Thoughts/advice Would Be Appreciated

[Guest jeremiahsmom]

I have been a lurker for the 8 years that we have had our sweet boy Jeremiah. I really could use some advice right about now. Jeremiah is 11 years old and has been in realitive good health. Last Friday, he was at my mom's house and cut his foot. Our vet stiched it up and wrapped it. He sent us home with Cephalexin - 2 capsules every 12 hours. Also, Tramadol - 2 tabs every 12 hours. I was able to hide the Tramadol in food and give him the Cephalexin by putting it in his mouth until he swallowed it. This is no longer working. He has detected the Tramadol in everything that I have tried to hide it in. I have tried cat food, salmon, vienna sausage, chicken, etc. My question is, can I crush the Tramadol and mix it in his food? Also, he is clamping his mouth closed when I try to give him the Cephalexin. Any advice on this? I appreciate any ideas/suggestions.

[Guest MyBoys]

Have you tried Pill Pockets, Greeny makes them and you can get them at Pet Smart. I know how difficult it can be to get medicine into them, A few weeks ago I had to give my 10 year old meds for an infection, he was the same way, I could not sneak anything past him except the pill pockets. I actually put the pill in one pill pocket then put that in another pill pocket to make sure he could not smell the pill, so actually I was using 2 pill pockets per pill. They are soft so you can sort of mold them shut, they must be pretty tasty because he took it with no problem. Good luck and I hope your boy is feeling better real soon.

[Guest boondog]

There was just a thread about this. Hopefully it will help.

[Chicocat]

Tramadol must have the most vile taste you can possibly think of. The only thing that has worked for me is to use bread and peanut butter - fold a piece of bread with peanut butter inside (and the tramadol) - offer that and another piece of bread with peanut butter right behind it. If you have more than one dog it helps to make it "treat time" for everyone.

[Guest KennelMom]

tramadol is pretty nasty stuff. Our dogs get it in a balled up piece of cheese. If that fails, I open their mouth and pill them. Quick, simple. Done.

 

Do you really think he needs the tramadol? After a week, I'm surprised he's still on it. Girls don't usually get that much pain killer after a spay and that's major abdominal surgery!

[Guest jeremiahsmom]

Thanks for the replies. I will go to Pet Smart tomorrow to get the pill pockets. I will also try the peanut butter and bread. He was finished the Tramadol on Monday. We had to bring him back to the vet last night because he started limping and could not put any weight on the foot. The vet checked his foot and re-wrapped it and prescribed another dose. We are also dealing with arthitis. We are going back on Monday. I am hoping that the foot will be healed enough to take the bandage off. Thanks again.

[GreyAcresMom]

Cosmo was one that hated all his pills....no matter what. I found that he LOVES butter. I swipe it thru the butter (the soft stuff that I keep on the counter) and will scarf it down in no time.

[Guest krystolla]

My mother uses snausages to hide pills for her dogs, thus far I haven't had to give my own boy any pills. Snausages are basically playdoh consistency so you can cut them open and smush them back together.

 

Always a good idea to mix unpilled treats with pilled treats so that he gets used to gobbling them down, whatever you are using.

[Walliered]

My dog hates the pill pockets, but loves cheese..I just take a Kraft single and put the pill in the middle of it and smush the cheese around it..He does not chew it at all, just swallows whole!

[macoduck]

My technique is to wrap the pill in something tasty but before I give it to the dog that needs it, I give some of the tasty stuff to the other dogs. The really makes the dog who needs the pill want it the all the more. As soon as I hand off the treat with the pill in it, I have another treat ready as a chaser and that dog thinks they got 2 treats in a row.

[Trihounds]

Thanks for the replies. I will go to Pet Smart tomorrow to get the pill pockets. I will also try the peanut butter and bread. He was finished the Tramadol on Monday. We had to bring him back to the vet last night because he started limping and could not put any weight on the foot. The vet checked his foot and re-wrapped it and prescribed another dose. We are also dealing with arthitis. We are going back on Monday. I am hoping that the foot will be healed enough to take the bandage off. Thanks again.

