Tough Pill Taker

[Guest mama_mia]

Anyone have any tricks they use with their hounds who hate to take pills? Mia was diagnosed just over a month ago with osteosarcoma and is taking eight pills a day now for pain. She has always been a diva when it comes to taking pills, so we knew this was going to be a difficult journey. We have been crushing her pills with a mortar and pestle and hiding them in her favorite treats. She's on to us now and won't do lunchmeat or cheese anymore (even without pills inside). She also finds the pills in bread, peanut butter and, as of this morning, cold pizza! Our vet called a few compounding pharmacies to see if they could make us a concoction of medication in meat juice, but the volume she would have to take to get the job done is prohibitive. We can force the pills down her throat, but I'd like to stay away from that if we can because I hate traumatizing her when she's already going through so much. I'm hoping someone has a magic trick up their sleeve to help!

[JAJ2010]

Crushing them would make them taste more bitter and icky... Have you tried pull pockets? Liverwurst? Canned cat food? Canned tripe? Just try the most icky smelly thing you can think of! LOL

 

When my two are fussy a peanut butter sandwich works. Put the pills inside and break off tiny bits to toss to them. The first few are clean so they start gulping then instead of checking. Then they never know when you toss then the pill ;-) this only work with tiny hunks of sandwiches so they don't chew

[Batmom]

Putting pills down the throat doesn't have to be traumatic. My angel Batman used to show up by my desk at pill time and wait patiently to be pilled. I give a "Good dog!" and delicious treat as soon as the pills are down. If dog tends to try to spit them out, I'll give peanutbutter or cream cheese (licking leads to swallowing). Otherwise just something really good like a piece of cheddar cheese or hot dog, that they don't often get.

 

I'm sorry your pupper is facing this diagnosis and wish you the best of luck.

[3greytjoys]

This pill popper is a great invention: http://www.entirelypets.com/pillgun.html

Last year I was administering approximately 20+ pills per day to Greyhounds. I've been using these pill poppers for decades with dogs and cats.

 

I also use Pill Pockets. Our hounds favorite is beef flavor. Capsule size pill pockets offer more product for same money as tablet size pockets. I pull just enough off to wrap each pill. Hint Tramadol tastes very bitter to dogs. Try not to let them bite into it.

[tammystroops]

I take a finger full of peanut butter and smear it in my left palm. I place the pills within the PB and hold my palm out for Duke. He loves PB so he takes his pills much much easier this way. it feels funny but hey whatever works!

[msjpk]

Walmart sells Liver Flavor dog treats. It comes in what looks like a pint size container of milk.

 

They are 1.00 a box. I split the treat and mold the pill into the treat and add in their food. Seems to do the trick.

Keep container closed as they can dry out. Good luck.

[Guest mama_mia]

Thank you all so much! The pill popper seems like a great idea! We have the only dog in the world who doesn't like pill pockets-even without pills inside. Go figure. Our other grey loved them. Liverwurst has been our delivery system of choice over the last month and was the only thing that seemed to work consistently. Please keep the tips coming. They are so helpful!

[Feisty49]

My only suggestion is to not use the same delivery treat too many days in a row, if she will take pills hidden in a treat. If you can find half a dozen treats she likes, even with a pill in them, switch off so she's always surprised. I admit I've never had to give Annie a pill, but if the need arises to pill her on a regular basis, I'd do the alternate-treat thing.

[Guest PiagetsMom]

We've had great success with cream cheese here, too. Another thing that seemed to work well for my very picky girl, Piaget, was the small cans of potted meat. Like the cream cheese, it's very soft and can be worked around medication to hide it.

[vjgrey]

Whipped cream in a can almost always worked with Gabe. We'd squirt out just a little and balance the pill on the top, then we'd squirt it into his mouth. He was so busy licking whipped cream that he didn't notice the pills.

[Guest mbfilby]

What always works for us (if you have more than 1 pup) is to hid the pill(s) in a portion of a wiener, cube of cheese, or wrap it in process cheese. We treat the other pups first then give the loaded treat to the needy pup. The anticipation and risk of missing out on a treat causes the pup to gulp it right down. Make the treat as small as possible to avoid having to chew.

[gryhndsr4us]

Ground raw chicken also works well. It sticks together better than beef.

Velveeta cheese, cream cheese, liverwurst, sardines and canned cat food.

I have tried lots of treats, my bridge boy Clark was fussy and hard to pill.

Variety and switching often helps.

Edited February 16, 2013 by gryhndsr4us

[a_daerr]

Henry takes four pills a day for his seizures. Someone mentioned raviolis, and I have to say, that was the best advice ever! I microwave one for about 10 seconds, cut a slit in it, and stuff the pills inside. Then, I hold onto the corner while he eats it so he doesn't run away and take the pills out. We get the beef raviolis from Wal-Mart, they're like $3 and last us a long time.

