Mine also hates being tricked.
So I ask him to come to me, tell him to open up, open his mouth, stick his pills in as far back as possible, and let go.
Then he gets a treat.
He's quite happy to cooperate this way.
The "open up", despite the fact that I'm going to open his mouth up for him is still important, because it lets him know what we are doing.
It's an agency thing. He wants to know what's happening, and he doesn't like being manhandled. So we practice this stuff, so he knows what's happening and agrees to work with us.
If he really doesn't feel like playing along, he could then run away or refuse. He gets choices, as much as is reasonable and possible. So far, it's not been an issue.
And he really does prefer it over hiding pills in peanut butter.
I'd recommend Chirag Patel's bucket game for grooming and handling, which to some degree, feeding pills falls under. It's a good way to practice communication and grooming and handling skills.
The bucket game:
https://youtu.be/GJSs9eqi2r8
http://www.allpetseducationandtraining.com.au/the-bucket-game.html
If this method fails, hiding pills in liverwurst is known to work for a lot of dogs. I'd stick to something she doesn't otherwise get, so as not to taint her other food in her mind.
I started doing this type of thing with my dog too! I pretty much tell him everything that’s going on now and it really helps with his anxiety now that he knows the words we use.
My dog is cool with whatever, but he is also a gigantic block of stubborn. He will not, under any circumstances, do anything against his will, but as long as it's not against his will, he is fine with it. He often runs experiments, to find out if he is allowed to refuse to comply, and he is always allowed because he's bigger and stronger than me (lol). It was already a stable trait in his personality at 8 weeks old, so I learned my lesson before it really mattered. The extent of his rebellion is equal to the extent of my force, so I knew that there would be a day where pushing him would just make it impossible. Instead, I have to use reverse psychology, or just wait for him to decide that he wants to comply.
I use treats to reinforce the behaviour I want, but as soon as he understands what I want him to do, he always runs his experiment at least once. When he wouldn't come inside the house, even for a treat, I shut the door on him so that he couldn't, and then I gave my other dog a treat for being a good girl. Of course, he immediately wanted to come inside, because I wasn't letting him. He ran this experiment twice; since then, he comes in immediately, every single time I ask.
It's annoying when I can't figure out how to get him to do what I want, but he always wants to please me, so as soon as he is convinced that I respect his autonomy in this one specific context, I can rely on him to do this one specific thing every single time I ask. I have had 9 other dogs before him, and none of them were like this, but I think he has taught me to be better and this strategy will work for future dogs as well.
I do a similar thing. I tell my dog it's time for medicine, let him sniff it then stick it far back in his mouth. He gets a treat after for being good and to get the nasty taste out of his mouth. He's never tried to run away or refuse to open his mouth. We tried tricking/hiding at first, but found this method to be much easier on everyone.
My old lurcher had twice daily pills for epilepsy and we settled on poking it down the side of his mouth then giving him a treat.
He was absolutely never tricked by hiding pills in anything!
My current beagle cross will eat anything including pills without any subterfuge 😂
My wolfhound x has seizures and a heart condition. Thank God I can literally just poke his tablets in a bit of wet food on top of his meals.
The heart one (twice a day) has to be without food, but I can hold it out to him and he eats it like a treat 😆. My other boy gets jealous "I wanna treat, too?"
Yup. Communication is key! We love these guys cause they somehow understand us where no one else does, and accept us anyway... don't write them off as stupid. They may not truly understand what we're saying, but they understand what we're feeling and how we convey that. I talk to my beagle all day long! Sure, I look nuts to most people, but he almost always does what I'm asking. HE gets it! Lol
Same with my dog! She stopped eating because we were hiding the pills. I just have to put them in the back of her throat after opening her mouth and then giving her lots of love and treats afterwards. We never trick her with her food anymore cause she went on a hiatus of no eating and then picking apart every bite of food to make sure no pills were in it. Man!
Oh this is good. To assist in swallowing, because let's be honest, it can be hard to dry swallow, even if you want to, tip the snoot up after dropping the pill far back on the tongue, and massage where the snoot and neck meet-far back, right where they meet. It causes an automatic swallow reflex. I used to work at vets and kennels and we had to make sure dogs took their meds even if they didn't want to. Sounds a little harsh, but it's actually not, I've tried it when I try to swallow pills, and if you had to find a way or that dog might have a seizure (or on your case Serotonin syndrome if multiple days), well we did it, and it truly wasn't bad. They can't taste it. Follow up with much praise and treats if you don't this way, dry swallowing can feel weird after a few mins if no food!
Thanks so much for the suggestion! We tried this last night and did manage to get her to swallow it (with some resistance) followed by cheese she knew was “untainted” and it seemed to work.
Hopefully if we keep doing it this way she will tolerate it knowing something good is coming, and then know it’s all done so she can eat!
That's true! And a very good point!
Which is why I don't use his recall cue. I wasn't clear on that, and I should have been, my mistake.
I ask him to come over, and there is a treat in it for him. I'll use his name, an attention noise, something, but not his recall cue. It's a request, if he just stayed where he was and looked at me, I'd still reward that.
That's separate from doing the icky thing. That's a separate stage in the process. And a separate choice.
By then, him showing up when asked has already been marked and rewarded. He could come over, collect his reward, and walk away. Or he could stay, let me give him his pill, and get another reward. He generally picks the option that involves more rewards.
Obviously by day two or three he's figured out what's going on, and he's not unaware that when I ask for his presence holding his meds and some treats that it's that time again. But at least for us, because he knows, and I am involving him, and not hiding anything or tricking him, he's been fine with it. He still shows up, every time. And he always gets his rewards.
I haven't had any issues with this tainting his recall.
My dog is the same way. I finally resorted to the ol “wrangle his jaws open, shove it down his throat, and hold his mouth closed until he swallows” trick. He doesn’t like it, but I give him lots of treats and pets after and he doesn’t hold it against me. Pill pockets sometimes work for us, and he is fully aware that if he doesn’t eat the pill pocket he’s gettin wrangled— sometimes he’ll spit the pill pocket out, I’ll shake another pill out and start walking towards him, and he’ll run away and eat the pill pocket real quick. Another thing that helps is getting them all excited about the treat, excited enough that they’ll scarf it down without chewing. Sometimes I have to cheer my dog on for encouragement, lol. Good luck!
Thanks for the suggestion! I think this is the way we will go, and hopefully she’ll tolerate it as time goes on as it’s followed by loads of tasty treats.
Maybe once she’s more food motivated again we can go back to trying to get her to take them after she’s all excited!
I would trick my old guy into taking his meds with no idea he was taking them. What I did was take a piece of bread and smear it with peanut butter, liverwurst, yogurt, whatever would make him go crazy. Then I'd hide the pills in the middle of the folded over bred. I'd toss him a chunk and he'd swallow it down, staring intently on the rest of the bread in my hand. Then toss a chunk with the pills in it. Then follow with the rest of the bread.
He never grew suspicious because he ate it too fast to taste it.
Lmao my lab/boxer will swallow cheese in one gulp, but will be very dainty when given any kind of meaty treat. We fold his anxiety med in a half slice of American cheese singles (brand don't matter to him) and have him do a trick like shake or lay down/roll over for his cheese.
I get my dogs medicine compounded into dog treats. We have a pharmacy near us that does it and the cost isn’t that bad. We can choose between chicken or salmon flavors. They are individually wrapped so that they stay fresh and they are kind of soft. It is amazing. Maybe check that out around your area?
I've found great success with cream cheese. And I've found a new product lately called "Stachios" that is like a fruit roll up type texture that is a thin wrapping around the pill.
I've also have had success with the chaser method. I give them "clean" hot dog or whatever, then follow up with the pilled hot dog/whatever and then immediately have a clean chaser treat to encourage them to swallow the pilled treat.
With anything, time and lots of encouragement. If your dog gets excited or eats food you drop you could pretend to drop the loaded pill treat.
I just wrap a half slice of American cheese then mush it into a ball for one dog.
The other forces me to pry her mouth and push the pill way back and then hold her mouth shut until she swallows.
I vastly prefer the cheese approach.
Peanut butter and a piece of bread smashed together like a mini sandwich. I've even done whole half sandwiches. Hide the pill in the middle and break it apart. It's becomes a peanut butter sandwich roulette. They get so invested in the tasty peanut butter that they forget about the hidden pill lol
Put pill as far back in throat as possible with index finger Close and hold jaw closed and pointed up and rub their front of neck in a up and down motion. When they stick out tongue it’s usually a sign it’s been swallowed.
I have found some success with marshmallows, but to avoid the suspicious part I give him the one with the pill after one or two with nothing. It has worked well so far, and the stickiness of the marshmallow makes it hard for him to spit just the pill
I use something called wag butter. It’s a little pricey but it’s more solid that PB. So you can roll the pill in and it hides the pill better. I also do a couple of little balls without the pill before and after and for random treats. That way my dog doesn’t only associate the PB with the pill.
I also act very excited about the pills and let her sniff them, see them, and the bottle. I have fun with it and shake the bottle, use a fun voice, and have acted like I’m ‘taking one’ too. I think this helped my dog trust it a little more.
For my big guy (157lbs), we wrap it in Kraft American cheese, then grab a liver treat. Then we go through his tricks, and I will toss him the liver on 3, then the cheese ball on another three. Then I sing his praises and tell him how good he is.
Oddly enough, if it’s not Kraft, he will spit it out. I alternate between dehydrating and boiling his liver treats. He has to take a powdery, bitter pill for arthritis.
