jla@inuxd.UUCP (Joyce Andrews) (01/11/85)
Another helpful hint on pill giving: When you are giving a pill to a dog or cat by the sheer force method--open the pet's mouth and put the pill as far back as you can get it and then close the pet's mouth, hopefully not on your finger--dip the pill in water immediately before giving it. The water helps it slide down so it doesn't get stuck on the back of the tongue. You can use other more slippery liquids if you wish (motor oil probably isn't a good idea). The pet doesn't have much in the way of taste buds that far back on its tongue, but it can still smell, so tasty-smelling liquids may help him swallow. I have bragged that there wasn't a pet alive I couldn't medicate by this method. I was wrong--I admit that my sister's cat has humbled me. I'd rather dispense cod liver oil in a lion cage than have to get near that cat with medicine. (I also once said that a particular horse couldn't throw me. My friends had that boast printed on my cast. Ah well, it's been a long, humbling journey into maturity.)