Care to Your Dog!

Have you ever tried to give your pet a pill?

Sure can be tricky…and scary too!

But when your pet is sick, it often has to be done.  That’s all part of pet heath care.

Next time you have to give your pet a pill, here are the 3 best, proven methods and some tips and tricks for each to make the job easier – for both you and your pet!

Method 1.  Encapsulate the pill in food.  If the medication can be taken with food, this is generally your best bet.  The best foods for dogs are butter, cheese, cream cheese, peanut butter, lunchmeat, liverwurst, bread, and bacon.  For cats, butter, tuna, cream cheese, baby food, and canned cat food work well.  Liverwurst works for cats too.

Experiment with different foods until you find something your pet likes and always praise them when you give it to them.  With the right combination, your pet may actually look forward to pill time.

Use a small bite-size amount of food.  Don’t bury the pill in your pet’s full meal portion because if he doesn’t finish it, he may not get the medication.

It’s often a good idea to occasionally give your pet the food without the pill, so he gets used to eating it quickly.  What you want is for your pet to gulp it down without a second thought.

Method 2.  Grind up the pill and blend it into some moist food.  Again, ensure that the medication can be taken with food.  Also, check with your vet to make sure crushing is OK.  The crushed pill will dissolve much faster in your pet’s stomach and some medications are intended to be digested slowly.

The best foods are those that are a little sticky and have a strong flavor of their own.  These include cream cheese, butter, peanut butter, liverwurst, and honey.  Again, use only a small portion size.

You can have your pet lick the food containing the ground medication off of your finger, or you can put it in their food dish, or spread it on a treat you already know they like.

Again, experiment until you find something your pet really likes and occasionally give them some of the food between pills.  Praise them lavishly whenever you give them the food, making it seem like they are getting a special treat.

Method 3.  Feed the pill to your pet directly.  Use this approach if the pill must be given on an empty stomach or if the pet won’t accept the pill hidden in their food.  Be careful though, as some pets can react badly to having the pill force-fed to them.  With cats, it is generally a good idea to wrap them in a towel to protect against getting scratched.

First, tilt your pet’s head back slightly, then carefully open their mouth and place the pill in the back part of their mouth.  Gently hold their mouth closed and slowly stroke them on their throat or blow on their nose until they swallow the pill.  With cats, it is a good idea to follow the pill with a small amount of water given from an eyedropper or syringe (no needle please).  This helps them to swallow the pill and protects against the pill abrading their esophagus.  Always be calm and gentle.  This will help your pet remain calm.

Whatever method you use to administer the pill, always check to make sure your pet has swallowed it.  Pets can be pretty clever in disposing of the pill when you aren’t looking, so never just assume it went down.

Important:  Learning how to administer pills is an important part of pet health care.  Find a method that works for your pet and always make sure your pet gets his or her meds on time every time.  As a pet owner, that is your responsibility.

I don’t do a lot of my shopping at pet stores, but it’s not for the reason that you may think. Many people who avoid these types of stores do so because they cannot afford the higher prices for pet foods and other accessories. My problem is that I know I will buy too much. When I do bother to venture into a pet store, I always see at least 20 things I would like to buy for my cats. I suspect there are many people who are exactly like me, and this is why pet stores are so successful.

I do love to take my daughter into pet stores however. When we go inside I see her eyes light up with wonder. Many children feel this way about animals, and they will have a good time if you go into pet stores. The only problem with this is that my daughter wants to touch every thing and every animal that she sees. She has even gone as far as to try to put her hand in a fish tank. This was when I knew it was time to leave the store.

Pet stores to have an advantage over your average department or discount store. If you want something special for your pet, pet stores are the best places to get them. Not only will they have more items from which to choose, they will generally have items that you cannot find anywhere else.

Pet stores are also known to carry hard to find pet foods. There may be times in your pet’s life when they need a special diet, and you may have to go to pet stores to find these foods. Though it may cost you more than you wish to spend, your pets health will be worth it.

Some of my favorite things in pet stores are the really neat pet trees. No, these are not trees that are made out of pets, but rather furniture designed to allow your cats to climb high up in the air. Many cat owners don’t realize it, but cats love to be as high as they can be. They love to be up above everything else so that they can keep an eye on their territory.

When you go into pet stores you can find many of these trees available for purchase. Though there are some people who love to build these on their own, many people do not have the time to do so. You can find the very best of these in pet stores.

Taking care of a pet is quite easy as well as should be well taken care. Pet care is in fact a simple job, and includes the very important functions of grooming and striving to maintain good pet health care. General pet supplies could be considered a definition of useful tools for grooming and keeping your pet in good health.

Let us consider some useful terms which should be taken care for the well being of your pet:

Choosing A Pet:

The process of choosing a pet is very important. Choosing a pet depends on one’s preferences, but there are still some important things that should be kept in mind. One should always choose an animal of good breed. Secondly, the pet should be healthy especially if it is still in the initial stage of its life. A healthy young pet shows good fast growth.

Pet Supplies:

You should make a complete list of pet supplies and include the following: pet food and food bowls, pet id tags and collar, pet medications, supplements and tonics, etc. Some other items to consider are animal carriers, pet houses and furniture, pet beds, clothes, and pet jewelry.

Online Pet Supplies:

Online pet supplies are supplies that can be purchased from pet stores over the Internet. There are numerous pet grooming product manufacturers and pet-grooming stores selling their products online through their individual official websites.

Pet Grooming Supplies:

Pet grooming supplies include items such as grooming clippers, pet hair care products, soaps, shampoo and perfumes.

Pet Health:

Pet health is a very important responsibility of pet ownership. For puppies and kittens, or any other four-legged pets, important treatments would include giving a hygiene bath, cleaning, combing, brushing, checking ears, paws, teeth and underside of the tongue, nail trimming, removing fleas and insects, and fixing regular meetings with a professional veterinary. A good pet owner should follow a regular schedule of grooming sessions.

Pet Care:

Pet care can require a lot of patience. Like children, pets often require special attention. A puppy, kitten or any other pet in its infancy needs to be handled with extreme care. In particular they must be groomed properly, fed carefully, and bedded properly.

Pet Insurance :

When you are treating your pet as your family member why not covering your pet with an insurance policy. Yes! That’s absolutely possible and you will find many insurance companies providing policies for your beloved pet. Pet insurance is now a days very common and used largely by many pet lovers. Though how much you take care of you pet but you never know when an emergency situation arrives.

There is a very famous saying from George Eliot “Pets are such agreeable friends, they ask no questions and they pass no criticisms” about pet animals. Pets have always been friendly to humans and often show their love and affection by licking, hickeys, even love-bites.