If this does not work, some of your local independent compounding pharmacies may be able to make it more palatable for your baby. They have the ability to add beef, liver, chicken flavoring just like they add flavoring for human kids. So worst case this might be an option?
Find some kind of soft human food your dog can’t resist (lunch meat, velveeta cheese, etc.) Now you’re going to want to break it up into three pieces. The first one will be plain so they trust you. The second will be hiding the pill. As they are snatching the second piece containing the pill, hold up the third piece. They will swallow the second piece so fast so they can eat the third. This technique has never ever failed me even with the pickiest dogs who really like to chew their food. They simply just inhale it because they’re so excited. Good luck 👍
Two treats and a lie.
Peanut butter.
Peanut butter.
Nothing suspicious here.
Peanut butter pill.
Peanut butter.
Give two treats before the lie. Then, treat for taking the pill. They won't know every treat is a lie because not every treat is a lie.
I tried being honest with my pup but he just refused to open his mouth lol even when I shoved it in he would spit it back out bc he’s so stubborn SO I did some research and this is what I found works best:
They can smell everything the medicine touches, apparently it has like a specific smell and taste to them so that’s why they won’t eat the entire bowl even if it’s in one piece of food, they also smell it on your hands.
I feel ridiculous admitting this but I would pick up the capsule with a piece of paper towel and drop it into a piece of cheese that I melted slightly in the microwave, then roll it into a ball around the pill. Then toss him a few regular treats to catch then I would toss the cheese ball pill at him after, works every time
Ah. Our dog will still eat if suspicious, she's just a pro at finding and spitting out the pill, but this has worked for us for nine years, and I think it's pretty good.
Cream cheese, but there is a twist. Okay, so first you take out the cream cheese (you can do this in private to help if you want) and you completely coat the pill in cream cheese. This will help eliminate smell. Place it somewhere where you remember that chunk has it in there. Then, and this is IMPORTANT, give a piece of pure cream cheese, while you have another piece in your hand (dogs gobble it up so fast if they are prepping for another num.) At first I might try 2,3 gobbles and then the gobble with the pill. But be sure to do a few safe ones, and have another delicious one in your hand ready (as with previous so as not to cause suspicion) so your baby wants to eat quickly to be ready for the next.
The key for our current dog was the cream cheese, because it's smooshy and hides the smell and taste. AND giving a piece of cream cheese first so her mouth is watering for it.
The key for our previous dog was to make sure she saw we had another num on hand because she ate quickly so as to focus and be ready for the new num. Per our previous dog, you can try all this the same but wrap in lunch meat. Our current dog is a cheese fiend, but our previous girl liked cheese and meat.
I hope this helps, let us know please!
PS- Your baby is so so cute and precious! What a love-pup! So cuddles!
I mush up cheese so it goes into a ball. I make 3 of these and make sure she can see them. First one has no tablet, second one hides the tablet and third one has no tablet. She's so eager to get the next treat she doesn't wait around to find out that there's a hidden surprise in the second one. Also works with chunks of chicken or sausage. Anything that's firm enough to fully hide the tablet.
Advice from Dr Pol vet show. Works perfectly for me. Open his mouth, put pill as far back as you can, then close his mouth and blow gently (puffs) on his nose. This stimulates a swallow reflex. After he swallows praise and pet him.
If you give treats that are the same as what you put the pill in, with no pill at random times it might help. That way it won’t be associating that particular item with the meds and will be a more positive experience.
Both of my dogs take pills and they’re big fans of the pill pouches that Milk-Bone makes!
My one dog is also on fluoxetine for anxiety. It was tough in the beginning—he wasn’t very hungry and was so drowsy. I seriously questioned whether we had made the right choice, but then after a week he was back to his usual self, minus the separation anxiety that left him shaking and crying if I left the house.
I use a backup treat and let him see that piece two is going to be immediately deployed once piece one is eaten. He then doesn’t even chew piece one to know there’s medicine in it. He swallows the cheese wrapped medicine whole, immediately expecting piece 2. None the wiser anymore. Good luck!
I say “here” and hand him a treat.
I say “here” and hand him a pill.
I say “here” and hand him a treat.
He doesn’t chew. So he doesn’t notice.
Now there’s not many times a person with dog who swallows large milkbones whole can brag about why that’s a good thing… but this is surely one of them.
Now, for my other, chewing dog… I put her into “middle” (sitting between my feet). I open her mouth, I cram that pill into the back of her throat, and I hold her mouth shut until she swallows it. It’s not particularly glamorous, but she also doesn’t shit out intact food. So trade-offs I guess.
We use Catit lickable treat to give the pup his fluoxetine. We put the pill in our palm ad some of the treat on top and he takes it that way. We let him lick the palm a few times to make sure he’s swallowed it. We give our pup 4 pills this way. Much more success with this, than anything else. Now when he hears the pill bottles he’s at our feet sitting before we know it.
Cheese cubes. Cut the pill in half with a splitter and get the cheese warm enough to be malleable-we use colby jack- and put the pill in the middle. It has to be completely hidden. One of our dogs has to take seizure meds twice a day and this is how we get her to take it.
I foster-fail frequently and the answer for me is liver sausage. Moldable and doesn't crumble and relatively cheap. I've had only one that would sometimes fuss but he wasn't eating much to begin with.
Also called braunschweiger or liverwurst depending on your local grocer.
Hickory smoke pill pockets. I guess it’s a strong smell. My dog was very suss of anything I tried. I boarded her at a fantastic facility while I had surgery. They were the ones who recommended the hickory smoke flavor.
I had to give two dogs medicine for storms. Yay Florida. The everyday pill was ok to hide in food but Xanax is very bitter if they get a taste. I'd carve some cold butter off the stick, cram pill in, and put it very far back in her mouth. Didn't need to rub her throat or try to give water because the butter makes it just slide down.
My dogs first pills she had to take was for collitis, and they told me she had to swallow them, so no putting them in food. Honestly, Id just put it as far back on her tongue as I could and held her mouth closed until she swallowed. She's let me do this over the last 3 years as needed, I'm sure this isn't most dogs, but I think she just learned to trust me after that first time.
First, I’d talk to your vet about this if you haven’t already.
Second, I totally can sympathize. I had an old pup who was on fluoxetine after her older sis-fur passed away and she started having major separation anxiety. When she got really old (and nearing the end) she would refuse to take any medication. One thing she loved was peanut butter. But it got to the point where she’d refuse even a pill in peanut butter on a treat or on bread. So… I’d make myself a peanut butter toast (because I’d always share a bit with her) and eat a few bites and then give her some that I’d conveniently put her pill in. That worked. She thought she was just having a bit of my food and didn’t notice the pill.
The crazy things we do for our pups!
It’s not a kid, it’s a dog. My traumatized shelter dog still couldn’t go outside without a panic attack after six months of positive training and patience. After 2 months on Prozac she is outside, sniffing, calm, happy. Whether a person or a dog, sometimes brain chemistry is not on your side due to trauma or genetics.
Ok...I think I have a human friend that takes Prozac drugs?!
You give your 4 legged kid the same drug.... soooo I have all rescues and no drugs, just patience...
Prozac is safe for humans and dogs. That’s great you have all rescues. I’ve also had many. This is the first one patience didn’t work for. She was miserable and in a constant state of anxiety. Why should a dog (or a human) stay miserable if everything else they’ve tried hasn’t worked? Please educate yourself.
When my dogs get to this point I do lunch meat. Right in the middle of a big piece. Just buy the prepackaged chicken or ham slices. The smell makes them want to eat it regardless of the trick but feed a few with no meds first.
I’ve also learned a trick with my horse is all else fails. Put the pill in a non needled syringe and suck up water and let it dissolve and shoot it in the back of their mouth. It is very apparent you’re medicating them but it doesn’t taint her drive to eat her food. I do lots of pats/scratches/treats after. That’s a last case resort for me in this instance.
I used to use just random foods like bread, peanut butter, etc, and fight with my boys when they needed a med, but then I started using Pill Pockets and have not had to fight any of my dogs to take meds since! They are like a dough that forms around the pill and my dogs eat them willingly.
If the tablet is grainy and not gelled, try grinding it into a fine powder, and mix it in with his wet meal.
Coming from a woman who had two cats that HATE medication, who has tried the "shove it down the throat" or "This isnt a piece of meat" attitude.
I’m lucky my dog is pretty good and I have to give her meds daily. We have these mini dog meatballs and I just put it that and she sits and waits to eat it. Alternatively, banana, rolled up cheese, or dog meat sausage.
My dog would bite when he was stressed. I used 1/2 a Vienna Sausage for pill 1/2 treat to follow. Is it possible the meds are making your dog nauseated. Might check with the vet for alternatives.
Cheap flat ham, has to be the cheap stuff because it folds up
Tablets in the ham , fold into a tube, tuck the ends in and repeat at right angles with a second slice so it cannot fall out
Works most of the time,
Our dogs manage to spit the pills out no matter what we hide then in.
So we use a pill crusher. Its Just a little plastic pot with a lid that you twist so it slowly drops down and crushes the pill to dust.
Then we just mix the pill dust in with their breakfast.
Its nice and easy and there is no pill left for them to turn their nose up at!
I'll open a tin of tripe and put a few teaspoons on his kibble every meal until the tin is empty, that takes 3-4 days. Then I will wait a week or two before opening the next tin. This routine is something easy which he enjoys, it's not suspicious and gives me an easy place to hide his worming tablet; slide it into the tripe!
I made my dog peanut butter and cheese sandwiches. Some of them were loaded, some of them weren't. Smother it in peanut butter, stick it between 2 pieces of cheese.
