One of my dogs suffers allergies during the warmer months due to pollen and pine needles. After being checked over by our vet, I was advised to give Rosie 2 Benadryl a day. As soon as I find a way to sneak it to her with food she figures it out and has learned to spit it out and then she runs off because she knows I'm going to give it to her anyway.
I've tried several different ways and accidentally figured out a way to give Rosie her pills without her knowing it. I have no idea why, but it seems I come up with my best ideas when I'm totally exhausted, late at night. I was putting the dishes away and caught a sideways glance of a mixing beater. I cut up a hot dog into 4 pieces and inserted the beater into the hot dog piece and it made a very snug hole in which I inserted a Benadryl. The pill fit perfectly and did not fall out and Rosie swallowed it without even tasting it. In the past I had been slicing the hot dogs to put the pills in, but they always fell out.
Sometimes I even surprise myself with what I come up with and I thought this was well worth sharing with all the dog people who enjoy and learn from ThriftyFun.
By CPJ from Madison, AL
A spoonful of PB&J helps the medicine go down. When giving a pill to a dog that doesn't like taking them, try putting some peanut butter and jelly on a spoon and hide the pill in it. Most dogs love peanut butter, and the jelly helps it slide down.
Dogs have always been a part of my life. Having pets means that it's likely you will have to give them a pill sometime throughout their lifetime. Generally, the dogs I've had have been pretty cooperative when I give them a pill.
I mix my dog's pills in cream cheese and haven't had him spit it out once. I know for a fact that this works really well.
To give my dog medicine, I dip a spoon into the peanut butter and lay the pills on the sticky peanut butter which my dog then devours. The pills go right down and it's funny to watch her licking her lips!
For dogs who need Cosequin (or other dry medications) but spit the pills out, take a small piece of regular cheese and cover it with 'squirt cheese'. Next, grind up the pills into a powder and sprinkle it so it sticks to the squirt cheese.
We have a Yorkie that's 1 yr 7 months old. The vet found that Bella has a abnormal liver problem and now she has to take Denamarin everyday. She has been put on a vegetarian diet and cannot have any protein.
Before we realized that she could not have protein at all we were wrapping her pill in cheese and that worked great. Now we have tried putting it in bread and she spits that out. I have put it at the back of her throat and rubbed her throat area with her mouth closed and that worked a few times. She has caught on and gets very upset and has growled at me and tried to bite. I don't want her going thru this everyday and I don't want to either. Is there some other item I could put it in without spending more money. Her food is not cheap and has to be purchased at the vet's office.
By Tammy
Can you grind it up and put it in water or milk or some other liquid? One he's allowed to have of course. Or the food maybe? Is there a canned food you can give? Good luck figuring it out!
I'm not sure if these products will fit in with your dogs diet, but I use peanut butter or creamed honey liberally on a small piece of toast. I grind the tablet up 1st but you could roll the toast in a ball with the honey & pill inside.
I also had to give my doxie Denamarin for a liver problem. I used the chewable, which I broke in half (so one bottle of 30 pills lasted 2 months), according to her weight. Up to 6 lbs -1/4 tablet. 7 to 15 lbs. -1/2 tablet. 16 to 30 lbs. -1 tablet. It's chewable liver flavor so that might be the solution to your problem.
Of course that would cost you more money for the Pill Pockets but I believe the Denamarin added years to my dogs' life so it was worth it to me. She left us last year at age 17. Good luck!
My husband and I have used whipped cream to give our cocker spaniel his pills for years. Just put the pill on your finger, put a dab of whipped cream large enough to cover the pill, with a little extra on top to make it hard for them to spit it out. Don't let them lick it off your finger, just slide it into the back of their mouths. You don't even have to open their mouth with your other hand (hopefully). Works every time!
I have a 4 year old chihuahua/corgi mix with a seizure disorder. He has to take a 100 mg pill twice a day. Peanut butter was making him gain weight, so I switched to instant mashed potatoes. I don't know if it has too much protein for your dog, but it's worth a look. Just nuke about 1-1 1/2 Tbsp of water in a small bowl for about 15 seconds.
It's amazing how fast dogs can pick up on a pill being hidden. It looks like Bella has figured out the pill game and she's such a small girl.
This may sound silly but have you tried cooked / mashed sweet potatoes? They taste great and with Bella being so small you could probably get a good week's servings out of one and it is a vegetable. It's tastier than mashed potatoes and I haven't met any dog that doesn't like a taste of butter.
With any luck, Bella will absolutely love it and won't be suspicious.
Have you researched making your own dog food there is so much a person can do with vegetables.
You could make weekly batches and refrigerate them, it only takes a second or two to warm them up. Check the ingredients on the food you buy from the vet and perhaps you can buy edible dog vitamins and give her one as a treat.
You could count the small serving of sweet potato as part of a meal. My dogs get breakfast and dinner.
Thank you for your tip and my dog just started this medication too. My dog has not only liver situation but a heart murmur, she is turning 7 yrs old this month. She is very hard to give pills as she is a very picky eater. Been breaking the pill up and I hold her in my arms and my husband pushes it as far back into her mouth.
How much water do I mix with a 500mg amoxicillin capsule to give to my pup?
My vet told me to start giving my dogs regular pumpkin for the fiber. I give it to them in the evening meal. At the same time, I give medications.
Wrap pills in the sandwich cheese slices to get your dog to take them easily. Mash the cheese around the pill and form a small ball. Mine gulp it down and don't even realize they just took a pill.
When I give medicine to any of my dogs, I crush them in a bowl and spread them on the food. Then, I put a small dollop of any pure meat (beef, chicken, etc.) in the bowl with about a teaspoonful of warm water.