[tbhounds]

Chicken hearts!!! The natural pill pocket :-)

[Guest LynnRice]

I give our dogs their pills by going in the side of the mouth and shoving the pill into the back of the throat with my finger. Occasionally one of the capsules sticks to my finger instead and I have to shove it in again. Then each dog gets a treat that they love. They raise their heads to get their pills when I enthusiastically say "pill time".. Eight at one pill giving session is a lot--usually the most I have to give is five, and more at other times, like every 12 hours. I go barehanded so I can sense what I am doing, and it certainly is gooey, but our greyt companions are worth it.

[Guest k9soul]

I have one like this. My mixed breed senior girl, Tasha. It's so aggravating. If a pill is available at all in a chewable I try to get that, but if not the best success I've had is coating it with peanut butter, popping it in her mouth and holding her jaw shut. The peanut butter makes her salivate and swallow. Then as a treat I let her lick any off my fingertrips when it's over.

 

Nothing else has really worked. She chews everything thoroughly and there's no hiding it. She dissects whatever it is and gets the pill out, then eats the goodie.

[Guest greytone]

I once heard someone say to take Chef Boyardee ravioli and cut a slit into the ravioli and slide the pill in there.

[JJNg]

For dogs who have a good appetite, I've had good results with first hiding the pill in something like a Pill Pocket, Pill Wrap, or cheese (anything that can be molded around the pill to prevent it from dissolving). Then mixing the wrapped pills into chunky canned food. I try to avoid crushing pills as it brings out the bitter taste more.

 

I also agree that pilling by hand doesn't have to be traumatic. When Willow was sick a few years ago and on 4-5 pills twice a day, it was easier and faster for me to just put them down her throat. I got pretty good at holding all the pills in the tips of my fingers and pilling her with all of them at the same time. I did this before each meal and would immediately set her food bowl down for her to eat after she got her pills.

[a_daerr]

If she's the type that holds the pills in her mouth but refuses to swallow, you can also gently blow on her face.

[krissn333]

Sutra was LEGENDARILY difficult to even pill! Pill Pockets worked for a while, but then he caught on. Fruit Roll-Ups (he liked strawberry the best) worked for a while, but again he figured it out. Desperate, I bought a can of whipped cream and let him try it. He was instantly in love and we never had another problem with pills.

 

I'd hold the pill (sometimes a couple at a time) between the tips of my thumb and middle finger, squirt some whipped cream on there, and he'd just gobble it down. As soon as he took it, I'd squirt some more onto my fingers as a chaser.

 

The dog who would bite you if you tried to pill him started to come running when I'd open the fridge and touch that can

 

And, Fritz is another dog who doesn't like pill pockets, even empty. Thankfully he's an easy customer and just lets me pill him. He won't even take Deramaxx! The other dogs line up to get their joint health tablets and I can give them out two at a time. Fritz has to be handed them one by one and it's a crapshoot on whether or not he'll chew it up and eat it

[Guest kaiandsam]

Jax takes six pills twice a day for CHF. Maggie takes one pill twice a day.

 

I use boiled chicken breast- boil it a long time so it is nice and tender. Then I fold the chicken over the pill and mash it together. Goes right down.

 

You can also try these things. Mix the pills whole, not crushed in some good canned dog food, yogurt or cottage cheese. The pills get licked up in the frenzy over the good treat. You could crush the pills, but that alters the taste and may turn the dog off to eating it. If the pills are large, cut them in smaller pieces before adding them to the treat.

 

I have considered trying the pill popper. Maggie is notorious for finding the pill and spitting it out, but eventually it goes down.

Edited February 17, 2013 by kaiandsam

[TheFullHouse]

When everything else failed with Jilly Bean, we used marshmallows at the suggestion of an e-vet we saw. You just cut a slit in the marshmallow, stuff the pill in and the marshmallow folds around the pill and you wouldn't even know it was there. Worked like a charm.

[PatricksMom]

Cream cheese worked best here, also what is she taking? Some pills are very bitter. We solved the tramadol problem by putting it in an empty gel cap, then putting that in the treat.

[Guest mama_mia]

Thank you all so much for the suggestions! After experimenting with lots of your ideas, we've had some luck with the pill popper. She is currently taking tramadol, gabapentin, rimadyl and milk thistle. The tramadol and gabapentin are so bitter that she was refusing them and anything else that seemed pill-like. With the pill popper, she seems to realize that her favorite treats are no longer doctored and is happy to have her pills because she knows she's getting drug-free treats!

[Brandiandwe]

I've also had some success with Vegemite, so Bovril or Marmite might also work. Strong and salty flavour with a little bit of water and the pill and it goes down well.