Question: I live in New York for most of the year, but spend the winter in South Florida. I have a 10-year-old little dog that recently got cloudy eyes. I took him to a doggie eye doctor, and she said he has early cataracts and that his vision is still good.
She gave me some Diclofenac eye drops to use once daily. She also said to give him an Ocu-Glo doggie vitamin every day to try to help decrease the progression of the cataract. Well, surprisingly, he is really good for the eye drops but the vitamin is a really large gel capsule, and he doesn?t want to take it.
I tried hiding it in his canned food and that worked for a while, but then he bit into it and dragged it out on the carpet and the liquid inside made an ugly, sticky mess! When I tried the next day he, ate around the capsule and left it in his dish. I then tried hiding it in a piece of cheese, and that worked for a couple times, but then he bit the capsule again and made a mess and now he won?t touch cheese! Is there any other way to get him to take it? Is it really necessary for him to have this?
Answer: Cataract formation in dogs is a normal part of aging and often becomes visible to owners when their dogs are 7 to 9 years old. At this point in time there are no accepted and FDA-approved drugs to prevent normal age related cataracts, however, research has shown us that certain vitamins and antioxidants can help. The levels of vitamins needed in dogs seem to be much higher than in humans. Many veterinary ophthalmologists recommend vitamins for optimal eye health.
It can be very frustrating to get a dog to take medication when they decide they don?t want it. Most dogs want to please their owners and generally will accept medications if trained over time. Dogs tend to really like treats, so I generally start there. Feed your dog twice a day at set times. Pick up any uneaten food after 10 minutes.
Offer the medication just before feeding time when your dog is thinking about food and waiting to eat. For the first few days, offer just the treat you have chosen to use to disguise the medicine. I like the commercially available pet ?Pill Pockets? because they are so easy to place the treat in and squeeze closed. Other good items to use are Kraft Easy Cheese, (a canned cheese spread), peanut butter, cream cheese, butter, thinly sliced deli meats, or bits of pound cake molded around the pill.
Once you have your treat ready, call ?dinner time,? and have your dog sit or shake hands to ?work? for the treat. It helps if there are other dogs in the house, because everyone comes running for the treats and competition makes for a better appetite. The dogs are more likely to swallow their treats quickly, instead of slowly dissecting them. I always give three treats to start this behavior. After a few days of the new routine of treats first, then dinner, give your dog the first treat without a pill inside, the second treat will have the pill and the third treat will be plain. This way your dog will be slower to catch on that medication may be hidden in the treats.
If he does not go for the treat routine then you will have to give him the medication by the direct method.
For the direct method, you will coat the medication with a tiny bit of butter to help it slip down his throat easily and leave a good taste in his mouth. Have him sit in front of you and gently open his mouth. Place the pill on the back of his throat and then hold his mouth closed and tip his snout up. Stroke his throat and watch for a swallow reflex. You may then give a treat as a chaser to make sure the pill goes down and to reward him for his good behavior. Always talk in soothing and happy tones to your dog when medicating him.
Dr. Baker
Dr. Susan Baker
Baker Veterinary Clinic
1801 S. Congress Ave.
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
Read more articles by Dr. Baker | Ask her a question
Source: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/pawshere/2013/06/12/is-cataract-medicine-necessary-for-his-dog/
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