Safely Administering Aspirin for Dogs

Aspirin for dogs can be a safe and effective way to ease dog pain. However, it can sometimes be challenging to get your dog to actually swallow the aspirin. After contacting your veterinarian to confirm the correct aspirin dosage, follow these steps to safely administer aspirin to your dog.

Step 1: Try the Easy Way

If your dog isn't a picky eater, you can try simply putting the aspirin in his food dish along with his kibble. Some dogs will swallow the aspirin along with their food and hardly notice it's there at all. However, other dogs will eat their food and cautiously avoid the aspirin, recognizing it as something foreign. If this is the case, move on to step 2.

Step 2: Get Tricky

If your dog isn't inclined to swallow the aspirin, you'll need to disguise it. Cheese is an effective and common way to do this, but you might also try a small strip of meat such as bacon, roast beef or turkey. Wrap the aspirin in your masking substance of choice, making sure that every bit of it is well covered so your dog can't smell the aspirin inside. Call your dog and offer the disguised aspirin as a treat. This method is effective on most dogs, as they will gladly take the treat and swallow it with minimal chewing, unaware of the aspirin within. Some dogs might not be fooled, though, and will spit the aspirin out after they have eaten the treat surrounding it, in which case you will need to proceed to step 3.

Step 3: Use Gentle Force

Note: This method is only safe if your dog is not aggressive, otherwise he may bite you. If the previous two methods did not work, and your dog is aggressive, consult a veterinarian.

While this method isn't the preferred way to administer aspirin, but may be your only choice if your dog won't accept aspirin in disguise. Call your dog to you and tell him to sit or lie down. Gently open his mouth, or get a friend or family member to open his mouth for you. Toss the aspirin inside gently-not hard enough to choke him, but hard enough to get it near the back of his throat (you don't want to just place it on his tongue). Close your dog's mouth and hold it closed until you are sure he has swallowed the aspirin. Your dog may squirm around, but won't be in any real pain unless you are using unnecessary force.

If you simply cannot coerce or force your dog into swallowing aspirin, you may be causing more stress to both of you by attempting it. Call your veterinarian for advice on how to proceed if none of these methods work. Your veterinarian should also be consulted about the correct type of aspirin and dosage to administer.

 

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