Giving Medications
Tips for medicating a dog's ears:
* Use a cotton ball to clean out any major debris
from the ear.
* Hold the head vertically, which will help the
medication drop down into the ear canal.
* Place the medicine deep into the canal.
* Massage the area just below the ear to help
distribute the medicine.
Note: The dog will probably shake his head as soon as
you let him go.
* Give all doses of the medicine as prescribed by the
veterinarian.
Tips for medicating eyes:
* Use a soft tissue or cotton ball to gently clean
debris out of the eyes.
* Use your fingers to gently but firmly open the eye
lids.
* Place the medication in the inner corner of the
eye.
* Give all doses of the drops or ointment as
prescribed by the vet.
Tips for oral medications:
* Open the mouth, then place the pill at the back and
in the middle of the tongue.
* Close the mouth and gently stroke the throat to
stimulate swallowing.
* Some people find that light blowing a puff of air
into the nostrils stimulates swallowing. However,
some dogs may be frightened by the air puffs and react
negatively.
* Many people have success with the practice of
wrapping pills in cheese or coating them lightly with
cream cheese or peanut butter.
* Lightly moistening capsules helps present capsules
from sticking to the tongue or roof of the mouth.
* Liquid medicines: tilt the head back, keep the
mouth closed most of the way and insert the liquid in
the pouch of the cheek. Hold the mouth closed until
the dog swallows the medicine.
Following are additional health tips from Cynthia D.
Miller, author of "Creating a Peaceable Kingdom: How
to Live with More Than One Pet":
Observation is the key to understanding the behavior
of your animals and is also the catalyst for
recognizing changes. By knowing the normal behavioral
patterns of your pets, you will be alerted to any
irregularities that need your intervention. Each pet
in your household should have a record book. If one
of your pets is ill or you suspect that something
isn't right, record your observations. Take your notes
to vet appointments and when you and your pet are
traveling. Share observations with pet sitters too.
Record health as well as behavior changes. Note what
preceded and followed the behavior. Do mini-checkups
once a week for each pet. Keep a list of items to
check (including skin, fur, ears, eyes, weight).
**** As a follow-up to last week's Tip about
doggy-durable home style and design, PAW volunteer
Marsha Rader shares more advice for making a house
pet-friendly:
* Dog piddle can stain hardwood floors, even if
varnished. "My darling Freddy piddled on an area rug
I had in dining room," recalls Marsha. "I didn't
discover it for a day or so since rug was patterned.
The wetness stained the wood floor and wouldn't go
away, even when I tried using baking soda." Marsha
learned from another dog lover that by using a floor
sander to redo the floor, such stains can be removed.
* As a puppy, Freddy developed a taste for antique
books with leather bindings and ruined several that
were more than a hundred years old. The books had
been on book shelves; Freddy chewed the spines. "I
got a roll green coated garden
wire -- not chicken wire -- meant to keep rabbits out
of a garden," said Marsha, describing the tape as
having very small diameter rectangular holes 12
inches from bottom up, and larger holes up to top of
the 36-inch height. "I cut it with snips to fit each
bookcase front to keep the dogs out. It works, and
it isn't as unsightly or light as chicken wire."
Marsha didn't have to nail the garden wire to the
bookcases, whereas chicken wire would have to be
fastened to the cases.
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For more Dog Tips about pet
care, adoption and the work PAW does, visit our
website at:
Partnership for Animal Welfare, Inc.
Medicating your pet can be a challenge, so the advice
below is intended to make things easier. And at the
end are some additional tips received in response to
last week's Tip on home style for dog owners.
www.paw-rescue.org
P.O. Box 1074, Greenbelt, MD 20768