Pet supplements are a great and very useful thing. They are concentrated forms of micronutrients that your four-legged friends don’t get through their diet (or do not get enough). Products great for your pet’s health, like Holistapet supplements, are a better option for dogs and cats than forcing fruits and vegetables into their daily menu. Of course, their diet should be varied, but these foods don’t always suit them.
But things aren’t that simple. For example, pets can be very picky eaters, although omnivores. If your deal with one of these, you can be assured that your furry buddy won’t accept supplements with joy. But even if your pet enjoys food and treats, there’s something about medication and pills they hate.
Your picky dog or cat will either run away or fight your tooth and nail to get the medication out of their mouth. So you must outwit your furry buddy somehow. The use of force is by no means desirable. Besides hurting your pet or yourself, it can ruin your relationship.
Animals lose confidence in those who maltreat them (even though you may be doing it for their own good). Luckily, there are other, less aggressive ways to give your furry buddy supplements or medication.
Look for Supplements that Taste Nice
There are three common forms of supplements, chewable, liquids, and pills. Pills are high on your pet’s list of yucky stuff. So you can look for products with ingredients they like. That’s possible with chewable, as they are made to be eaten, not just swallowed.
While chewables are easier to give to a pet than pills, they are not suitable for all animals. Pills are easier to absorb as they don’t have edible additives, just an active ingredient that will enter the bloodstream soon after the capsule dissolve. The same goes for liquid supplements, although they usually don’t taste nice.n
Mix with Food
The most common method for giving supplements to your pup or cat is by adding them to the food. That way, you can give them any product, even medicines. You just have to adhere to some simple rules. For example, you have to grind the pills into a powder. Also, capsule content and liquid supplements are usually fat-soluble, so add them to some fatty meal for your furry buddy.
Mixing supplements with aromatic meals is an excellent solution. You can buy ready-made pet food or prepare them at home, which is better. For dogs, ground beef or sausage meat is a perfect option. Cats won’t reject meaty meals, but tuna or salmon can do, too.
Just make sure these foods are cooked or baked, as raw meat can contain bacteria that will make your furry friend sick. Check this link to see why raw food is not desirable. Add pet-friendly seasoning to mask the possible bitterness of supplements or medicines.
Use Treats
Sneak pills into something that doesn’t taste like pills. You can use their favorite treats for that purpose. These can be cheese, jerky, meatballs, or even a piece of bread. This method will work for larger animals that swallow their treats without chewing.
But if your pups chew soft treats, they may run onto the not-so-tasty pill-tasting medicine. So you won’t trick them next time. Peanut or almond butter may also be a good option, but it can be difficult for your dog to lick it off from the spoon along with the pill. But it can work for mixing with liquid supplements.
Stir with Water
Giving your four-legged friend a pill or liquid medicine can be tricky. But a powdered version is a great option. These supplements can be given to your pet in several ways, including mixing with food and stirring with water. Remember that this method is more suitable for dogs, as cats rarely drink water.
When mixing supplements with water, do not dilute supplements in large amounts of liquid. There’s a chance that your pet won’t drink everything. Also, you have to ensure that your dog can enjoy the taste. To make the water even easier, you can add a teaspoon of honey or bacon flavoring.
Powdered supplements are more easily absorbed. They are also more convenient to give your furry buddy than liquid versions, so you don’t have to worry about them getting in their tummy. Enzymes and probiotics in the powder maintain healthy bacteria in your pet’s GI tract.
Use Pill Pushers or Capsules
Most pets aren’t so cooperative with their medications. Plus, if they are stubborn, you may not even be able to fool them with food or treats. The solution can be a pill pusher, suitable for oral products. This handy and cheap device has a soft rubber tip that is gentle on your pet’s mouth. Plus, it’s easy to clean.
As its name says, a pill pusher pushes the medicine to the back of the animals’ mouths. It works for cats and dogs. It makes it easy to administer pills to your pets without worrying about choking. Dogs and cats instinctively swallow stuff that goes in the back of their mouth.
On the source below, find the list of common pet supplements and their uses:
https://www.shepped.com/types-of-pets-supplements/
No pet will consciously accept pills or bitter liquids in their mouths. So you have to trick them by hiding this stuff in food or treats. While they won’t even be aware that you just outwitted them, reward them after completing the pilling process.
