Can I break open my dog's Cephalexin capsule to sprinkle in food?

As long as she is getting the full dose, there is no cause for concern. If breaking them open and pouring out the contents works, then so be it. You are not doing anything wrong. You can try Pill Pockets, which can be found in the local Petco or you can hide the capsule in a piece of hot dog.

Hello, thank you for your question. As a general rule I try to avoid breaking open capsules and spreading them on the food as this could mean that your dog doesn't always get the exact amount of medication. For example, if your dog didn't finish all of his meal how would you know exactly how much of the pimobendan medication he had received. To help your dog with the larger capsules you could try hiding it in a slice of deli meat/cheese or could try some peanut butter. Another option would be to try creating a small meatball of canned food with the capsule in the middle. Hope this helps!

Ideally it has to stay in the capsule as most of them are resistant to oral (saliva) and gastric digestion to be then directly absorbed in the first part of the intestine. If you open the capsule the medication may be useless as ineffective.

It will not, however it will make the food taste terrible and make it much more likely that your dog will not eat the food and you will have wasted a pill. I would suggest getting a product called Pill Pockets. They are great and you can wrap the pill them and your dog will eat them right up! Cream cheese also works wonders! :)

Doxycycline should be taken whole or immediately before food to ensure it is swallowed into the stomach, it should then be followed by a drink to ensure it is washed down. It can cause painful ulcers in the upper GI tract if it lodges here and is not taken directly to the stomach

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern. At the high end of the dose of 60mg/kg for systemic infections, it would be approximately 436mg every 8 hours for that dose for a 16lb dog. A 500mg capsule will not likely cause any life threatening problems. You may see vomiting and diarrhea but this should resolve on its own. If you start to see neurological symptoms such as seizures or a wobbly gait, I would have a veterinarian examine KC. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be happy to help further.

Hello. Both the Cerenia & Doxycycline can be crushed & mixed with just about any food or liquid you like. The Doxycycline will be very bitter tasting if just mixed with water, so you might try hiding it in any type of food except dairy. Avoid any milk or cheese with this antibiotic. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.