Best Ways to Hide Pills & Medication for Dogs
March 16, 2007
I had a long conversation this week with one of our best repeat customers. She was wondering what soft treats we have that she might put a pill into for her dog. The dog bit into a pill once, and ever since, has been very suspicious of any treat used to camouflage a pill.
He gets the pill out of whatever she uses to hide it, and eats the treat, leaving the pill behind. He does this with cheese, peanut butter, even commercial treats made for this purpose, such as Pill Pockets. She’s trying to use soft treats and mix them up to keep him guessing. I have her a few ideas (I’d been through the daily medication dance with an epileptic Dachshund I once had) but she’d already tried them all.
So I told her I’d post a question on our Blog. How do you hide your dog’s pills? Does any of you have a particularly talented dog who has thwarted the usual methods for hiding pills? Do you have a better way to feed pills to these dogs? Please share with the rest of us any methods other than those I’ve mentioned which have worked for you.
Shawn, this one’s for you.
- Lisa Woody, President, www.FunStuffForDogs.com
Entry Filed under: Miscellany. .
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1.
Melissa Morris | March 27, 2007 at 4:40 pm
After doing the daily pill dance with a dog on daily medication, I finally resorted to buying a pill crusher and mixing the pills with enough soft food that the dog couldn’t taste it. Since canned food is considered a treat at our house, they usually gobble it down. I’ve used this method to pill cats, as well.
2.
Jo-Anne | April 6, 2007 at 10:20 am
The best thing I have found for my dog are the “Pill Pockets” he loves them. Cyrus is a Sheppard/Rott/Chow mix, about 80 lbs. He has a siezure disorder. One of his meds that he get 2x’s a day is a compound mixture in a capsule. In the past, if it got stuck in his throat, or if he got any taste of it, he would throw it back up. Never an issue now with the Pill Pockets. They are are godsend! No more food tricks (which he eventually figured out) or getting slimed by sticking it down his throat. I hope this is helpful.
3.
Jo-Anne | April 6, 2007 at 10:25 am
P.S If he has already bit into one, put the pill pocket mixed in with his food. Make sure you are not getting the scent of the medicine on the outside of the pill pocket. Good Luck!
4.
Kerin | May 14, 2007 at 6:54 pm
I wrap my dogs daily medicine in cream cheese and have another portion of cream cheese ready to go. I show my dog both pieces and allow her to have the pill-laced one first. She is so anxoius to get the second piece she hardly notices the “additive” in the first one!
5.
Cher | June 16, 2007 at 9:22 am
After experiencing the same problem with my suspicious dachshund, I finally found that a little bit of melted cheddar cheese was the one thing that she couldn’t resist. I crushed the pill, melted the cheese, mixed it up and before I knew it she was waiting for me by the fridge every morning! Good luck!
6.
Gerry | July 14, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Give a try to this it works every time for my dog
Make the dog sit. Give a treat. Pat the head. Go away
Come back. Make the dog sit. Give another treat. Pat the head. Go away
Come back. Make the dog sit. Give a pill. Pat the head. Go away
7.
Lauren | August 21, 2007 at 12:06 pm
IF NOTHING ELSE WORKS. This is what I had to do. If your dog won’t bite your hands try this. I have a little yorkie who I tried the pill pocket on and she didn’t eat it again after she tasted the pill. She evens hides when she hears the pop of the medicine bottle. So I have to force her to take it. I grab her face and force open the mouth I put the pill inside the mouth (on the side) and then I keep her mouth shut by holding her mouth closed with my index and thumb. Think of it like when you make the OK sign. This way she can’t throw it out and she is able to breathe and she chews it. In my case it’s an antibiotic and her life depends on it so I had to do it forcibly. I tried all the other suggestiions first.
8.
janet | November 1, 2007 at 4:41 pm
My dog recently developed seasonal allergies and the pill issue is always a problem. I had some very small tomatoes on the counter and I cut a gap in it and voila! He ate them with no problem! Off to buy more tomatoes! I have 9 more days to use them.
9.
Wayne Dent | November 12, 2007 at 1:46 pm
I just wanted to say how grateful I am that you thought to add this question to this forum. I was purposefully seeking out these types of suggestions when I came upon this forum. It is timely and helpful. I am not good (understatement) at the forcing thing. I know it and what’s worth, my cute little Pom knows it too. So encouraging the pill down with some kind of treat/food is my only way to go. I think I will try the soft dog food trip because he never gets it and I am sure he will lick the bowl clean if I put it in, crushed up and mixed well, with wet dog food.
thank you again fellow dog lovers…..Thank you!
10.
leya | April 22, 2008 at 8:51 pm
i put it in a hot dog. u boil it then cut it in slices and then slice a hole and slipe the pill in.
11.
CJ | May 22, 2008 at 10:11 pm
My baby has several problems and takes several medications. We have tried so many things. One BIG one is that if they have allergies, my vet tells us to give her benedryl. The dose is the same as children’s Benedryl and they make all different versions of that to get it down for them. The strips have proven to be the easiest so far. And as for the others, we have tried just about everything. The only things I don’t see listed here are the vienna sausages (small little pieces only due to how it reacts with some of their bodies) and marshmallows. Also my fieance uses that canned cheese and she likes that too. And those heartworm pills come beef flavored now.
12.
Keri | June 17, 2008 at 5:41 am
I have got a rotteweiler who is 9 now and i have recently found out that she has got Osteosarcoma which is bone cancer, we was originally told to prepare ourselves as we don’t have long left with her but she has proven us wrong and it has been 4 months now since it was first diagnosed. she is taking medication about 4-5 times a day and we are finding it difficult now as we started by using ham she realised our secret we then moved onto doggie sausages and again she found out so we resulted in cheese, she is still okay with the cheese but we are gettin concerned as she is puttin on too much weight and it is making things more complicated as she only has 3 legs she can use, i have been told by my old manager (kennel manager) to use a soft food called nature diet which is a soft food i can mould the pill around but i dont know if she will eat this. does anyone know where i can get the pill pouches from and just explain to me what they are please? i shall be greatful for any feedback. Keri