food such as cottage cheese, yogurt, peanut butter or caviar. Feed to dog on a spoon. Chase after dog with spoon when dog rejects strange-smelling mixture. Waste additional pills trying to find a food combination that dog will actually eat.
BURY METHOD
Grab a marshmallow, meatball, hot dog, slice of cheese or piece of bread. Fold the pill into the food until it is completely concealed. Feed it to your dog. Lean over and retrieve pill the dog spit out. Repeat procedure.
POCKET METHOD
Invest in a sack of Pill Pockets. Pop pill into Pocket, close up, feed to dog. Watch dog take Pocket to corner, spit it out, give you a baleful look, and walk away. Give sack of Pill Pockets to a friend with a more gullible dog.
INFILTRATION METHOD
Add pill to dog’s regular food. Thoroughly cover pill with kibble. Add a diversion such as chicken or liverwurst. Serve to dog. Save pill for later since dog has revealed it, pushed it aside, finished meal, and stalked away.
LAST DITCH METHOD
Call vet. Request medication in liquid form.
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