 

Any chance the bandage is too tight or if his toes are wrapped that there are no cotton balls keeping his toes from rubbing one another? I only ask because one of our vets did this with Brucie and it actually caused a secondary sore where his nail was scraping a neighboring toe.

 

Hope your pup feels better soon!

[Guest MyBoys]

BrucieDad, that is a really good idea of putting cotton balls between the toes, their toes are so boney that a wrap could become very uncomfortable.

[Guest BooBooMama]

Tramadol is VERY bitter. This is not a pill that you can hide in food very easily. You will have to put it down his throat.

Here is a video that will show what I am talking about. Don't forget to give him a treat immediately after to endure it goes down and does not stick in the back of his throat. Also, coat the pill with butter- that helps to avoid 'sticking'.

http://video.about.com/vetmedicine/How-to-Give-a-Dog-a-Pill.htm

[Guest BlackandBrindle]

I used to use all sorts of things for Sadie to get her fluconazole down. Liverworst, cheest, peanut butter, etc etc etc...

 

Best six dollars I ever spent was on a pill gun. You can get them at most big box stores and smaller pet boutiques will have them too. Just give him a cookie after you pill him.

 

Sadie literally would lick the peanut butter off the pill and spit the pill out... the pill gun has saved us countless energy and frustration.

 

Any/every dog who stays at my house gets pilled that way and no one has had a problem with it thus far.

[GeorgeofNE]

I think that's a LOT of pain meds for a cut. I have NEVER been prescribed pain killers for a cut foot. You really don't want the dog using the foot more than he has to, so ...

 

Tramadol (which I take myself) is very bitter. You're better off just sticking it down his throat. I never hide pills--if it's not tasty enough for them to eat in their food, I just go to the old standby of putting it as far down their throat as my hand reaches, stroking gently on their neck, and then giving them a cookie!

[Guest Swifthounds]

Nasty taste (and aftertaste) wise, Tramadol is pretty middle of the road. Carisoprodol (Soma), which I've only seen for human use, takes the cake for nasty tastes. I can take anything, but that one was really nasty.

 

 

As I said in the other thread, I don't even try the silly hiding game. Unless you have a really dumb hound, it doesn't ever last long. I do the open, pop pill ALL the way to the back of the throat, swallow method for my guys, followed by a tasty treat. It helps reinforce the idea of "if you take this nasty pill, you get a fab treat" rather than "here, have this tasty treat, but check all treats for hidden nasties from now on."

[Guest jeremiahsmom]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I have been shoving it down his throat. The hiding game is no longer working. The bandage was changed on Thursday by the vet. I don't think that it is too tight. He seems to be better, my sister brought her grey yesterday for a visit. He was very excited to have company and they had a treat of ice cream. It is so hard to see by baby boy in pain and the fact that I had to shove pills down his throat twice a day was justing getting to me. We go back to the vet tomorrow and I am sure that the bandages will come off.

[Guest Swifthounds]

It's tough, especially when they're ill or hurting, to make them do something they dislike. Just remember that you're does it for his own good, and unfortunately, you can't adequately explain that to him.

 

One thing you can try is staggering the tramadol by an hour or so, so that you're giving a pill before the last pill has worn off. Sometimes that helps.

[Guest MyCody]

I cover the pill in peanut butter, it's never failed to work.

[GeorgeofNE]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I have been shoving it down his throat. The hiding game is no longer working. The bandage was changed on Thursday by the vet. I don't think that it is too tight. He seems to be better, my sister brought her grey yesterday for a visit. He was very excited to have company and they had a treat of ice cream. It is so hard to see by baby boy in pain and the fact that I had to shove pills down his throat twice a day was justing getting to me. We go back to the vet tomorrow and I am sure that the bandages will come off.

 

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww!

 

So sweet--but really, he's a dog, and Greyhounds are pretty darned tough. It's all over and done with a lot faster if you take the direct route.

 

You don't actually HAVE to give him the Tramadol.