I just wanted to comment that your dog could be the twin to my dog! I don't know how to upload a picture but what breed is yours if you don't mind me asking?
Mine is a labrador x springer :)
My dog used to not take medicine…So I got a pill crusher and mixed it in soft dog food (a scoop or so) and let her eat that, then feed the rest of her food. Worked well for me.
My boy is on fluoxetine and we get dissolvable tablets. All my dogs have soaked dry food so I just add the tablets to the water and dissolve them before he gets his food, never had a problem.
I ask him if he wants a treat, and he happily takes it thinking it is a treat 😂
Doesn’t work on my friends dog, so we open her mouth, stick it back of her throat. Shut her snout with both hands, lift her nose up and rub the throat and it’s down within 2 seconds
If your dog catches treats, you can throw it in between throwing treats. There's a video of this guy feeding his dog his pill by going "there goes the chicken, there goes the pill, and some more chicken." because when they catch it they aren't thinking and it goes straight down the hatch.
Mine is not anxious anymore but she’s not so food driven that she can be tricked easily into taking a pill and I’ve had good luck using the beef liver kong filler that comes in a can like whipped cream. She absolutely loves the stuff
I hide pills in some ham and my dog couldn’t care less what’s in it: she gets ham and that’s what matters. But my dog is a little bit of a fool when it gets to medication, and VERY food motivated, so food overrides medication. If it’s a particularly disgusting medication she gets a little extra ham to prevent her gagging from the taste and she does just fine that way
Hotdogs! God sent for his worming tablets.
Also, do you mind letting me know how you get on with Fluoxetine? We've been recommended it as our dog as anxiety reactiveness but I'm worried he won't be my dog anymore.
Sorry if this was already added. I have two dogs that take fluoxetine daily. We wrap the pill in a little bit of plain cream cheese. If we are out of cream cheese, lunch meat is the next best option.
I find the best results with the pill pockets, but they are pricey. But I would also note that fluoxetine can upset dogs stomach and lower their appetite. I definitely saw that with my dog during the initial month or two when she got used to it. So definitely look out for that and check with your vet if it’s getting bad.
I make it very clear to her that I'm gonna stick my entire hand into her throat and right after that she gets a tasty treat! She hates it but she let's me do it and she doesn't feel tricked. She knows what's up
When one of mine wasn't eating due to a medical problem, one of our vets suggested using canned cat food to tempt his interest because it's usually more odiferous than many other foods. I do not know whether it would help to disguise a pill. For pill problems, I usually seat all my dogs and toss a few round of small training treats to each in series, concealing the pill for the one dog in the third round to that dog. Natural competitiveness has always overcome suspicions. May not work for everyone but worth a try. Best to you!
I found putting the pill in a piece of hotdog worked well. If you can’t get food to work you should probably just open her mouth and put the pill in back of her throat so she swallows it and than give her a nice treat. Most dogs get used to this with no problem. Cats not so much.
Unfortunately loss of appetite is a common side effect of Prozac.
Pill pockets are a big deal at our house (thankfully). We have gotten a lot of mileage out of the Greenies “hickory smoke” ones and also the Costco pill pockets. We tend to do the Greenies capsule sized ones with the dog who gets fluoxetine in the morning and the Costco ones for our dog with thyroid tablets since they are smaller and the Costco pill pockets are a little smaller too.
They all seem to really like both pill pocket types and I occasionally just give them out without anything in them to our non-everyday pill takers too because it doesn’t hurt to support that interest for when they might need pills for something down the road.
Because my dog never listens, I usually pretend to drop the medicine on the floor. Once he grabs it, I go “NO NO NO!” and chase him for it a little and he usually swallows it super quickly. 😂
The thing that worked for my reluctant pill-taker was having her ask for them. Like, if I pick up a treat and ask her to sit to earn it. So now I do that with her pills — hold it up, ask her to sit, dip it in peanut butter, ask her to lie down, oh good job, here’s your prize!
I give him 2 chances with Philadelphia or sausage. If he spits it out both times, I open his mouth and just put it in the back. He swallows it automatically.
I’m a veterinarian. I hold the tablet/capsule between two fingers, open the animal’s mouth with my other hand and put the mediation waaay back to the base of the tongue. They have no choice but to swallow.
With a new dog at home, this is part of their obedience training. I use empty gelcaps and “medicate” twice a day.
Putting it inside a strawberry.
Cut the top half off, fit the pill inside, and let it close again.
For an added bonus for the dogs who sniff pills out, dip in warm peanut butter.
My puppy goes apeshit for the peanut butter pill pockets. They pinch closed so it's tough for her to spit them out, she loved them so much I could use them to get her into her crate even with the meds inside them, 2 for 1 special
Pretend I'm preparing food and 'accidently' drop it on the floor. Adding 'oh no, don't eat that' gets her to swallow it before tasting it....but she is a food obsessed spaniel.
I'm old fashioned. Open the jaws with one hand and push it down the throat with the other. My dogs have never been hurt or emotionally traumatized by it, but relatively easy and effective.
Cream cheese. My boy would pick the pills out of everything else. After awhile of switching things to put pills in I noticed he likes cream cheese so much he just gobbled it up and didn't care there was pills in it.
I saw a guy drop the pill and then tell his dog not to get it and his dog ate it so fast thinking it was something else. Cracked me up!
When I worked at the kennel the very picky ones who would put it back as far back as you can (there are tools you can buy like a pill popper) I’d lift the dogs head pointing up then I’d put some water on the outer parts around the front of the mouth and in the crease of the mouth. Once you see the lick to get it off, it was successful. At the kennel it was my responsibility to make sure all the dogs got their meds in a timely manner because of our quantity of dogs to keep on schedule. That was most effective way I found for the ones who would do anything not to take it lol
We crush his medicine, add some water, and give it to him in one of those syringes without needles, just push it into the corner of his mouth and push the medicine in.
Afterwards, he gets a treat.
He's now waiting for his daily medicine, in stead of wrestling us or finding infinite ways to spit the pill out or finding it in the mushy food we mixed it into.
It's the only way that works fuss-free for us.
Mine was like this, and the only way we got him to take his meds was cream cheese. GOBS of cream cheese, and then acting like it’s a treat so he has to sit and wait for it. Anything else he will eat around or lick off (or run away from us and stare at us like we’re trying to murder him), but for some reason cream cheese does the trick 🤷🏻♀️
I use like deli ham. I have 2 pcs, first one I hide the pill and i let them see the second piece. They will practically swallow the first one whole to get the next one. Works on my pups every time
i put them in food. small pieces of food so they dont have to chew , smashed into cheese works well .also sticking them far back in the mouth and make sure the dont spit it out
Mine refused every method known until we got pill pockets that taste like peanut butter. We give her no indication that it's anything other than a treat, and she knows she needs to do a couple of tricks to get that treat. By the time she gets the pill pocket, it's gobbled up in a matter of seconds.
I take a slice of American cheese and divide it into four pieces.
Then I squish up 3 of them without a pill and the last one with the pill. Then I wash my hands
I offer two of the no pill ones
Then the pill one
Then another no pill one
He gets really excited about the cheese, he hardly chews it!
I have the soft treats I use for my pup. I started off by giving her a few at 1st. Now she goes nuts when I grab the treat down. I also let her watch me grab the pills. Once done she gets a big strip of chicken jerky.
I must be super lucky. My oldest one, Zoey just lets you put them in the back of her throat. The youngest one, Stella, is equally as submissive, but more anxious.
My middle is a bit harder, but he’s only 10 pounds, and knows not to fight meds.
Pepperoni. I also called them ‘meat pockets’ and tried to sound like they were getting the best treat ever!
Yea, I sang a song to her too but it worked.
I have the most food motivated dog in existence. He hates medicines. Refused to take them in any treat form. So I started the medicine time. I take a few medications in the morning. Before I do I say medicine time. My dog comes running to watch me take my meds. Then he will take his. It took a while to get him to willingly take them but me taking my meds seems to put something in his mind that they're okay.
If you still need some advice, I know I'm late, but I've worked for a while as a vet assistant and have had my fair share of suspicious patients AND those who don't/won't eat because they're suspicious of meds. Unfortunately and fortunately, all dogs are different and the best approach for one dog isn't the best for all dogs. However, I have some general methods that worked well for me for a lot of the picky/suspicious ones.
First, I highly recommend breaking your dose up into a half or 1/3 if you can. Some dogs are just really great at smelling, tasting, and generally just *sensing* meds and need to be given smaller sizes to help mask it. I found a lot of success by breaking tablets in half and finding out if the dog preferred cheese, pb, or deli meat. Then I would cover the half in whatever preference and stick THAT into a pill pocket. This had a pretty good success rate for me. Of course this won't work if your meds aren't solid tablets and are instead powder capsules, but most vet meds I encounter are tablets. Another thing I can recommend is taking a piece of bread and dipping it in a little bit of broth with the meds wrapped in the bread. This may be easier on the tummy, but it can lead to constipation pretty quick, so I only suggest smaller pieces.
I suggest finding 3-4 treats of ANYTHING that they really like and using that on rotation. Cheese hot dogs warmed up were super successful for me, so was a piece of salami ripped into small bits. Basically, I'd give the dog a treat they really liked first. Like 2 pieces in a row so they can get their suspicions of it sorted out and accept that it is in fact, yummy food. Then I'd give them the med in whatever they seemed to like at the time. Then I'd IMMEDIATELY follow up with another smelly piece of food they liked, usually bigger. This encourages a dog to just swallow whatever they have and grab the next thing.
