Veterinarian: Great news! Your pet’s condition is treatable.

You exhale and feel an internal rush of euphoric relief.

Veterinarian: But, you’ll need to give them daily medication.

Your blood pressure spikes, your heart is racing, and you break out in a cold sweat. You can’t tell who’s panting—you or the dog.

If this scene feels familiar—or brings up memories of previous prescription-strength frustration and struggles with your pet, check out these tips for stress-free medicating from Twin Lakes Veterinary Hospital.

#1: Talk to your pet’s veterinarian

Be open and honest about your challenges with medicating your pet. Depending on your pet’s diagnosis and preferences, alternatives such as a long-acting single-dose medication, non-pharmaceutical therapy, or a different preparation (e.g., flavored liquid in lieu of bitter tablets) may be available. Additionally, our team can provide expert tips and tricks to improve your administration technique.

#2: Learn how to read—and prevent—your pet’s stress

Pets are masters at sensing fear and unease, and will react to their owner’s anticipatory stress long before they see the medication vial. Minimize nervous tension by medicating your pet when you are less busy, and ensuring you begin and end every medication session with treats and play.

Also, learn how to read your pet. Dogs and cats communicate with their body language, and when you can recognize your pet’s fear, anxiety, and stress, you can manage their emotional experience, and prevent undesirable outcomes such as biting, scratching, physically struggling, and panic.

Common pet stress signs include:

  • Panting
  • Whale eye (i.e., visible white of the eye)
  • Lip licking
  • Ears back or out to the side
  • Tightly closed mouth
  • Cowering or low posture
  • Trembling
  • Shrinking away from physical contact
  • Shaking off (i.e., as if wet)
  • Vocalizing, including whining, growling, grumbling, and hissing—vocal warnings typically precede defensive aggression, so if your pet begins to vocalize, stop your session and reduce their stress.

#3: Assemble an array of enticing pet treats

Hiding your pet’s pill, capsule, or tablet in food is the oldest trick in the book—but concealing medication from your pet’s highly sensitive nose can be a challenge. The best foods must be soft, pliable, strong-smelling, and irresistible to the pet palate. Some perennial pet favorites include:

  • Xylitol-free peanut butter
  • Cream cheese
  • Sliced American cheese
  • Canned paté formula pet food
  • Hot dogs
  • Marshmallows
  • Pet pill treats (e.g., Pill Pockets)

To pique your pet’s interest and ensure a high-value choice, let your pet sample each option, and select the one they go crazy about.

Always check with your pet’s veterinarian before introducing new foods to ensure the “wrapper” you plan to use will not interact with the medication or interfere with your pet’s condition. 

#4: Apply the sandwich technique when medicating your pet

Whether your pet’s medication is oral, topical, or injectable, the sandwich method can help ensure the experience begins and ends on a positive note. The sandwich method is a simple reminder to:

  • Start your medication session with high-value treats, praise, petting, and play.
  • Progress to the meat of the moment (i.e., the act of medicating your pet).
  • Immediately follow with your pet’s favorite activities.

This method can relieve your tension, stress, or dread, and pairing the medicating with  enjoyable activities for your pet mitigates the unpleasantness. 

You can also use the sandwich method to give your pet a disguised pill. Simply reward your pet with a few blank (i.e., unmedicated) identical treats, quickly give the medicated treat, and follow with several additional blank treats. Eager pets will be so excited about the next treat that they will swallow—not chew—and be less likely to find the hidden medication.

#5: Handle your pet with a gentle steady touch

For some pets, handling and restraint can be more frightening and unpleasant than the attempts to medicate them. Close or restrictive physical contact can trigger a pet’s fight-or-flight reflex and lead to panic. Minimize this apprehension with continuous, gentle, hands-on contact, and avoid reaching over, grabbing at, or pulling on any part of your pet. The slow, gentle handling may take longer, but a long-term outcome is better than a hasty “get-it-over-with” approach.

#6: Learn how to use pet medication tools

Despite your best low-stress efforts, some pets may be too painful, anxious, or challenging without a helper. We also recommend the following tools:

  • Towel wraps — Similar to swaddling a baby, towel wraps have a comforting effect on cats and small dogs, and can help prevent scratches and escape. Our team can demonstrate towel wrapping techniques to ensure safe and effective use.
  • Pill popper or pill gun — These devices can be helpful when medication must be given without food, or for medicating a cat without assistance. 
  • Muzzle — Muzzles on a painful or fearful pet can help keep everyone safe. Use positive reinforcement for your pet to establish a positive association with the muzzle.

#7: Long-term medication? Ask about compounded pet prescriptions

Compounding pharmacies can convert many veterinary medications to more pet-friendly preparations, including treats, chews, flavored liquids, and trans-dermal (i.e., skin) applications. Compounded prescriptions can be more expensive, but they can literally make medicating your pet a treat.

Still having trouble medicating your pet? Let us help—schedule an appointment for a personal coaching session or request a virtual visit or video chat with one of our Twin Lakes Veterinary Hospital team members, who will review your technique, observe your pet’s response, and offer expert advice.