If you have to give your dog a monthly heart worm preventative, you may not think it is a big deal to wrestle with your pet over that one pill each month. Still, wouldn't it be nice if the dog loved what you were trying to give it?

There may be dozens of ways to get a dog to swallow a pill, and this article will only cover a few. Cats are not any easier when it comes to giving pills. In fact, most are pickier than the dogs we have dealt with.

We finally have found the best way for us to give a dog a pill. A little butter to hide the pill does the job. However, other things we have tried, but did not work, may work for you. What about hiding the pill in a small amount of meat? This can work for many dogs. Another idea is to crush the pill and mix it in with the dog's dry food. The problem with this for us was-the dog would try to pick out the dog food, and avoid the pill crumbs.

Another trick some have said worked for them was putting a pill in some canned dog food. This may work if you use this type of food. The problem I saw with this way that the dog would then want that dog food, and not the prescribed dry product it was now satisfied with.

When it comes to cats, I have seen the benefit of using a liquid product by way of an oral syringe. Wrap the cat in a towel so that you have a firm grip. Gently, but quickly, squirt the medication into the side of the cat's mouth. If a liquid form of the needed medication is not available, using same techniques as for dogs mentioned above.

Giving medication to a dog or cat can be overwhelming for some. If it is too big a task for you, ask a neighbor, family member, or your veterinarian to help you.