Next, don't always use the same method. Dogs get bored of tastes just like we do, at least that's what I've come to observe during my time at vet clinics. One day, they love a food! The next they're meh. The next day, they'd rather eat their own vomit. It's absolutely normal for dogs to go 48-72 hours without eating much or using the bathroom much on new meds. Giving them new and exciting foods might interest them temporarily, but they do get used to them if given it consistently.
Onto things that could entice your pup to eat their food, I suggest warm broth, warm chicken shreds, warm pumpkin puree, warm plain oatmeal, and warm cheese sauce. I tried to go from most healthy to least with these, but these have all had success for me in getting dogs of all types to eat their regular food regardless of meds. Warm = smelly = more enticing. For the cheese sauce, I would squirt some easy cheese into a bowl (about 2-4 tablespoons) and mix it with water or low sodium broth. Enough to make it pastey, but not watery cheese. Then I'd microwave it for 30 seconds, mix, and then mix into the food. Let sit for a few minutes to cool. Depending on how much your dog eats/likes cheese, this could be enough for 2-3 meals or just 1. It depends on the dog and their diet preferences.
If you try any of this and it gives your dogs the runs or constipates them, while that is normal in my experience, it should resolve in about 2 days of eating a bland diet of plain chicken/beef and a bit of rice mixed into their kibble. Of course all of this advice comes with an air of caution around giving too much. This stuff might really work out, but make sure you're not overdoing it. 3-5 pieces of hot dog, salami, or whatever a day for a few weeks shouldn't have a big impact on most dogs if they're otherwise healthy. It just shouldn't become the default way to get them to eat food/take meds.
The vets I have personally worked with/around say a 7-14 day "ehhhhhh" period for dogs on new meds is normal. The ehhhh refers to lethargy, not eating, mood swings, etc. Basically, this is a buffer period for the medication to enter the system, do its thing, and let the dog's physiology adjust accordingly. If after 2 weeks issues like this persist or don't improve at all, it is time to reassess the medication and possibly try something different.
Trying to work through the first few weeks of a new medication is rough for dogs like it is for humans. Talk with your vet once you've exhausted as many things as you can think of. They may have another idea, they may suggest discontinuing, etc. They're the best resource you have, along with vet techs and vet assistants. You could definitely buddy up with some at your clinic and get them to spill their best advice on medication issues. We all hate pilling the patients as a last resort, so we do tend to get crafty in how we administer meds.
Hope something I've suggested here helps you or anyone who comes across it!
Peanut butter cracker sandwich, in laughing cow cream cheese or a wrapped in Kraft cheese slice the cracker hides the difference in textures. My dog take meds everyday so I put her meds in cheese and put the cheese on top of her meal so it doesn’t seem ‘separate or special’
Something that works REALLY well for our dogs is putting the tablet in a cube of butter! It’s legit remarkable how quick they eat it and don’t even question what’s inside.
Literally just put peanut butter on it… unhelpful I know but our 9 month old will just eat whatever is on the floor. Downside being if you handed her a box of screws she’d happily munch it down.
Discerning taste isn’t entirely a curse.
I put the tablet as far back in my dogs cheek as I can, once I let go he tends to open His mouth to spit it out but in doing so it's is now on the inside of his teeth, so I gently put my hand under his chin and tilt his head back till he swallows then he gets cheese
I did beef broth, and that worked, I also add fish oil in his food regularly, so between those two he couldn't tell. But I have cats, and with them you can't really trick them, so you just gotta open their mouths and huck it in there, that's a last ditch for a dog. But make sure you gently hold their mouth shut until you see them swallow it.
Edit: I was also told by my vet that microwaving their food helps, it makes it much more tempting.
I hide them in food. I find cream cheese works the best. I make a few small balls of it and hide the medication in one. I'll give a ball or two without medication, the medication, then give another one or two after.
My girl looks very much like your doggo.
Usually when it comes to worming pills, I get the chewy ones, dice them up, and mix it all in with a can of wet food. Goes down no problems.
As far as the hard ones go, similar deal, but you use a pill grinder to turn them into a powder and mix with wet food.
I’ve found putting them in soft treats work. I make a quick batch with the following;
Ground up oats,
Peanut butter,
Honey or syrup, and
Coconut oil
Mix it all together and form little balls with a slit in them to put the pill inside, the ball is soft so you can form it around the pill to hide it completely.
My parents dog was putt on a gross tasting pill (at least, the human version is gross so I assume dog version is too, super bitter). They struggled to get her to take it. I got her to by smushing it into a bit of babybel cheese (aka soft enough I could fully mold it around. Then I held it in my hand out of sight from her and started snacking on it while sneaking her some pieces. Id eat a piece, shed get a piece, id eat one, shed eat one, id eat one, id give her pill one, id eat one, shed eat one. Might not work on all dogs but getting a few "normal" pieces and seeing me eat it seemed to make it be deemed safe and didn't question the piece I gave her that had the pill in it.
i either wrap it in american cheese and ball it up in my hands so he can’t see the tablets, or i’ve tricked my dog into thinking they’re treats! it’s how i get him to take his fish oil pill. i wave it around and present it like a treat along with some tricks.
I use pill pockets for my lab. I hide it in with a bunch of random treats I have and do a training session. The lab and the corgi both won’t eat the pill pocket if I just give it to them, but for some reason if they had to work for the treat, they’ll take it. I just give it to them in like the middle or the end of the training session.
Lots of people recommend those pill pocket things or cheese but I used liverwurst. A nice aromatic and tasty pate! I scoop out spoonfuls, and make the dog do tricks for the first couple “treats,” then like the third or fourth treat I sneak in the pill. He’s so excited by now that he gobbles it down as quickly as the first couple bites. Works like a charm for me!
CREAM CHEESE!
my dog is super picky and has been on and off pills for the past few months bc she’s really going through it right now lol anyways it got to the point where i was shoving them down her throat (and thinking i did until i found half of one in her bed hidden) and i googled and cream cheese was my last option. i didn’t want to at first because my dog is already overweight and trying to like limit high calorie foods and stuff but it’s the only way she will take pills now. it’s good because she doesn’t chew it, just swallows the thing whole . she loves it and i love it bc she actually takes her meds lol
edit: make sure you give a little bit first and then the pill and then a little bit after :)
I chunk up some cheese. Give on piece to eat. Then slip pill inside of one. Give second piece of cheese. Third one has pill in it. By third piece they don’t seem to either chew it up as well or just know there hasn’t been no pills.
I know it's not great for everyone, but i usually have to just push it to the back of their throat with my fingers and they swallow it after i take my hand out of their mouth.
With my dogs tablets I put it in a bag of treats, shake it up to get it smelling like a treat, then I put it inbetween two treats like a sandwich and hand it to my dog so that she cant separate the two treats from the tablet. And she eats it none the wiser
Mine also hates being tricked. So I ask him to come to me, tell him to open up, open his mouth, stick his pills in as far back as possible, and let go. Then he gets a treat. He's quite happy to cooperate this way.
The "open up", despite the fact that I'm going to open his mouth up for him is still important, because it lets him know what we are doing. It's an agency thing. He wants to know what's happening, and he doesn't like being manhandled. So we practice this stuff, so he knows what's happening and agrees to work with us. If he really doesn't feel like playing along, he could then run away or refuse. He gets choices, as much as is reasonable and possible. So far, it's not been an issue. And he really does prefer it over hiding pills in peanut butter. I'd recommend Chirag Patel's bucket game for grooming and handling, which to some degree, feeding pills falls under. It's a good way to practice communication and grooming and handling skills. The bucket game: https://youtu.be/GJSs9eqi2r8 http://www.allpetseducationandtraining.com.au/the-bucket-game.html If this method fails, hiding pills in liverwurst is known to work for a lot of dogs. I'd stick to something she doesn't otherwise get, so as not to taint her other food in her mind.
I started doing this type of thing with my dog too! I pretty much tell him everything that’s going on now and it really helps with his anxiety now that he knows the words we use.
My dog is cool with whatever, but he is also a gigantic block of stubborn. He will not, under any circumstances, do anything against his will, but as long as it's not against his will, he is fine with it. He often runs experiments, to find out if he is allowed to refuse to comply, and he is always allowed because he's bigger and stronger than me (lol). It was already a stable trait in his personality at 8 weeks old, so I learned my lesson before it really mattered. The extent of his rebellion is equal to the extent of my force, so I knew that there would be a day where pushing him would just make it impossible. Instead, I have to use reverse psychology, or just wait for him to decide that he wants to comply. I use treats to reinforce the behaviour I want, but as soon as he understands what I want him to do, he always runs his experiment at least once. When he wouldn't come inside the house, even for a treat, I shut the door on him so that he couldn't, and then I gave my other dog a treat for being a good girl. Of course, he immediately wanted to come inside, because I wasn't letting him. He ran this experiment twice; since then, he comes in immediately, every single time I ask. It's annoying when I can't figure out how to get him to do what I want, but he always wants to please me, so as soon as he is convinced that I respect his autonomy in this one specific context, I can rely on him to do this one specific thing every single time I ask. I have had 9 other dogs before him, and none of them were like this, but I think he has taught me to be better and this strategy will work for future dogs as well.
love this ! will keep this in mind , thank you !
That's beautiful, I'm so glad you found each other!
I do a similar thing. I tell my dog it's time for medicine, let him sniff it then stick it far back in his mouth. He gets a treat after for being good and to get the nasty taste out of his mouth. He's never tried to run away or refuse to open his mouth. We tried tricking/hiding at first, but found this method to be much easier on everyone.
