Pill popping tips?

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

Missie's on a pill twice a day for her allergies. It's non-steroid, and she'll be on it for an indefinite period of time. The number of food she'll take the pill in (without taking the rest of the food and spitting pill back out) are extremely limited, and I don't like giving them to her so regularly (cottage cheese, hardboiled egg, peanut butter or 1 mini marshmellow). What are some good foods I could try giving it to her in? Cottage cheese is her favorite, but both that and egg are so high in protein, I don't want to give them every day. The pill is like a soft capsule with powder inside. I've tried cutting it open and putting the powder in things, but the powder flies everywhere when I cut the pill casing open. Any ideas?? Thanks!!

[calgal]

Could you desolve the pill in a teaspoon of warm water then put it in the cottage cheese?

[Spiritus]

I have one dog on antibiotics, and another on long-term medication. I've also had sick dogs that needed meds daily (or multiple times) a day.

For the most part, I hook my finger behing the canine tooth, lift up, and drop the pill at the back of the throat. I then close the mouth with just a hand under the muzzle and wait for a swallow.

One dog who was ill for quite a long period (about 6 months), I once daily had to give her a pill and she wasn't quite so cooperative back then. So, her one treat a day was a quarter of a piece of bread with peanut butter on it, and the pill wrapped inside. She always came running when the bread bag rustled. Now, with Missie being smaller, maybe a smidgen of bread with the peanut butter (depending on her allergies, of course)....

[papillon806]

I put my dog's derm cap in a chunk of canned every morning.

[Dogsareme]

Kaede just went off his medication from his surgery, and if we put it in anything he always managed to miss it or spit it out
So we would open up his mouth and when we did that we would push/hold his top lips over his teeth and then place the pill far back on his tongue and then close his mouth with his lips still over his teeth and head held back till he swallowed. Then he would get a treat

The reason for the holding of the lips over the teeth is so he does not try to chew the pill. It works great, and everytime.

[Cassiepeia]

Jesse needs to take a heart pill every day and I have a lot of trouble trying to get him to take the pill with food (so I don't have to try and shove it down his mouth, which is very hard with a dog that has no teeth).
I usually time the pill taking with my dinner because Jesse is almost always interested in what's on my plate, then I give him his pill in a little of that food. It's different each night so there is variety and he doesn't over indulge in anything.
However, I'm careful not to give him anything not safe for dogs.

So my suggestion is, if she's interested in your food, you could try hiding the pill in a little of your breakfast & dinner. Or perhaps give her the cottage cheese w/pill for breakfast and a pill with a bit of your dinner at night?

Other than that just give it to her by hand (which is awful..I know ).

Cass.

[zoe08]

I cant even just give my dog a pill down her throat....she is very sneaky...

the past few times it has been in peanut butter...I have yet to find anything that works really great every time.

[sammy]

Does your dog know how to catch a treat in the air?
my secret is to hide the pill in food and toss it in the air for the dog to catch-- it seems to go down the hatch that way. Sometimes Sammy will look at my afterwards as if to say "heeeeeeey, what was in that cheese?"
If I put the same thing in the food bowl or handed it to him he would sniff it and probably eat the cheese and pit out the pill
last time I hid the pill in a cube of cheese

[SunGurl372]

I am really not trying to hock anyone's product, but I've had similar issues. My father is old school, in terms of just crank her mouth open and shove the pill down the ol' hatch.

I just don't have it in me. I started Harley on daily pills, mandated by her demodectic mange, with a product called Pill Pockets. These were wonderful. Smelled meaty, had a hole perfectly shaped to insert a pill, and were soft enough to close and form around the pill.

After just a short time with these, I was able to switch onto just wrapping her pills in a small piece of velveeta cheese singles.

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

I'm not sure, Calgal... Can you do that with the capsules? I mean, I know they must dissolve, but would it work fairly quickly in that little water?

I will not just throw it down her throat. I've gotten frustrated/desperate before and done that, and it's way too stressful for both of us! She flips her head around no matter how I (or someone else) holds it, which makes it impossible to get the pill far enough back. Plus, if she happens to bite it, the powder goes everywhere. *sigh* No way I can (or want to) do that twice a day!

