How to Nurse an Ailing Dog
Any time your dog needs treatment for a significant health problem, his recovery at home will go faster if he gets lots of tender loving nursing care. It's up to you to make sure he gets plenty of rest, eats right, takes all his medicine, and doesn't get too active too soon.Make him a comfortable bed in a quiet area away from all the hubbub in your home. This could be in a bedroom, a laundry room, or a bathroom that isn't used often. If you have kids in your household, don't let them bother the dog too much. They can go in one at a time for a few minutes each day to sit quietly with Rex, but no roughhousing or loud sounds until he's feeling better.
To tempt his taste buds, serve his food warm -- but not so hot that he burns his mouth -- or top it with something that smells good, such as chicken or beef broth. Scrambled eggs, yogurt, and cottage cheese will also encourage his appetite. Be sure to check with your vet before supplementing his diet to make sure you aren't offering anything he shouldn't have. Rex will need plenty of fresh, cool water as well. Make it easy for him to reach so he'll get enough.
Follow your veterinarian's directions to the letter when it comes to exercise. If your dog is recovering from surgery, especially for a broken bone, it's important that he doesn't overdo it. It's hard to keep a good dog down, but if you want him to recover properly, you'll have to be lovingly firm.
Finally, even if he seems to be well, don't stop giving Rex all his prescribed medications until they're all gone. Looks can be deceiving, and it's most likely he needs all the healing power the full course of dog medication contains.
Before you take your pooch home from the vet or animal hospital, ask the doctor or a technician to show you how to give the medication properly. Dogs can be pretty sneaky about hiding pills under their tongues or in their cheeks and spitting them out later. The pros can show you some tried-and-true tricks to outsmart even the cagiest canine.
Giving Dogs Medication
If you've been a dog owner for awhile, you know that getting Fido to take his medicine is not always easy. Rare is the dog who will take his medicine willingly, so here are some helpful ways to give your dog his medicine at home.
Pills. If you're fortunate, you may have one of those dogs who will actually take pills without any fuss at all. For others, it may be easiest to have someone else hold the dog while you give him the pill. With practice, though, most owners can perfect the technique enough to pill their dogs solo.
Be sure you have the pill out and ready to go before you start. Hold the dog's head firmly with one hand or, if he's small, hold him firmly between your knees while kneeling on the floor. If you're working with a puppy or a toy breed, it might be easier to wrap the dog in a towel so he can't move, or place him on a table or counter.
Hold the pill in your right hand (reverse these directions if you are left-handed). Using the first and middle fingers of your left hand, gently open Fido's jaws, and put the pill as far back on the tongue as you can get it. Close his mouth and stroke his throat to get the pill to go down.
Another way to give pills is to tilt Fido's head straight up with your left hand. Hold the pill between the thumb and forefinger of your right hand, and use the middle finger to open his mouth. Put the pill into the back of his mouth, and use your forefinger to push it over the tongue. To get him to swallow, hold his mouth closed and rub or blow into his nose.
If all else fails, disguise the pill by wrapping it in something soft and tasty such as cream cheese or peanut butter. Unless Fido is really smart or really cautious about what he puts into his mouth, the pill will go down without him even knowing it. Since some medications need to be given on an empty stomach, interact with certain foods, or should not be accidentally chewed, be sure to ask your veterinarian if it's okay to give the pill this way.
Liquid medications. Again, get the medicine ready: Shake the bottle if needed, measure the dosage, and fill the dropper. Now get the dog. Hold him the same way you would if you were giving a pill. With his head tilted upward, pry open his mouth and aim the eyedropper at the cheek pouch. Then, with the dropper still inside, hold his mouth closed, and squeeze out the medication. He'll swallow automatically when the liquid reaches the back of his mouth. Make sure he has swallowed before you release your hold on his mouth. Just to be on the safe side, rub or blow into his nose to make him lick, which will trigger swallowing.
Ear drops. Get a good grasp on the dog. Holding his ear gently but firmly, tilt his head slightly to the opposite side. Drop the correct dosage into the ear and gently fold the ear down or together and rub the cartilage at the base of his ear to get the medication all the way into the ear canal. This also helps keep more of the medicine in the dog's ear if your dog shakes his head afterward.
Eyedrops. Get everything ready and measure out the proper dosage. Restrain the dog gently but firmly. It's especially important to keep his head still so the medicine goes in his eye but the dropper doesn't. Hold the dropper in your right hand (reverse this if you are left-handed), tilt his head up and aim the drops at the inner corner of the eye, directly on the eyeball. Don't touch the eye with the tip of the eyedropper. To make sure the medication gets distributed evenly over the eye, close and open the eyelid.
Ointments. Sometimes ointments are prescribed for the eyes or ears. To apply ointment to the eyes, hold Fido's head steady, and gently pull down on his lower lid, exposing the inner eyelid. Put the ointment on the inside lower lid. Be careful not to get it directly on the eyeball. You can also pull the upper lid back and put the ointment on the white of the eye. To make sure the medication gets distributed evenly over the eye, close and open the eyelid. To apply ointments to ears, follow the same directions for ear drops.
We've covered all of the major topics in caring for your dog at home, including remedies for dogs' most common maladies. You should feel more confident in your ability care for the pooch.
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