For Liquids
4.7.2 For Liquids For animals other than pigs, feeding liquid medicines, called "drenching", can be done by using a narrow-mouthed bottle with smooth edges or a large syringe (WITHOUT THE NEEDLE!).
| Enter the bottle or syringe in the corner of the animal's mouth where there are no teeth, lift the animal's head slightly, and tip the bottle or push the plunger of the syringe. | |
|---|---|
| If there is no balling gun, boluses can be dissolved in water and given as a liquid in this manner. Wrap the neck of the bottle with heavy tape or other protective material in case the animal breaks the bottle by biting it. | |
| A special "drenching gun", available in some countries, is useful to treat many animals rapidly and accurately. It is like an automatic syringe that delivers a set amount of medicine each time the trigger is pulled. | |
| The smooth end of the drenching gun is placed in the corner of the animal's mouth and over the tongue. The trigger is then pulled to deliver the medicine as the animal swallows. The gun refills automatically from a tube that is attached to a plastic bottle. |
WARNING!!! When lifting an animal's head to give liquid medicine, be careful not to lift it too high. Also be careful not to give the medicine too rapidly. Otherwise, the medicine may enter the windpipe (trachea) and lungs (causing suffocation or pneumonia) instead of the food pipe (esophagus). This is especially true with baby animals.
