Giving your pet its medicine

This week three women came to the clinic with three dog: a full-bodied, mature, champagne-coloured labrador, a handsome, tall-standing boxer and a cute, pocket-sized chihuahua.

Squirt a bit of water in from the side of your pet’s mouth. As soon as the tongue feels water, the swallowing reflex will kick in, and down goes the pill- Martin Debattista

When it came to distributing worming pills the chihuahua lady looked at the size of her dog’s pill with great disappointment. I could not stop myself saying, “if you would like a larger pill you will have to get a bigger dog”.

Of course, the owner of the chihuahua took it in the light-hearted manner it was intended, but have you ever asked yourself what makes dogs come in such different shapes and sizes?

Well, you are not alone. A group of scientists set out to study this fact as recently as 2004. What they found was that first of all domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) came from the grey wolf (Canis lupus), and that one dog’s DNA looks pretty much like another’s.

So the scientists set out to study canine genes to try to understand the difference in sizes between the breeds. They decided to base their studies on the Portuguese water dog. Bo, belonging to President Obama, happens to be this breed of dog.

The scientists chose this particular breed as it comes in two distinct sizes, large and small. They found that size is dependent upon, surprisingly, a solitary gene.

The administration of medication to animals forms a major role in the success or failure of any kind of treatment. For example, it is no good having a good ear ointment if it is not applied correctly. Just like it’s no good having the best antibiotic for a cat that simply refuses to take it.

Your veterinarian will work out any treatment prescribed according to your dog’s or cat’s weight, and the way this treatment is best administered.

Pills are by far the most common method to administer medicines. It is always very useful to have a small syringe filled with water ready.

The trick is to first place the pill in the middle of the tongue towards the back of the mouth and immediately lift up the animal’s chin without forcing their mouth closed so that they are able to swallow.

Using the syringe, quickly squirt a bit of water in from the side of the mouth. As soon as the tongue feels water, the swallowing reflex will kick in, and down goes the pill.

With cats, it’s also a good idea to wrap them up in a towel with just their head showing and, for added safety, trim their nails beforehand.

Syrups are frequently used and may sound easier to administer, yet it is important that the taste and consistency is acceptable to your pet.

As with all treatments, do not hesitate to inform your vet if you find yourself unable to administer the medication, or if there is any vomiting afterwards, or if you experience any other effect about which you were not preadvised.

Creams and ointments are often prescribed by vets. These are often best applied just before feeding your pet or taking your dog for a walk, particularly if being applied to a very accessible licking area.

Ointments, rather than drops, are generally used for eye treatments as drops are likely to be shaken-out in no time at all and possibly not give the desired effect.

Injections are usually administered by the vet, but they can sometimes be administered directly by the pet’s owner. This could happen when a daily injection is required for an extended period that makes clinic visits difficult, or in the case of tempermental cats who refuse to allow any other form of administration. It is a relatively simple procedure and a few words of instruction from your vet would go a long way.

Although frequently relied upon in other countries, suppositories are not very popular in Malta. As regards effectiveness, there is alot to be said in their favour as the medication is immediately absorbed by the body – almost as fast as an intravenous injection, and it certainly safeguards the stomach lining from irritation.

Some medications for cats come in the form of a paste; these are mostly energy vitamin supplements and hairball treatments. To administer paste, simply place your left hand over the cat’s head and gently prise downward the lower jaw with the middlefinger of your right hand and apply the paste to the ceiling of the mouth with your index finger. If you are not too keen on placing your finger in your cat’s mouth you could use a wooden lollipop stick instead.

Powders and sprinkle capsules are also sometimes used. These are usually daily medications and are meant to be given with food.

Examples of these are a special seaweed that reduces the buildup of tooth tartar and helps to prevent bad breath, and also arthritis supplements.

If your dog eats only dry food, you should wet it slightly so that the powder sticks to the kibbles rather than falls to the bottom of the dish and gets left behind.

I obviously didn’t explain all this to the lady at the time, and anyway there was no way she was going to part with her chihuahua.

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Dr Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.