Feeding Powdered Supplements

[Jester]

I have four hounds and one has developed some arthritis and needs to be on some powdered supplements. We have a feeding plan that works for us in the mornings and the evenings, but given the way it works, sprinkling the supplements into one bowl of food will not work.

 

I want to put the powder doses into something treat-like that I can make up a week or so in advance, put into a container, and then just give the dog the treat in the mornings and the evenings. This would also work in case someone else (one of the children) gives the dogs a meal; they can just make sure the hound get its special treat.

 

Any thoughts on what I could use?

[Guest Ola]

Meatballs? You could just ball up some ground beef with the supplement (measured, of course), then freeze the balls on a cookie sheet. To feed, just take them out the night before and pop into the fridge so they'll thaw. The only thing you might want to make sure is that the supplement wouldn't be affected by this.

[ShantisMom]

Have you tried cream cheese? Stir it in, or bury it in the middle.

[Guest laceyj]

I stir it in yogurt. They never refuse yogurt. I buy my yogurt in the big 32oz. tub, but if you don't have enough small containers to make it up for the week, you could get some of the small ones and just hang onto the containers to reuse.

 

I use yogurt to give liquid meds too. Keiper is terrible about taking meds. one time wearing worming meds was enough for me.

Edited January 26, 2008 by laceyj

[Guest mandm]

If the powder is not too bulky, you can put it in empty gelatin capsules and either hide the caps in a treat or cram them down his throat. I cram because my greyhound refuses all meds, no matter how carefully hidden.

[Sighthounds4me]

Yogurt works, and you can freeze it, for future use, if desired.

 

There are also many gravies and the like out there these days. You could get those, mix the supplement in, and freeze individual portions.

[Remolacha]

Sugar takes some Chinese herbs for her arthritis, and they are in a very fine powder form. She wouldn't eat any of the things I mixed them in until the vet gave me a "receipe" that one of her other patients had come up with.

 

I mix a measured amount (usually a couple of weeks worth) with ground beef, first making a paste of the powder and water, because the powder is so fine it takes forever to mix it dry. When it is pretty well mixed, make a kind of flat meatloaf (about 1/2"-1" thick) and bake it at 325 for about 45 min. When it is cool, cut into the number of squares that you put in doses of. In other words, a two week supply (twice a day), 28 cubes. I put them up in 5 day batches, and freeze. You could do meatballs, but personally, I think there are few things more boring than making meatballs The trick seems to be in cooking the meat, it must disguise the taste. Whatever, she thinks she is getting treat!

[ahicks51]

Fold into peanut butter. Put in Kong, or just smear on the side of the bowl with a meal.

[jenn8]

If you are giving daily supplements that will go on indefinitely, you could be adding too much sodium to your dog's diet with things like peanut butter, cream cheese, etc. I was able to find sodium free PB and cottage cheese at only one of the grocery stores in my area, Pavillions. Even though they tasted horrendous to me, the dogs didn't seem to mind at all.

 

Jenn

[Guest KateWantsaGrey]

it seems like anything mushy you could mix the powder into would work well- wet dog food, mashed bananas, mashed potatoes, gravy, apple sauce, baby food, soft cheese...

[ahicks51]

Almost forgot- the one thing our hounds will lick the bowl clean for is beef blood, and there's always plenty of that with beef heart. If raw food doesn't churn your stomach, a mix of your supplement + blood would work quite well.

[MP_the4pack]

Want to make it ahead? How about finding a cruchy dog cookie, not too thick. Get the low sodium PB mix the supplement in the PB, spread it on the cookie. Top off with another cookie. They have a sandwich cookie then, easy to put in a cookie jar. You can mix and make way ahead of time.

 

I use people cookies, my girls love them.

 

 

[BrGreyhndz]

Another vote for hamburger or other ground meat.

[Sighthounds4me]

Sugar takes some Chinese herbs for her arthritis, and they are in a very fine powder form. She wouldn't eat any of the things I mixed them in until the vet gave me a "receipe" that one of her other patients had come up with.

 

I mix a measured amount (usually a couple of weeks worth) with ground beef, first making a paste of the powder and water, because the powder is so fine it takes forever to mix it dry. When it is pretty well mixed, make a kind of flat meatloaf (about 1/2"-1" thick) and bake it at 325 for about 45 min. When it is cool, cut into the number of squares that you put in doses of. In other words, a two week supply (twice a day), 28 cubes. I put them up in 5 day batches, and freeze. You could do meatballs, but personally, I think there are few things more boring than making meatballs The trick seems to be in cooking the meat, it must disguise the taste. Whatever, she thinks she is getting treat!

 

The trouble with this is that heat can damage the effectiveness of some supplements. I wanted to make treats with Doc's Blend, but the makers say the baking would damage the product. You might want to check into that before baking into treats or the like...

 

I did, however, make "frosty paws" with it: mix yogurt, PB and mashed banana with the supplement in a blender or food processor, and freeze in individual servings. Most supplements do fine if frozen.