#1
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Giving Meds- Any tips?
I am new to this board but there seems to be a wealth of knowledge here so looking forward to any help that can be given.
I have an older shih tzu that came to me as a stray. He does not appear to have been well taken care of as a pup, his teeth are bad, his eyes have not been taken care, he was not neutered, and his hair was horribly matted when he was found. Fast forward a few years and we are now dealing with increasing health problems. Max is currently on 8 pills a day. Initially we were giving them to him by breaking up treats and just squeezing them together. He would suck the treats down so quickly that he never noticed the pills. However he has gotten wise to that and now spits them both out and just picks up the treat. I have tried the manual method and holding his mouth closed but his airway is narrow and he starts to choke very easily. Also he is able to spit them up several minutes after he should have already swallowed them. We have also tried crushing them and mixing them with soft foods but he has figured that out and just sort of picks at the food. By the time he finishes the whole thing it is time for the next dose. Sorry for the long post but would appreciate any help. Thanks Jennifer |
#2
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Hi Jennifer
Wow 8 pills a day poor doggie. What are the medications for and do you give them all at the same time or are they given say every four hours or so?? Whats the directions say? First, ask the pharmacist/vet if these medications come in capsul form or liquid form. If they do it's easier to mix with things and won't be as detectable as a lump of a crushed pill. BTW welcome to the board
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Cats only have nine lives because they stole them from dogs!Teehee |
#3
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Thanks for the welcome Luba!!
Right now Max is on meds for an enlarged heart, thyroid, constant cough, and to keep his airway open. He gets 4 pills in the AM and 4 in the PM. It is getting expensive to maintain this level of care but he is such a doll so we will press on as long as he seems happy. |
#4
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ADORABLE!!!!!!! What a cutie patootie!
Okay so ask the pharmacist if any of the meds are in capsul or liquid forms...this will help greatly. The cough I assume is from the heart condition, poor baby! There are some things you may want to consider to boost your dogs immune system. This would include a diet change, what do you feed him right now?
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Cats only have nine lives because they stole them from dogs!Teehee |
#5
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Right now he is on Natures choice senior dog food.
Yes the cough is from his heart size as are the problems with the airway. I never really thought too much about the diet but I have seen some of the other posts about people making all their pet foods. |
#6
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natures choice is a fantastic food, my girl has been on it for ever. it is natural and preservative free which is quite rare in a common dog food. i would say stick with the diet unless he is not coping ect. as it is such a good natural product it can only be good for him ( i am a real fan of this brand). the rest i have no advice, although your puppies are sooo beautiful, i just want to squeeze them
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#7
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Well you know there's no harm in supplementing the diet to boost the immune system.
Let us know about the meds, if u can get them in another form.
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Cats only have nine lives because they stole them from dogs!Teehee |
#8
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i dont know if you can get this over there, but i use a product called Bob Martins multivitamins for dogs (they have cat too). it is a multivitamin suppliment for pups it is just a good immune booster and i often use it just for added health but your puppy may not wnat any more tabs but they are chicken flavour and seem to go down very well. just a thought
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#9
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Melanie,I think one of them is a stuffed dog,but I could be wrong
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#10
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Hi Shinertx! We've used small pieces of hot dogs before but that might not work for you since he's caught on to the treat idea. Just a thought
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#11
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HMMMMMM, well, hmmmm. now stop laughing at me, i know you are (i sure am laughing at me also). so i didnt look so close at that pic, all i saw was fluffy balls, so im a very unobservant fool. sheesh, you should know THAT by now. but just think about what i talk to in the streets, maybe that lady was actually a garbage bin this morning, oh how embarasment. rephrase 'your puppy is soooo beautiful, the teddy is just as nice too'. thank god i dont know you, i would probably try and feed your kids dolls oh boy, what a mind. ahhhhh.
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#12
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Now Melanie,you are funny and mean funny funny,not funny funny
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
#13
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Pilling the reluctant Furbaby.
Having been in rescue for about 50 years I have pilled about everything with four legs and some of the toughest are the smartest dogs and really ticked off cats. If all else fails I have had luck with grinding the pills up and mixing them in a cod oil base liquid and injecting it into the mouth or side of the cheek with a syringe with the needle removed. This can lead to your being sprayed with cod oil - if they sputter -however if it is administered in small amounts they will usually swallow it.
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#14
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Good advice woodbyter!
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~*Life is one big game of fetch*~ http://www.webspawner.com/users/yeltneb/index.html |
#15
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Thanks for all of the great advice... I didn't have any luck with the liquid versions of the meds..at least my vet doesn't carry them.
I am definitely going to try the oil and the hot dogs. Anything would be better than chasing him around and trying to force them down again and again and again. I used some fresh ham this AM and he was thrilled!! |
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