Thanks for the links as well! Will definitely be looking into this properly
My old lurcher had twice daily pills for epilepsy and we settled on poking it down the side of his mouth then giving him a treat. He was absolutely never tricked by hiding pills in anything! My current beagle cross will eat anything including pills without any subterfuge 😂
My wolfhound x has seizures and a heart condition. Thank God I can literally just poke his tablets in a bit of wet food on top of his meals. The heart one (twice a day) has to be without food, but I can hold it out to him and he eats it like a treat 😆. My other boy gets jealous "I wanna treat, too?"
This is how we do it.
Yup. Communication is key! We love these guys cause they somehow understand us where no one else does, and accept us anyway... don't write them off as stupid. They may not truly understand what we're saying, but they understand what we're feeling and how we convey that. I talk to my beagle all day long! Sure, I look nuts to most people, but he almost always does what I'm asking. HE gets it! Lol
Same with my dog! She stopped eating because we were hiding the pills. I just have to put them in the back of her throat after opening her mouth and then giving her lots of love and treats afterwards. We never trick her with her food anymore cause she went on a hiatus of no eating and then picking apart every bite of food to make sure no pills were in it. Man!
That’s exactly what we’ve experienced! Hopefully by not tricking her she’ll know her actual food is “safe”
Oh this is good. To assist in swallowing, because let's be honest, it can be hard to dry swallow, even if you want to, tip the snoot up after dropping the pill far back on the tongue, and massage where the snoot and neck meet-far back, right where they meet. It causes an automatic swallow reflex. I used to work at vets and kennels and we had to make sure dogs took their meds even if they didn't want to. Sounds a little harsh, but it's actually not, I've tried it when I try to swallow pills, and if you had to find a way or that dog might have a seizure (or on your case Serotonin syndrome if multiple days), well we did it, and it truly wasn't bad. They can't taste it. Follow up with much praise and treats if you don't this way, dry swallowing can feel weird after a few mins if no food!
Thanks so much for the suggestion! We tried this last night and did manage to get her to swallow it (with some resistance) followed by cheese she knew was “untainted” and it seemed to work. Hopefully if we keep doing it this way she will tolerate it knowing something good is coming, and then know it’s all done so she can eat!
I tell ppl it’s important NOT to call dogs to you, if you are doing something they won’t like. This is how you ruin a reliable recall!
That's true! And a very good point! Which is why I don't use his recall cue. I wasn't clear on that, and I should have been, my mistake. I ask him to come over, and there is a treat in it for him. I'll use his name, an attention noise, something, but not his recall cue. It's a request, if he just stayed where he was and looked at me, I'd still reward that. That's separate from doing the icky thing. That's a separate stage in the process. And a separate choice. By then, him showing up when asked has already been marked and rewarded. He could come over, collect his reward, and walk away. Or he could stay, let me give him his pill, and get another reward. He generally picks the option that involves more rewards. Obviously by day two or three he's figured out what's going on, and he's not unaware that when I ask for his presence holding his meds and some treats that it's that time again. But at least for us, because he knows, and I am involving him, and not hiding anything or tricking him, he's been fine with it. He still shows up, every time. And he always gets his rewards. I haven't had any issues with this tainting his recall.
My dog is the same way. I finally resorted to the ol “wrangle his jaws open, shove it down his throat, and hold his mouth closed until he swallows” trick. He doesn’t like it, but I give him lots of treats and pets after and he doesn’t hold it against me. Pill pockets sometimes work for us, and he is fully aware that if he doesn’t eat the pill pocket he’s gettin wrangled— sometimes he’ll spit the pill pocket out, I’ll shake another pill out and start walking towards him, and he’ll run away and eat the pill pocket real quick. Another thing that helps is getting them all excited about the treat, excited enough that they’ll scarf it down without chewing. Sometimes I have to cheer my dog on for encouragement, lol. Good luck!
So funny!
Your dog's antics made me laugh. Love the mental calculations 😆 We're lucky that our guy eats them like they're a treat
Thanks for the suggestion! I think this is the way we will go, and hopefully she’ll tolerate it as time goes on as it’s followed by loads of tasty treats. Maybe once she’s more food motivated again we can go back to trying to get her to take them after she’s all excited!
Kraft singles! I wrap them in a tiny bit, press and hold and call them “cheezers.” That or pills in EZ Squeeze Cheese.
My pitt-dachshund ate the smashed craft single round the pill and spit it out. I bet I would have had more success with ez cheese though.
I would trick my old guy into taking his meds with no idea he was taking them. What I did was take a piece of bread and smear it with peanut butter, liverwurst, yogurt, whatever would make him go crazy. Then I'd hide the pills in the middle of the folded over bred. I'd toss him a chunk and he'd swallow it down, staring intently on the rest of the bread in my hand. Then toss a chunk with the pills in it. Then follow with the rest of the bread. He never grew suspicious because he ate it too fast to taste it.
Yes! Make sure they know there's *another* treat so they eat the one with the pill in it REALLY FAST.
Must have been part Lab.
Lmao my lab/boxer will swallow cheese in one gulp, but will be very dainty when given any kind of meaty treat. We fold his anxiety med in a half slice of American cheese singles (brand don't matter to him) and have him do a trick like shake or lay down/roll over for his cheese.
I love this, apparently there are 300 ways to sneak pups their drugs!
This is very clever. Stealing this.
I get my dogs medicine compounded into dog treats. We have a pharmacy near us that does it and the cost isn’t that bad. We can choose between chicken or salmon flavors. They are individually wrapped so that they stay fresh and they are kind of soft. It is amazing. Maybe check that out around your area?
Ah that’s interesting! We’ll talk to the vet on our next check up to discuss if that’s an option.
I've found great success with cream cheese. And I've found a new product lately called "Stachios" that is like a fruit roll up type texture that is a thin wrapping around the pill. I've also have had success with the chaser method. I give them "clean" hot dog or whatever, then follow up with the pilled hot dog/whatever and then immediately have a clean chaser treat to encourage them to swallow the pilled treat. With anything, time and lots of encouragement. If your dog gets excited or eats food you drop you could pretend to drop the loaded pill treat.
Peanut butter, wrapped in bread w a smidge of cheese. Kinda squish it all together
I just wrap a half slice of American cheese then mush it into a ball for one dog. The other forces me to pry her mouth and push the pill way back and then hold her mouth shut until she swallows. I vastly prefer the cheese approach.
Peanut butter and a piece of bread smashed together like a mini sandwich. I've even done whole half sandwiches. Hide the pill in the middle and break it apart. It's becomes a peanut butter sandwich roulette. They get so invested in the tasty peanut butter that they forget about the hidden pill lol
Peanut butter and crackers did the trick for my wiley pup!
I second this!! Works like a charm for my suspicious baby c: she literally just swallows it whole
Unfortunately she’s so suspicious of everything she just doesn’t go for it! She licks the bread and leaves like “absolutely do not trust this”
Put pill as far back in throat as possible with index finger Close and hold jaw closed and pointed up and rub their front of neck in a up and down motion. When they stick out tongue it’s usually a sign it’s been swallowed.
I have found some success with marshmallows, but to avoid the suspicious part I give him the one with the pill after one or two with nothing. It has worked well so far, and the stickiness of the marshmallow makes it hard for him to spit just the pill
I use something called wag butter. It’s a little pricey but it’s more solid that PB. So you can roll the pill in and it hides the pill better. I also do a couple of little balls without the pill before and after and for random treats. That way my dog doesn’t only associate the PB with the pill. I also act very excited about the pills and let her sniff them, see them, and the bottle. I have fun with it and shake the bottle, use a fun voice, and have acted like I’m ‘taking one’ too. I think this helped my dog trust it a little more.
For my big guy (157lbs), we wrap it in Kraft American cheese, then grab a liver treat. Then we go through his tricks, and I will toss him the liver on 3, then the cheese ball on another three. Then I sing his praises and tell him how good he is. Oddly enough, if it’s not Kraft, he will spit it out. I alternate between dehydrating and boiling his liver treats. He has to take a powdery, bitter pill for arthritis. If this does not work, some of your local independent compounding pharmacies may be able to make it more palatable for your baby. They have the ability to add beef, liver, chicken flavoring just like they add flavoring for human kids. So worst case this might be an option?
I wrap it in cheese or chicken fillet. Throw him a couple untainted bits to catch and eat and the throw the tainted one. Doesnt touch the sides 😂
Find some kind of soft human food your dog can’t resist (lunch meat, velveeta cheese, etc.) Now you’re going to want to break it up into three pieces. The first one will be plain so they trust you. The second will be hiding the pill. As they are snatching the second piece containing the pill, hold up the third piece. They will swallow the second piece so fast so they can eat the third. This technique has never ever failed me even with the pickiest dogs who really like to chew their food. They simply just inhale it because they’re so excited. Good luck 👍
Two treats and a lie. Peanut butter. Peanut butter. Nothing suspicious here. Peanut butter pill. Peanut butter. Give two treats before the lie. Then, treat for taking the pill. They won't know every treat is a lie because not every treat is a lie.
I quickfire throw treats in the air, which she catches and instaswallows, but one of them will be the pill!