Is it ok to give peanutbutter that often? It doesn't take much, but I worry about her choking or something. Can they choke on peanutbutter? It's ok with her allergies (environmental).

Canned would be a good idea, if I could find a good brand. I don't know if my vet sells the cans individually, but I've only ever seen people buy the canned who feed it regularly, so they buy cases. Hmmm...

Cass, I actually did that tonight, and it worked well. I eat such funky meals sometimes, I don't even think to try that! I'll keep that in mind and see if it works from now on. Thanks!!

Sammy, I'm giggling bad over here picturing me throwing it to her and MISSING!! For a larger dog I bet that works splendidly, but I don't think so for Missie!

The cheese somehow doesn't work. I don't know how she manages to eat everything but the pill sometimes. Sheesh! I'll stick with the peanutbutter and try what I'm eating, and perhaps canned food.

Thanks so much everyone! I knew there had to be better ideas out there!

[Barrett]

We bought the pill pocket treats from the vet too. They work really well. We bought the small ones so Lucy and Harley aren't getting such a big treat each time. I cut the small ones in half and form them around the pill so one treat is for two dogs. My dogs love the taste. If we are out of those we use a little bit of lunch meat, wrap the pill in it and pop it in their mouth. Bailey is the sneaky one because she is picky about what she eats. I can't give her a piece of my food without her dropping it, smelling it, tasting it, and finally eating it or leaving it on the floor. Sheeesh! Lucy and Harley inhale anything I give them.

[britishbandit]

I've always used a little piece of hot dog, meat or cheese. Just enough to cover up the pill, but something so tempting they don't think too much about chewing it and even noticing the pill...LOL. I guess it depends on the dog. My 2 will eat anything. When Tysa was on her antibiotics after her stitches not long ago, I ran out of the yummy stuff so just tossed her a pill. She caught it and down it went. Mine are just little vacuums......doesn't much matter what you give them they try to eat it.....HAHA.

[D.Schäferhund]

Hello
I used regular hotdogs. Put it in them, or pasty things, there are some dog saucages out there, that are not solid, to keep avoiding the looking for the pill I use multible peaces, and give one shortly after the other, so they don't have the time to chew they have to swallow quik then.
I have pill sorters, too, but even the nastiest wormpill i get in there with that method.
I had to give antibiotics for a long time after surgery, thats hoe I figured that out.
Hotdogs are just too tempting, and they usually just gobble it down if you have multible peaces.
I usually had four and mixed them up, so they never knew wich one it is, i just made sure it isn't the last one....
that works very well atleast for my demons.

[IceyBlueSibes]

Is it ok to give peanutbutter that often? It doesn't take much, but I worry about her choking or something. Can they choke on peanutbutter? It's ok with her allergies (environmental).

I do not think peanut butter is a bad thing. My friend's mom has a dog with liver problems. He is on many different pills, and she gives it to him the same way each day, but it's done differently in the morning and at night. When you say PEANUT BUTTER he comes running. The pill is a capsule with powder in it. She takes half of the powder in the morning, and puts it on the peanut butter. He gobbles it down. Although the pill comes apart if you twist and pull. He's been on these pills for a pretty good while, and she has given it to him this way every day. He's had no problems.

Thankfully, Sheiba was smart enough to learn "Swallow". I just open her mouth and toss it in and say "swallow!" and she swallows it nicely for me. Seems like I'm the only one who can give their dog a pill with no problems or nasty looks LOL The others we have to do the sitck it in a piece of meat/hot dog. If that doesn't work we just shove it down. They're bigger so it's not as hard. They cooperate though. Sarge had a hard time with it though when he was sick because his throat was so dry and he had ump-teen million pills to take. So it was open and shove numerous times.

But I think the peanut butter should be okay. I've seen the pill pockets and have never tried them, but seems like everyone is satisfied with them. I'll have to give them a try -- as they are all anti biotics right now!

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

We used to do hot dogs with our previous dog. I need to go to the store! Being a vegetarian, I never eat meat, and the family always eats it in something (that Missie can't have because of spices or the like!). So we don't have much of it around the house for other purposes! lol Thanks again, all! *starts grocery list*