Easiest way for dogs to swallow pills?

[dogzr#1]

Molly recently got some pills for a rash she had on her back legs. I was wondering if we can continue to use peanut butter to make her swallow her pills. I get a little bit of peanut butter on my finger and but the pill on the PB, then put it on the roof of her mouth so she keeps licking and swallows the pill.

[Karen]

Whatever gets the pill into her! Our dogs were all adept at eating the peanut butter or cheese and spitting the pill back out. With Gracie (the Great Dane) we ended up with the following routine:

Trap seated dog between your knees.

Pry open mouth with both hands

Toss pill as far back into cavernous mouth as possible

Clamp muzzle shut, holding nose pointed upward

Stroke throat until you know she has swallowed.

It wasn't pretty, or fun, but at least it worked! Any other method, and we'd find the pill a minute later spit out somewhere on the kitchen floor. Sigh.

[Husky_mom]

i pretty much tossed the pill, but theres this way to get it easyly swallowed, stuff it into a piece of sausage and voila it gets swallowed in no time, you just need an inch of sausage and push the pill in the middle............easy :D

[Jadapit]

When Diamond got hurt on the fence, she had to take a huge bottle of pills. I broke off a small piece of hot dog, then I stuffed the pill down it. It worked like a charm. ;)

[dogzr#1]

thank you for all the different methods! When we first got her pills we put it in a slice of bread. Molly managed somehow to eat everything BUT the pill. silly girl then we tried the peanut butter and it worked like a charm. :D the sausage one sounds good too.

[lizbud]

I usually use Velvetta cheese. It molds easily around the pill. Mine
will wolf it down asap. :D

[Lady's Human]

It all depends on how stubborn the dog it. The dog we had before Gracie, Freckles, a St Bernard, could fish a pill out of almost anything. It didn't matter what it was wrapped in, you gave her the pill and 5 minutes later you heard the click click click of the pill rolling across the floor. That's what led to Gracie being given her pills the way she was.

If PB works, keep using it!

[K9soul]

When Diamond got hurt on the fence, she had to take a huge bottle of pills. I broke off a small piece of hot dog, then I stuffed the pill down it. It worked like a charm. ;)

I use the hotdog method to give Tommy his thyroid med twice a day. He doesn't even chew bits of hotdogs like that he inhales them whole so he certainly doesn't know or care that there is a little pill stuffed in there :D

[poofy]

I just open mouth and put it down their throat and hold a bit..very seldom do they get it back out.. :)

[jackie]

I just wrap it in a slice of cheese. Bo will just swallow a pill by himself. Thay are definately not picky eaters.

[cyber-sibes]

Depends on the dog here. Sherman will swallow anything, so PB, hot dogs, bread, it all works. Star however will carefully remove the pill no matter what it's hidden in, even wrapped in bits of chicken and beef, sooooooo we have to use the pry-open-mouth-and-toss-into-back-of-throat method with her! ( Like Karen said.) :p

[Glacier]

If they are small pills, Rollover works well. I cut into chunks and hide pills in it every day. I have three who need daily meds for the rest of their lives. Goldie will not eat the lamb rollover so we stick to the original or the beef. The rest of them get the old "open mouth and toss the pill in " method--like Mac and his handful of anti-biotics right now!

[sabies]

Sadie is on 6 vitamins and supplements in her old age now and I'm lucky, she easily gulps them down with some cream cheese on them. (She has kidney disease and cream cheese was recommended as a kidney friendly option.)

I started out with the open mouth, place in throat method and Sadie was good with that but it was still a hassle. I hope I don't ever have to resort to that again.

[mustlovedogs]

Whenever Ellie takes any kind of pills, we wrap it up in parts of a cheese slice. :)

[Jessika]

I've tried hiding it in cheese and yogurt before -- Charlie eats right around them. Instead I buy some soft treats and push the medicine into the treat and give it to him that way. I have also cut a piece of hot dog and stuck his pills in a hot dog before.

All other methods fail, I open his mouth and push the pill in as far back as I can, then hold his mouth shut. I hate doing it, but sometimes he is just so miserable with being itchy I HAVE to do something, and it does help.

[IRescue452]

Does your dog catch treats when you toss them to her? I toss Autumn a few little treats and then the pill and another treat right away, she doesn't notice.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

For Tango I have to do what Karen described. She's a slow eater whether it's a treat or a meal so she notices the pill right away and she probably thinks eating is a waste of time, she'd rather play with a ball than eat anyday. For the others, I usually just wrap it in some cheese or put it in their dinner. They all live for food and don't even notice. If the Peanut Butter thing works for you then I'd continue to do it.

[pitc9]

Depends on the dog here. Sherman will swallow anything, so PB, hot dogs, bread, it all works. Star however will carefully remove the pill no matter what it's hidden in, even wrapped in bits of chicken and beef, sooooooo we have to use the pry-open-mouth-and-toss-into-back-of-throat method with her! ( Like Karen said.) :p

Yup!! Same here!! Buddy is like Sherman and Sierra is like Star. As soon as Sierra hears a bottle of pills she runs away!! :rolleyes:

[Muddy4paws]

I know i've seen biscuits especially for this purpose but I cant seem to find them. They are like a tiny bowl shaped for you to put the pill into so they dog is getting a treat while having the pill.

Mine are a crossbreed half lab half pig and half JRT and pig so we dont really have much problems with pills :D :p

[Lori Jordan]

When ever my guys have been on Antibiotics i always gave the pills to them in wet food