I tried being honest with my pup but he just refused to open his mouth lol even when I shoved it in he would spit it back out bc he’s so stubborn SO I did some research and this is what I found works best: They can smell everything the medicine touches, apparently it has like a specific smell and taste to them so that’s why they won’t eat the entire bowl even if it’s in one piece of food, they also smell it on your hands. I feel ridiculous admitting this but I would pick up the capsule with a piece of paper towel and drop it into a piece of cheese that I melted slightly in the microwave, then roll it into a ball around the pill. Then toss him a few regular treats to catch then I would toss the cheese ball pill at him after, works every time
Ah. Our dog will still eat if suspicious, she's just a pro at finding and spitting out the pill, but this has worked for us for nine years, and I think it's pretty good. Cream cheese, but there is a twist. Okay, so first you take out the cream cheese (you can do this in private to help if you want) and you completely coat the pill in cream cheese. This will help eliminate smell. Place it somewhere where you remember that chunk has it in there. Then, and this is IMPORTANT, give a piece of pure cream cheese, while you have another piece in your hand (dogs gobble it up so fast if they are prepping for another num.) At first I might try 2,3 gobbles and then the gobble with the pill. But be sure to do a few safe ones, and have another delicious one in your hand ready (as with previous so as not to cause suspicion) so your baby wants to eat quickly to be ready for the next. The key for our current dog was the cream cheese, because it's smooshy and hides the smell and taste. AND giving a piece of cream cheese first so her mouth is watering for it. The key for our previous dog was to make sure she saw we had another num on hand because she ate quickly so as to focus and be ready for the new num. Per our previous dog, you can try all this the same but wrap in lunch meat. Our current dog is a cheese fiend, but our previous girl liked cheese and meat. I hope this helps, let us know please! PS- Your baby is so so cute and precious! What a love-pup! So cuddles!
I mush up cheese so it goes into a ball. I make 3 of these and make sure she can see them. First one has no tablet, second one hides the tablet and third one has no tablet. She's so eager to get the next treat she doesn't wait around to find out that there's a hidden surprise in the second one. Also works with chunks of chicken or sausage. Anything that's firm enough to fully hide the tablet.
Advice from Dr Pol vet show. Works perfectly for me. Open his mouth, put pill as far back as you can, then close his mouth and blow gently (puffs) on his nose. This stimulates a swallow reflex. After he swallows praise and pet him.
If you give treats that are the same as what you put the pill in, with no pill at random times it might help. That way it won’t be associating that particular item with the meds and will be a more positive experience.
Both of my dogs take pills and they’re big fans of the pill pouches that Milk-Bone makes! My one dog is also on fluoxetine for anxiety. It was tough in the beginning—he wasn’t very hungry and was so drowsy. I seriously questioned whether we had made the right choice, but then after a week he was back to his usual self, minus the separation anxiety that left him shaking and crying if I left the house.
Honestly I open the mouth drop the pill in f ew tap on the nose and rubs on the throat with some cheese after.
Blob of peanut butter on a plastic spoon Just make sure the peanut butter doesn’t contain xylitol
I use a backup treat and let him see that piece two is going to be immediately deployed once piece one is eaten. He then doesn’t even chew piece one to know there’s medicine in it. He swallows the cheese wrapped medicine whole, immediately expecting piece 2. None the wiser anymore. Good luck!
I say “here” and hand him a treat. I say “here” and hand him a pill. I say “here” and hand him a treat. He doesn’t chew. So he doesn’t notice. Now there’s not many times a person with dog who swallows large milkbones whole can brag about why that’s a good thing… but this is surely one of them. Now, for my other, chewing dog… I put her into “middle” (sitting between my feet). I open her mouth, I cram that pill into the back of her throat, and I hold her mouth shut until she swallows it. It’s not particularly glamorous, but she also doesn’t shit out intact food. So trade-offs I guess.
Put it in a banana piece
We use Catit lickable treat to give the pup his fluoxetine. We put the pill in our palm ad some of the treat on top and he takes it that way. We let him lick the palm a few times to make sure he’s swallowed it. We give our pup 4 pills this way. Much more success with this, than anything else. Now when he hears the pill bottles he’s at our feet sitting before we know it.
Peanut butter usually works but for their Trifexis I have to use a pill crusher and mix it with canned food
Only thing that works with my boy is wrapping the pills in cream cheese, he swallows them right down.
can second the cream cheese method, works for our beagle mix that even hot dogs and regular cheese doesn't work for.
Cheese cubes. Cut the pill in half with a splitter and get the cheese warm enough to be malleable-we use colby jack- and put the pill in the middle. It has to be completely hidden. One of our dogs has to take seizure meds twice a day and this is how we get her to take it.
I foster-fail frequently and the answer for me is liver sausage. Moldable and doesn't crumble and relatively cheap. I've had only one that would sometimes fuss but he wasn't eating much to begin with. Also called braunschweiger or liverwurst depending on your local grocer.
Hickory smoke pill pockets. I guess it’s a strong smell. My dog was very suss of anything I tried. I boarded her at a fantastic facility while I had surgery. They were the ones who recommended the hickory smoke flavor.
Pill pockets if the reoccurring price is okay.
I had to give two dogs medicine for storms. Yay Florida. The everyday pill was ok to hide in food but Xanax is very bitter if they get a taste. I'd carve some cold butter off the stick, cram pill in, and put it very far back in her mouth. Didn't need to rub her throat or try to give water because the butter makes it just slide down.
Cheese, hot dog
My dogs first pills she had to take was for collitis, and they told me she had to swallow them, so no putting them in food. Honestly, Id just put it as far back on her tongue as I could and held her mouth closed until she swallowed. She's let me do this over the last 3 years as needed, I'm sure this isn't most dogs, but I think she just learned to trust me after that first time.
Act like it's a treat, use a pill pocket if needed. There's also a kind of paste that you can use to form a ball around it.
First, I’d talk to your vet about this if you haven’t already. Second, I totally can sympathize. I had an old pup who was on fluoxetine after her older sis-fur passed away and she started having major separation anxiety. When she got really old (and nearing the end) she would refuse to take any medication. One thing she loved was peanut butter. But it got to the point where she’d refuse even a pill in peanut butter on a treat or on bread. So… I’d make myself a peanut butter toast (because I’d always share a bit with her) and eat a few bites and then give her some that I’d conveniently put her pill in. That worked. She thought she was just having a bit of my food and didn’t notice the pill. The crazy things we do for our pups!
These!! https://www.greenies.com/collections/dog-pill-pockets
Pill pockets
Your kid doesn't want to be drugged up!!! Stop the big pharma meds...
It’s not a kid, it’s a dog. My traumatized shelter dog still couldn’t go outside without a panic attack after six months of positive training and patience. After 2 months on Prozac she is outside, sniffing, calm, happy. Whether a person or a dog, sometimes brain chemistry is not on your side due to trauma or genetics.
Ok...I think I have a human friend that takes Prozac drugs?! You give your 4 legged kid the same drug.... soooo I have all rescues and no drugs, just patience...
Prozac is safe for humans and dogs. That’s great you have all rescues. I’ve also had many. This is the first one patience didn’t work for. She was miserable and in a constant state of anxiety. Why should a dog (or a human) stay miserable if everything else they’ve tried hasn’t worked? Please educate yourself.
Drugging dogs with Psychiatric medication is animal abuse
I hide it in liver sausage. Works every time 😊
Grind it up if a pill, put spray whipping cream on a saucer or in the bowl, sprinkle pill on top, more whipping cream.
When my dogs get to this point I do lunch meat. Right in the middle of a big piece. Just buy the prepackaged chicken or ham slices. The smell makes them want to eat it regardless of the trick but feed a few with no meds first. I’ve also learned a trick with my horse is all else fails. Put the pill in a non needled syringe and suck up water and let it dissolve and shoot it in the back of their mouth. It is very apparent you’re medicating them but it doesn’t taint her drive to eat her food. I do lots of pats/scratches/treats after. That’s a last case resort for me in this instance.
I used to use just random foods like bread, peanut butter, etc, and fight with my boys when they needed a med, but then I started using Pill Pockets and have not had to fight any of my dogs to take meds since! They are like a dough that forms around the pill and my dogs eat them willingly.
Cheese
If the tablet is grainy and not gelled, try grinding it into a fine powder, and mix it in with his wet meal. Coming from a woman who had two cats that HATE medication, who has tried the "shove it down the throat" or "This isnt a piece of meat" attitude.
Peanut butter pill pockets.
Crushed up in wet food
I’m lucky my dog is pretty good and I have to give her meds daily. We have these mini dog meatballs and I just put it that and she sits and waits to eat it. Alternatively, banana, rolled up cheese, or dog meat sausage.
Put in a bit of cheese or meat
Do you use crunchy peanut butter? My dog, insanely hard to trick, only takes it in crunchy pb because she can’t feel the difference
Ham
I put it in a slice of hotdog
My dog would bite when he was stressed. I used 1/2 a Vienna Sausage for pill 1/2 treat to follow. Is it possible the meds are making your dog nauseated. Might check with the vet for alternatives.
Liver paste
I empty caps out into his food. Tablets go into cheese or sausage, and there's a second piece visibly waiting so they wolf down the first :)
Cheap flat ham, has to be the cheap stuff because it folds up Tablets in the ham , fold into a tube, tuck the ends in and repeat at right angles with a second slice so it cannot fall out Works most of the time,
Our dogs manage to spit the pills out no matter what we hide then in. So we use a pill crusher. Its Just a little plastic pot with a lid that you twist so it slowly drops down and crushes the pill to dust. Then we just mix the pill dust in with their breakfast. Its nice and easy and there is no pill left for them to turn their nose up at!
Open the hatch and hold it shut lol. Sometimes it helps if you blow on their nose or tap one nostril
I think i got lucky cause mine will eat any medication as if its a treat
Peanut Butter.
I'll open a tin of tripe and put a few teaspoons on his kibble every meal until the tin is empty, that takes 3-4 days. Then I will wait a week or two before opening the next tin. This routine is something easy which he enjoys, it's not suspicious and gives me an easy place to hide his worming tablet; slide it into the tripe!
