Vets and veterinary nurses are very familiar with the practical realities of helping people give medication to dogs at home. They can often suggest alternative approaches, formulations and techniques, as well as answering questions if things don't go according to plan.
Many people find that developing a good relationship with their veterinary practice makes medication much easier to manage. As one survey respondent put it:
"Develop a good relationship with your vets and their staff - they'll be your best friend."
Another wrote:
"My vets have been fantastically supportive and always available for advice."
This section looks at some of the ways vets, nurses and receptionists can help, from deciding whether an appointment is needed to getting the most from consultations and understanding medication advice.

 1.  Deciding whether to go to the vet

​You could consider:

• Discussing with vet receptionist or vet nurse if possible
• Contacting an online vet or vet nurse. This is sometimes a free option with pet insurance and other pet products
• If your dog has a specialist (eg for skin, sight etc), it might be possible to email or ring them. Photos and videos are particularly useful when the vet isn’t directly with the dog.
• If you keep notes about your dog’s health, check these. You might keep notes about symptoms noticed (with photos), questions for vets, what vet said etc.
• If more than one person spends time with your dog, ask everyone to mention any changes they've noticed, however small.
  
• The following options can provide helpful information or could be irrelevant, useless or even dangerous, so should be used with caution, and checked with the vet or vet nurse:
  • Google, ChatGPT or other online sources
  • Some pet shop owners can be very knowledgeable about some issues
  • Facebook dog forums – local, breed specific, rescue organisations

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Vet receptionists can be a valuable source of advice and support

2.  Vet appointment

​a.    Preparation

Some or all of these could help make the most of your time with the vet:
 

• Writing down or printing off:
• ·       your main concerns and questions.
  ·        symptoms, when you first noticed them, if they’ve changed and what you’ve tried
  
• Making it easy to find any photos or videos you’ve got of the symptoms and how they affect your dog
• Listing or bringing all your dog’s medicines and supplements, and a note of any allergies and bad reactions to medication
• Considering if you’d like someone else to come with you, to help with the dog, to take notes etc
• If it’s a stomach issue, you might want to check if you should bring a wee or poo sample – and what to put it in!
• If tests, sedation or surgery might be possible, it’s worth checking if your dog should eat normally before the appointment

It helps if we bring notes, questions, medications, photos, videos
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b.   When with the vet

• Don’t worry about asking if you’re not clear about what the vet has said. They’d much prefer it if they’ve made the information easy to understand and remember
• Show photos/videos
• Make a record of what the vet says for example by:
• Writing notes on your phone or with pen and paper (I bring paper on a clipboard with a pen attached!)
• Asking your vet’s permission to make a voice or video recording. AI tools, including ChatGPT, can now produce written summaries from recordings
• Tell the vet if cost, difficulty giving medication, transport, work, disability or anything else may affect what is realistically manageable at home.
• Asking your vet if they could record the information onto your phone
• Asking if they vet can print out or email a written summary or treatment plan, which could include recommendations of websites, videos or other information to help you better understand your dog's situation
• If someone else is with you at the appointment, they could make notes while you focus on the conversation with the vet and keeping your dog comfortable

Here’s a (very!) long list of potential questions, so you can choose which ones you want to use or adapt on any one visit.
​

What’s my dog got?

• What makes you think this?
• Do we know what may have caused it?
• Is it likely to happen again?
• Is it infectious or something that could affect other animals or people?
• Is there anything else it might be and how would we know?
• Do you have an information sheet, or could you recommend a website to tell me more about it?

How serious is it?

• Is my dog in pain or discomfort?
• Is this likely to improve, stay the same or worsen?
• How quickly might things change?
• What would make it more urgent?
• Is this urgent, or is it safe to watch and wait?

What can we do about it?

• What treatment options are there?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
• What might happen without treatment?
• How soon do we need to decide?
• Could we try the simplest or least invasive option first?
• Would it be helpful to see a specialist?

Are tests needed?

• Are there any tests that might help us know what’s wrong and how best to treat this?
• Will the result change the treatment?
• Are there alternatives to this test?
• When and how will I receive the results?
• What are the risks or disadvantages of the test?
• Does my dog need any preparation, such as fasting?
• Will my dog need sedation or an anaesthetic?
• What are the likely costs?
• Can we do the tests in stages?

What do I need to know about the medication?

• What is each medicine for?
• When should it start helping?
• Does it matter whether I give this before, with or after food? Is it OK to hide it in food?
• What should I do about a missed or accidental extra dose?
• What should I do if my dog will not take it?
• What should I do if my dog is ill (eg vomiting or diarrohea) after taking it?
• What are the potential side effects and what should I do about these?
• Are there other formulations (liquid, chew, injection etc.) if this doesn't work?
• Can this medication be stopped suddenly, or does it need reducing gradually?
• Are there ways of organising things so we know if my dog has taken the medication, if we’ve got enough for the next few weeks etc?
• Can the pills be crushed, split, opened or mixed with food?
• Does the medication need refrigeration or any special storage?

How will I know how my dog is doing?

• What signs of improvement should I look for and when might these start?
• What signs might mean things are getting worse?
• Is there anything useful for me to record, photograph or measure?
• What should I do if there is no improvement by the time you expect things to be improving or resolved?

What will this cost?

• What is the likely cost now and potentially in the future?
• Which parts are essential, and which could safely wait or be reconsidered?
• Are there less expensive treatment or medication options?
• Can I obtain prescribed medication elsewhere? If I got it online, what would the prescription charge from the vets be and how long might it take for the medication to arrive?
• If I need time to consider the cost, how urgent is the decision?

What happens next?

• Will this affect my dog's normal routine such as walks, car journeys, stairs, or being left alone?
• Does my dog need another appointment, and when?
• Is there anything important that I should tell other people who look after my dog?
• What's the best way to contact the practice if I have questions afterwards? Can I email or send photos or videos?

Summing up

• So my understanding is that:
• o   My dog has (probably) got ……
  o   She needs to have…… (treatment, tests, changes in routine)
  o   Over the next few days or weeks, I should expect……
  o   I should get back in touch with you if……
  o   The main thing to remember is……
• It’s very reasonable to ask the vet: Please could you write down the key points: what you think is wrong, what I need to do and what I should watch out for?
• You could ask the vet if it's OK to record them summarising the situation. Using a voice-to-text app such as Notes on an iPhone, means the summary is immediately available in writing, making it easy to add to your own notes or share with anyone else caring for, or about, your dog.  

Vets are usually happy for us to use our phone to record notes or to video techniques