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I have a male Japanese spitz who is 5 weeks old.

I am trying to feed him Doggy Doggy liquid vitamins. The vet says it's fine for him to take. I'm using a dropper to administer them.

But every time I try, he closes his mouth. How can I get him to take the vitamins?

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I would say mix the liquid with some soft food - or, if you have to, mix it in his water. You could also try putting some on your finger to see if he will lick it off; that's a start.

I would not force it, but that's just me. Others might say it's all about personal preference. Good luck!

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  • This is how we administered liquid meds to one of our dogs, although we mixed it with plain yogurt and the rest of her regular food. Just check with the vet first to make sure it can be mixed with food. You can also see if they have a powdered form.
    – Jeff
    May 8, 2015 at 14:48
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I agree that mixing it with food is the best bet. You'll want to try to make it as pleasant as possible for him. On the other hand, some dogs just won't take it. My grandmother's Keeshond is like that with her liquid arthritis medicine. She's a snobby eater and shares a food area with another dog. She also refuses to open her mouth or take treats. Granted, I could probably control her food and make her hungry enough to eat it, but that's a lot of work and the dog won't like you any better for that than for squirting liquid in his mouth.

With the keeshond, I simply take the needle-less syringe and put the tip near her back teeth, holding her nose up. I squirt it and it goes between her teeth. She has to swallow. She locks her jaw and won't open her mouth for pills and the like, so this is the best option I have available. If you can get him to take it through trickery, that's best. This is also an option.

Lastly, your vet said it's okay for him to take vitamins, but did he say they were necessary? The best option you probably have is to buy a high quality dog food. That should do a much better job than giving a lower quality food and trying to balance it with liquid vitamins. On the other hand, if you're already giving a high quality dog food, then he probably doesn't need the additional vitamins.

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