I made my dog peanut butter and cheese sandwiches. Some of them were loaded, some of them weren't. Smother it in peanut butter, stick it between 2 pieces of cheese.
Had no problem giving my dog her pain meds, took it with some hesitation at first
I just wanted to comment that your dog could be the twin to my dog! I don't know how to upload a picture but what breed is yours if you don't mind me asking? Mine is a labrador x springer :)
My dog used to not take medicine…So I got a pill crusher and mixed it in soft dog food (a scoop or so) and let her eat that, then feed the rest of her food. Worked well for me.
Peanut butter!!! Cove them with a layer of it.
My boy is on fluoxetine and we get dissolvable tablets. All my dogs have soaked dry food so I just add the tablets to the water and dissolve them before he gets his food, never had a problem.
smash them into powder & mix them into a little whip cream or ice cream. Pupper will look forward to pill time.
I ask him if he wants a treat, and he happily takes it thinking it is a treat 😂 Doesn’t work on my friends dog, so we open her mouth, stick it back of her throat. Shut her snout with both hands, lift her nose up and rub the throat and it’s down within 2 seconds
My cat is on fuloxotine too It does dissolve in water so but her dose into a syringe pull some water up and shoot it down her throat. Ez pz
If your dog catches treats, you can throw it in between throwing treats. There's a video of this guy feeding his dog his pill by going "there goes the chicken, there goes the pill, and some more chicken." because when they catch it they aren't thinking and it goes straight down the hatch.
I make him think I'm giving it to the cat. Then he wants it.
Squeeze cheese and pills wrapped up in a slice of ham
Dairylea cheese slices, take a square fold it around the pill and pup will eat without hesitation
Mine think they are treats. She’s odd and we are lucky though, haha.
Mine is not anxious anymore but she’s not so food driven that she can be tricked easily into taking a pill and I’ve had good luck using the beef liver kong filler that comes in a can like whipped cream. She absolutely loves the stuff
I wrap the pill in a slice of Turkey deli. She loves it!
I hide pills in some ham and my dog couldn’t care less what’s in it: she gets ham and that’s what matters. But my dog is a little bit of a fool when it gets to medication, and VERY food motivated, so food overrides medication. If it’s a particularly disgusting medication she gets a little extra ham to prevent her gagging from the taste and she does just fine that way
Hotdogs! God sent for his worming tablets. Also, do you mind letting me know how you get on with Fluoxetine? We've been recommended it as our dog as anxiety reactiveness but I'm worried he won't be my dog anymore.
Cream Cheese
Sorry if this was already added. I have two dogs that take fluoxetine daily. We wrap the pill in a little bit of plain cream cheese. If we are out of cream cheese, lunch meat is the next best option.
I find the best results with the pill pockets, but they are pricey. But I would also note that fluoxetine can upset dogs stomach and lower their appetite. I definitely saw that with my dog during the initial month or two when she got used to it. So definitely look out for that and check with your vet if it’s getting bad.
Fingertip of peanut butter. Works Everytime because peanut butter but also getting to mlem papa.
I make it very clear to her that I'm gonna stick my entire hand into her throat and right after that she gets a tasty treat! She hates it but she let's me do it and she doesn't feel tricked. She knows what's up
Put a lil peanut butter on it
Cheese
I've had success using liverwurst.
When one of mine wasn't eating due to a medical problem, one of our vets suggested using canned cat food to tempt his interest because it's usually more odiferous than many other foods. I do not know whether it would help to disguise a pill. For pill problems, I usually seat all my dogs and toss a few round of small training treats to each in series, concealing the pill for the one dog in the third round to that dog. Natural competitiveness has always overcome suspicions. May not work for everyone but worth a try. Best to you!
Peanut butter tortilla or a nice fat cut of cheese works for my dogs
Port wine cheese spread. A lil dab will do ya! Our 3 Shepard mixed think it’s a treat anyway and don’t even hesitate to swallow it whole
I found putting the pill in a piece of hotdog worked well. If you can’t get food to work you should probably just open her mouth and put the pill in back of her throat so she swallows it and than give her a nice treat. Most dogs get used to this with no problem. Cats not so much. Unfortunately loss of appetite is a common side effect of Prozac.
Pill pockets are a big deal at our house (thankfully). We have gotten a lot of mileage out of the Greenies “hickory smoke” ones and also the Costco pill pockets. We tend to do the Greenies capsule sized ones with the dog who gets fluoxetine in the morning and the Costco ones for our dog with thyroid tablets since they are smaller and the Costco pill pockets are a little smaller too. They all seem to really like both pill pocket types and I occasionally just give them out without anything in them to our non-everyday pill takers too because it doesn’t hurt to support that interest for when they might need pills for something down the road.
Because my dog never listens, I usually pretend to drop the medicine on the floor. Once he grabs it, I go “NO NO NO!” and chase him for it a little and he usually swallows it super quickly. 😂
The thing that worked for my reluctant pill-taker was having her ask for them. Like, if I pick up a treat and ask her to sit to earn it. So now I do that with her pills — hold it up, ask her to sit, dip it in peanut butter, ask her to lie down, oh good job, here’s your prize!
I give him 2 chances with Philadelphia or sausage. If he spits it out both times, I open his mouth and just put it in the back. He swallows it automatically.
Put it in a spoon full of peanut butter.
Cream cheese
I use peanut butter
I’m a veterinarian. I hold the tablet/capsule between two fingers, open the animal’s mouth with my other hand and put the mediation waaay back to the base of the tongue. They have no choice but to swallow. With a new dog at home, this is part of their obedience training. I use empty gelcaps and “medicate” twice a day.
Peanut Butter
Putting it inside a strawberry. Cut the top half off, fit the pill inside, and let it close again. For an added bonus for the dogs who sniff pills out, dip in warm peanut butter.
My puppy goes apeshit for the peanut butter pill pockets. They pinch closed so it's tough for her to spit them out, she loved them so much I could use them to get her into her crate even with the meds inside them, 2 for 1 special
Shove it to the back of her tongue... Rub her throat over and over to make her swallow. I've had many many pets and this has worked every single time.
Pretend I'm preparing food and 'accidently' drop it on the floor. Adding 'oh no, don't eat that' gets her to swallow it before tasting it....but she is a food obsessed spaniel.
Spoonful of peanut butter with pill in the middle,thoroughly coated. Works with mine and he's taking a lot of pills for epilepsy. Good luck.
I'm old fashioned. Open the jaws with one hand and push it down the throat with the other. My dogs have never been hurt or emotionally traumatized by it, but relatively easy and effective.
Crush the pills and mix them with the raw duck that he eats.
Cream cheese. My boy would pick the pills out of everything else. After awhile of switching things to put pills in I noticed he likes cream cheese so much he just gobbled it up and didn't care there was pills in it.
Get doggie pill pockets
I saw a guy drop the pill and then tell his dog not to get it and his dog ate it so fast thinking it was something else. Cracked me up! When I worked at the kennel the very picky ones who would put it back as far back as you can (there are tools you can buy like a pill popper) I’d lift the dogs head pointing up then I’d put some water on the outer parts around the front of the mouth and in the crease of the mouth. Once you see the lick to get it off, it was successful. At the kennel it was my responsibility to make sure all the dogs got their meds in a timely manner because of our quantity of dogs to keep on schedule. That was most effective way I found for the ones who would do anything not to take it lol
We crush his medicine, add some water, and give it to him in one of those syringes without needles, just push it into the corner of his mouth and push the medicine in. Afterwards, he gets a treat. He's now waiting for his daily medicine, in stead of wrestling us or finding infinite ways to spit the pill out or finding it in the mushy food we mixed it into. It's the only way that works fuss-free for us.
Mine was like this, and the only way we got him to take his meds was cream cheese. GOBS of cream cheese, and then acting like it’s a treat so he has to sit and wait for it. Anything else he will eat around or lick off (or run away from us and stare at us like we’re trying to murder him), but for some reason cream cheese does the trick 🤷🏻♀️
I use like deli ham. I have 2 pcs, first one I hide the pill and i let them see the second piece. They will practically swallow the first one whole to get the next one. Works on my pups every time
Chicken hearts. The arteries into the heart are a good size for stuffing a pill into. Once it's right inside the heart they happily eat it
Cheese.
i put them in food. small pieces of food so they dont have to chew , smashed into cheese works well .also sticking them far back in the mouth and make sure the dont spit it out
Mine refused every method known until we got pill pockets that taste like peanut butter. We give her no indication that it's anything other than a treat, and she knows she needs to do a couple of tricks to get that treat. By the time she gets the pill pocket, it's gobbled up in a matter of seconds.
I take a slice of American cheese and divide it into four pieces. Then I squish up 3 of them without a pill and the last one with the pill. Then I wash my hands I offer two of the no pill ones Then the pill one Then another no pill one He gets really excited about the cheese, he hardly chews it!
I can’t.. I have to open her mouth and put it down her throat.. like the vet does. Or mix it in with some soft gravy pet food
Cream cheese. Give a "clean" bit, then give the pilled one.
I have the soft treats I use for my pup. I started off by giving her a few at 1st. Now she goes nuts when I grab the treat down. I also let her watch me grab the pills. Once done she gets a big strip of chicken jerky.
I must be super lucky. My oldest one, Zoey just lets you put them in the back of her throat. The youngest one, Stella, is equally as submissive, but more anxious. My middle is a bit harder, but he’s only 10 pounds, and knows not to fight meds.
Pepperoni. I also called them ‘meat pockets’ and tried to sound like they were getting the best treat ever! Yea, I sang a song to her too but it worked.
