I thought this was going to be easy!

[Uabassoon]

So, I've read all those jokes about trying to give a cat a pill and how hard it's supposed to be and that dogs are so easy to pill. Those jokes are wrong!

I've never had much of a problem with my two, or when I've had to give pills to Alexa's cats. Never a problem! Now Dewey that is a whole different story! Both Alexa and I had the worst time trying to give him his medicine. I thought "oh.. just stick it in a treat or some peanut butter". The trick doesn't work when puppy has a lack of appetite! Alexa gave up on trying to give him his morning pill. Well she gave up after he finally did swallow it, then to mock Alexa he coughed it back up!

I went after work and spent 30 minutes trying to give him his pill! Plus he's little and he can hide! And now it's only a few more hours before we get to attempt this again.

Don't worry I'm not really that frustrated (although I think Alexa is ) I'm just really amused by this.

[LKPike]

we usually hide Jillians pheno in dog cookie or peanut butter, and we give Frankie some too so theyll swallow it quick out of jealousy.

when Frankie was on medication for his last uti we had to hold him down, lift his head back, drop the pill on the back of his tounge and hold his mouth closed until he swallows. [sometimes helps to rub the throat too ]


If hes vomiting(?), do you have the option of using a rectal? I dont know what its called rudely - a pill by the bum.

[Uabassoon]

I tried pushing the pill back and holding up his head until he swallows because that's how I pill the cats. But maybe I'm doing it wrong or something because he still manages to spit it out when I let go of him! He hasn't vomited at all except for that one time when he spit up after Alexa tried to give him the pill. I'm sure with time we'll get better! I'm going to try buying some hotdogs and see if maybe that will work.

[LKPike]

lol hot dogs solve everything from booboo's to hurt feelings

but if hes still spitting it out then your not holding his mouth closed long enough some puppers are just so stubborn. cooperate with your mommys Dewey!

[Luvin Labs]

LOL

we tried and succeeded with using a slice of cheese.

almost failed once since he spit it out, but he ended up eating cheese and pill in all!

[Ginger's Mom]

I was never good at holding the head back and rubbing the throat thing either. My RB girl was almost impossible to give a pill to. Hot dogs did work with her, untli she figured it out. The she stopped eating hot dogs, even when there was nothing in them. Peanut Butter does work pretty good with Ginger. But if that doesn't work, try cream cheese. I had a foster dog that had to take a pill every morning. My coordinator suggested cream cheese, stating that she never met a dog that didn't like it. It worked like a charm for the whole six weeks she was here. Good luck to you.

[lizbud]

Brauschweiger is a sure thing for me in getting a reluctant
dog to take a pill. They love that liver smell. Velvetta cheese
works pretty good too.

[cali]

lol when Happy needed anti-biotics after she ripped her nail out(it was infected) the only way I could get her to take the thing was by forcing it down her throat, she is too smart and got around every trick in the book, I gave up after I broke up a hot dog, hid the pill in one of them, pluged the hole back up so that not even I could tell which had the pill, I mixed them up and randomly handed her peices of hot dog, when I handed her the one with the pill she took it in her mouth, gentaly squeezed it till the pill popped out then ate the hot dog and left! that was the last straw and I quite trying to fool her, and just placed it at the back of her tounge held her mouth shut and up and stroked her throat till she swallowed it, that usually took a while lol I would be sitting there sometimes for 5 minuts stroking her throat

[anna_66]

Oh yes how fun it is pilling a puppy Have you tried the cheese? That seems to work pretty well most of the time.
And I'm sure after a while you'll get pretty good at popping it in, just take a litte practice

[PJ's Mom]

LOL

I love it when you think the pill is down and 5 minutes later you hear a little "eck" and it's on the floor.

[Vette]

I had to learn how to make my dog sawllow lots of pills when he almost died on me. he had the dog version of AIDS.. where his body quit making enough red blood cells.. and the only thing that ould be done to save his butt was to put him on some kind of steroid pill. im just so glad my little fuzbucket came out of it... the vet didnt give too good of odds... he said 50% of a chance he could come back.. and 50% he could go the other way...


but anyway,, i had to give him one pill every 5 hours or something like that the first week. at first it was real easy because he was so weak.. but once he started to feel better he was a nightmare to give the medication too...

you know where their main chewing teeth are,, those really big oddball shaped teeth way in the back of their mouths? well what you do is open their mouth up wide,, and you lay your palm on the dogs head,, and you press in gently his cheeks,, so if he trys to bite down he cant.. and you gently cram the pill in the back of his throat. remove your fingers off his cheeks and close his jaws and rub his throat...

that was kinda hard to explain.. so i hope it made sense.

[NoahsMommy]

Wait...a dog is harder than a cat?? Really??

You haven't met Basil...

Dewey....now, you take those pills, honey!! No more coughing them back up or hiding!

[Bigyummydog]

MAXIMUS is pretty easy to pill, even when he was so sick last month.....he had to take six or seven pills twice a day...i have a few cans of dog food just for pills....he'll eat almost anything from a spoon...i just poke a pill in a scoop of food, and he eats it........peanut butter works pretty well too....anyway, good luck

and DEWEY, com'on, quit givin' evrbudy such a hard time...

[Sevens]

What's working for me right now is cheap American sliced cheese. Guinness has to take quite a few Benadryl for his allergies. Also chicken nuggets work well too.

Another thing I've noticed is that sometimes he won't take it if "he's the only one". Sometimes I have to cut the cheese slice into four little pieces, then hide the pills in one of the pieces (he doesn't see me do this part), then eat a piece while he's watching. Then I guess he thinks it's safe for him to eat. How I love being the food taster for the king! Actually, I hate it, cause that cheese is icky, but gotta do what I gotta do...

Perhaps you could try those meaty pill pockets? I think I've seen them at Petsmart. Good luck!

[IRescue452]

I have a sneaky solution that may work for your dogs. Our dogs catch treats thrown to them in the air so why not a pill. I throw half a treat, then the pill which they catch and swallow before they know what it is, then the other half of the treat. They never know!