How do you trick your pet into taking his medication?

[Freedom]

You really should NOT 'trick' your dog (or cat) into anything. This just breaks the trust bond between the 2 of you.

My dogs are taught to swallow and to chew. So when it comes time for medicine, they are told to 'swallow' and it goes down. I put it in something slickery.

The cats are a bit more difficult to train, but it can be done, and I've succeeded with several.

[Catty1]

With Oscar I usually have to just hold him and get pills down his throat. Thankfully I don't have to do this often. Pill pockets fool him for about a day.

Cole is on liquid Metacam, as was Oscar for a while. Thankfully, they happily take it in their food.

[Cataholic]

Four out of ten cats are on meds right now. Two of them are twice a day! I can easily pill three of them with a pill popper.

[pomtzu]

Wolfy is easy - peanut butter. Myndi was horrible - I risked bodily harm trying to get meds in her if they were pills of a substantial size, and she managed to spit/dribble out liquids too. If pills had no real taste, then I could pulverize and put in her food, but her Tramadol was bitter and if I put it in her food, then she wouldn't eat it. Ended up getting it compounded to a cream to rub in her ear....expensive, but at least I knew she was getting it. Sparky wasn't too bad - I'd hide them in his canned food that I rolled into little meatballs. They both got wise to hiding them in cheese, and a pill popper was a big failure.

[lolli94]

Lolli is so easy, she'll eat anything if I tell her to. When I used Trifexis I had a horrible time getting them to take it, so I used peanut butter. Lolli loves anything involving peanut butter

[kaycountrygal]

If the pill for dog can be crushed, I put it in their food. If it has to be swallowed whole, I wrap it in cheese. For the kitten, I haven't had to do that yet.

I just noticed that I voted the wrong selection. I did not see CHEESE when I voted on Other.

[Sammm025]

There isnt really a way to trick my ferret into taking her medicine because its a liquid type. She has to take the medicine every 24 hours. The first few weeks were a pain, she hated it]. However after awhile she actually started to like the medicine.

[ChrisH]

Lolli is so easy, she'll eat anything if I tell her to. When I used Trifexis I had a horrible time getting them to take it, so I used peanut butter. Lolli loves anything involving peanut butter

That's a Springer for you, my Bob was exactly the same. Other dogs I've been owned by, Dobies, Shepherds, Mutts I used the pill in mouth stroke throat method but now my Alfie has me beat. Once or twice the crushed in food method has been the one that worked but as he is so fussy in eating said food anyway it is totally hit and miss.