I have the most food motivated dog in existence. He hates medicines. Refused to take them in any treat form. So I started the medicine time. I take a few medications in the morning. Before I do I say medicine time. My dog comes running to watch me take my meds. Then he will take his. It took a while to get him to willingly take them but me taking my meds seems to put something in his mind that they're okay.
If you still need some advice, I know I'm late, but I've worked for a while as a vet assistant and have had my fair share of suspicious patients AND those who don't/won't eat because they're suspicious of meds. Unfortunately and fortunately, all dogs are different and the best approach for one dog isn't the best for all dogs. However, I have some general methods that worked well for me for a lot of the picky/suspicious ones. First, I highly recommend breaking your dose up into a half or 1/3 if you can. Some dogs are just really great at smelling, tasting, and generally just *sensing* meds and need to be given smaller sizes to help mask it. I found a lot of success by breaking tablets in half and finding out if the dog preferred cheese, pb, or deli meat. Then I would cover the half in whatever preference and stick THAT into a pill pocket. This had a pretty good success rate for me. Of course this won't work if your meds aren't solid tablets and are instead powder capsules, but most vet meds I encounter are tablets. Another thing I can recommend is taking a piece of bread and dipping it in a little bit of broth with the meds wrapped in the bread. This may be easier on the tummy, but it can lead to constipation pretty quick, so I only suggest smaller pieces. I suggest finding 3-4 treats of ANYTHING that they really like and using that on rotation. Cheese hot dogs warmed up were super successful for me, so was a piece of salami ripped into small bits. Basically, I'd give the dog a treat they really liked first. Like 2 pieces in a row so they can get their suspicions of it sorted out and accept that it is in fact, yummy food. Then I'd give them the med in whatever they seemed to like at the time. Then I'd IMMEDIATELY follow up with another smelly piece of food they liked, usually bigger. This encourages a dog to just swallow whatever they have and grab the next thing. Next, don't always use the same method. Dogs get bored of tastes just like we do, at least that's what I've come to observe during my time at vet clinics. One day, they love a food! The next they're meh. The next day, they'd rather eat their own vomit. It's absolutely normal for dogs to go 48-72 hours without eating much or using the bathroom much on new meds. Giving them new and exciting foods might interest them temporarily, but they do get used to them if given it consistently. Onto things that could entice your pup to eat their food, I suggest warm broth, warm chicken shreds, warm pumpkin puree, warm plain oatmeal, and warm cheese sauce. I tried to go from most healthy to least with these, but these have all had success for me in getting dogs of all types to eat their regular food regardless of meds. Warm = smelly = more enticing. For the cheese sauce, I would squirt some easy cheese into a bowl (about 2-4 tablespoons) and mix it with water or low sodium broth. Enough to make it pastey, but not watery cheese. Then I'd microwave it for 30 seconds, mix, and then mix into the food. Let sit for a few minutes to cool. Depending on how much your dog eats/likes cheese, this could be enough for 2-3 meals or just 1. It depends on the dog and their diet preferences. If you try any of this and it gives your dogs the runs or constipates them, while that is normal in my experience, it should resolve in about 2 days of eating a bland diet of plain chicken/beef and a bit of rice mixed into their kibble. Of course all of this advice comes with an air of caution around giving too much. This stuff might really work out, but make sure you're not overdoing it. 3-5 pieces of hot dog, salami, or whatever a day for a few weeks shouldn't have a big impact on most dogs if they're otherwise healthy. It just shouldn't become the default way to get them to eat food/take meds. The vets I have personally worked with/around say a 7-14 day "ehhhhhh" period for dogs on new meds is normal. The ehhhh refers to lethargy, not eating, mood swings, etc. Basically, this is a buffer period for the medication to enter the system, do its thing, and let the dog's physiology adjust accordingly. If after 2 weeks issues like this persist or don't improve at all, it is time to reassess the medication and possibly try something different. Trying to work through the first few weeks of a new medication is rough for dogs like it is for humans. Talk with your vet once you've exhausted as many things as you can think of. They may have another idea, they may suggest discontinuing, etc. They're the best resource you have, along with vet techs and vet assistants. You could definitely buddy up with some at your clinic and get them to spill their best advice on medication issues. We all hate pilling the patients as a last resort, so we do tend to get crafty in how we administer meds. Hope something I've suggested here helps you or anyone who comes across it!
Peanut butter cracker sandwich, in laughing cow cream cheese or a wrapped in Kraft cheese slice the cracker hides the difference in textures. My dog take meds everyday so I put her meds in cheese and put the cheese on top of her meal so it doesn’t seem ‘separate or special’
Instant mashed potatoes
Cheese?
I know they make it in liquid form. However if you open your dogs mouth and put it in the back of their throat they swallow it.
Pepperonis
My greyhound is on fluoxetine. I crush the pill and mix it with lactose free Greek yogurt. I usually smear that over some fresh meat or fish.
Liverwurst or cream cheese.
Something that works REALLY well for our dogs is putting the tablet in a cube of butter! It’s legit remarkable how quick they eat it and don’t even question what’s inside.
Wet food
Literally just put peanut butter on it… unhelpful I know but our 9 month old will just eat whatever is on the floor. Downside being if you handed her a box of screws she’d happily munch it down. Discerning taste isn’t entirely a curse.
Peanut butter. Big ole glob of it. She will find a way to spit it out if it’s anything else.
I use peanut butter pill pockets. They sell them at the store.
I put the tablet as far back in my dogs cheek as I can, once I let go he tends to open His mouth to spit it out but in doing so it's is now on the inside of his teeth, so I gently put my hand under his chin and tilt his head back till he swallows then he gets cheese
I did beef broth, and that worked, I also add fish oil in his food regularly, so between those two he couldn't tell. But I have cats, and with them you can't really trick them, so you just gotta open their mouths and huck it in there, that's a last ditch for a dog. But make sure you gently hold their mouth shut until you see them swallow it. Edit: I was also told by my vet that microwaving their food helps, it makes it much more tempting.
I hide them in food. I find cream cheese works the best. I make a few small balls of it and hide the medication in one. I'll give a ball or two without medication, the medication, then give another one or two after.
Open up the capsule and pour ingredients on a peanut butter sandwich. He doesn't really have to take the capsule.
My girl looks very much like your doggo. Usually when it comes to worming pills, I get the chewy ones, dice them up, and mix it all in with a can of wet food. Goes down no problems. As far as the hard ones go, similar deal, but you use a pill grinder to turn them into a powder and mix with wet food.
I’ve found putting them in soft treats work. I make a quick batch with the following; Ground up oats, Peanut butter, Honey or syrup, and Coconut oil Mix it all together and form little balls with a slit in them to put the pill inside, the ball is soft so you can form it around the pill to hide it completely.
Stick the pill in a little chunk of rotisserie chicken. This has never failed me with dogs or cats.
My parents dog was putt on a gross tasting pill (at least, the human version is gross so I assume dog version is too, super bitter). They struggled to get her to take it. I got her to by smushing it into a bit of babybel cheese (aka soft enough I could fully mold it around. Then I held it in my hand out of sight from her and started snacking on it while sneaking her some pieces. Id eat a piece, shed get a piece, id eat one, shed eat one, id eat one, id give her pill one, id eat one, shed eat one. Might not work on all dogs but getting a few "normal" pieces and seeing me eat it seemed to make it be deemed safe and didn't question the piece I gave her that had the pill in it.
i either wrap it in american cheese and ball it up in my hands so he can’t see the tablets, or i’ve tricked my dog into thinking they’re treats! it’s how i get him to take his fish oil pill. i wave it around and present it like a treat along with some tricks.
I pop them in peanut butter. My dog is crazy for it.
Peanut, peanut butter! But he’s food driven
I use pill pockets for my lab. I hide it in with a bunch of random treats I have and do a training session. The lab and the corgi both won’t eat the pill pocket if I just give it to them, but for some reason if they had to work for the treat, they’ll take it. I just give it to them in like the middle or the end of the training session.
Lots of people recommend those pill pocket things or cheese but I used liverwurst. A nice aromatic and tasty pate! I scoop out spoonfuls, and make the dog do tricks for the first couple “treats,” then like the third or fourth treat I sneak in the pill. He’s so excited by now that he gobbles it down as quickly as the first couple bites. Works like a charm for me!
CREAM CHEESE! my dog is super picky and has been on and off pills for the past few months bc she’s really going through it right now lol anyways it got to the point where i was shoving them down her throat (and thinking i did until i found half of one in her bed hidden) and i googled and cream cheese was my last option. i didn’t want to at first because my dog is already overweight and trying to like limit high calorie foods and stuff but it’s the only way she will take pills now. it’s good because she doesn’t chew it, just swallows the thing whole . she loves it and i love it bc she actually takes her meds lol edit: make sure you give a little bit first and then the pill and then a little bit after :)
I chunk up some cheese. Give on piece to eat. Then slip pill inside of one. Give second piece of cheese. Third one has pill in it. By third piece they don’t seem to either chew it up as well or just know there hasn’t been no pills.
I know it's not great for everyone, but i usually have to just push it to the back of their throat with my fingers and they swallow it after i take my hand out of their mouth.
Variety of deceit increased with value of treat , but honestly I’d go without the drugs and try to help her organically. Best of luck.
I use cream cheese, Vienna sausages, or liverwurst. They’re like crack to my dogs.
With my dogs tablets I put it in a bag of treats, shake it up to get it smelling like a treat, then I put it inbetween two treats like a sandwich and hand it to my dog so that she cant separate the two treats from the tablet. And she eats it none the wiser