Afraid of Flea Medicine!

Huey has the type of flea/tick medicine that is a little tube of liquid you put on the back of the neck. We have always had the hardest time giving it to him. This is what happened just last night...

He was sitting by me and I started petting him and rubbing right in the spot where the medicine goes, kind of pretending to give it to him. He was perfectly happy and just sat there. So I go and actually get the medicine out of the package and go back to pet him, hiding it from him the whole time. He now bolts away from me. I'm sure he can smell it so hiding didn't really help.
So we try to coax him with treats, namely pistachios which didn't work, and then sirloin steak!! He creeped over to get the steak but if we moved a muscle he would bolt off again. Not even steak was worth it to him!

Finally I remembered what my husband did last time.. He pretended to be putting Huey's collar on, holding the medicine right by the buckle and squirting it on really quick all the while Huey thought he was just getting his collar put on.

So once we got it on we told him he was a really, really good boy and he did a good job, etc. but he wouldn't even come get the steak from me. Then since we tricked him to believe we were going for a walk we decided we should actually take him for a walk. But then he was afraid of us again, so we had to walk away and then come back in order to convince him it wasn't a trick this time.

All that for just a little liquid flea medicine! He does this everytime. Too bad we can't explain to him that it won't hurt and that we are actually trying to help him in the long run.

My Lab Star does the exact same thing!:eek: Just like you, I can sit next to her, rubbing my finger into her fur at the exact spot where the medication will go and she's perfectly fine! Go get the tube (hidden in my hand) and the second she feels the tip on her fur she freaks and trys to run and hide! Same thing with ear meds. I can put my finger all the way down into her ear, wiggle it around, but come near her with the tube of medication and she runs. To give her the Frontline, my husband has to stand in front of her, holding her collar in one hand with a treat in the other while I straddle her from behind and do the dirty deed!:D

My dogs do not like it either, but thankfully they
stand still for me.
But when I am done, they are so happy. :)

my dogs don't particularly like it, but they tolerate it. honestly if my mom walked up to me and squirted something cold and wet on my neck/shoulders i would be kind of put out too! the method that works best for us goes like this:

mom opens packets of frontline and gets everything ready

dad gets 1 pup at a time in stand stay and gives yummy treats continuously

mom separates fur and administers meds

treats treats and praise!

stand stay is a great command for this. also if you are anxious or trying to hide the frontline your dog will pick up on it and probably become anxious as well. best bet is to remain calm and low key and just do it then have a praise party!

It's possible that the flea medicine you are using burns when it hits the skin. Some dogs have a sensitivity to certain brands.

If it's just the coldness, hold it in your palm for a few minutes before applying.

Mary