My dog won't take pills. Can I crush them into her food or use a syringe?

It would probably be easiest just to pill Buddy directly so you don't have to deal with breaking down the pill or hiding it in food, especially so you ensure he gets the correct dosage (some pills such as capsules should never be broken apart anyway.). You can get a syringe and fill it with water, and then place the pill as far back in Buddy's throat as you can, then immediately squire the water into his mouth. This will help him to swallow and make the pill go down easier.

If she is not on dietary restricitons you can try hiding the pill in some soft cheese or peanut butter. Sometimes canned dog food works. . Some dogs just won't eat medications on food. If that is the case you may have to actually put the pill in the back of her mouth and get her to swallow. Here's a website with good instructions. https://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/outreach/Pet-Health-Topics/categories/procedures/dogs/giving-oral-medications-to-your-dog

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.

If you can't get Sweetie to take the pill by pilling her or adding it to her food, you can buy a "pill gun" that is like a little syringe that you fill with water, and then hook the pill to the end of. This lets you place the pill in your cat's mouth, and then the squirt of water helps them to swallow it down immediately a little easier with less risk of fighting it or being bitten. This site has some more info about how to use a pill gun with a cat: https://cats.lovetoknow.com/Pill_Gun_for_Cat You can also search "pill" in our search bar if you'd like to see other general articles regrading pilling pets. If all else fails and Sweetie won't take the medication at all, or it is too dangerous to try and give it to her, I would contact your vet to see if the medication can be compounded into a liquid or different formulation through a pharmacy, or if a different medication that is easier to give can be given instead.

Unfortunately, if you cannot get medications in to her then you need to ask your vet if there is an injectable, transdermal or melt-away equivalent. Many drugs these days can be compounded into these formulations. Talk to your vet about this- RoadRunner and Wedgewood Pharmacies are the best at making alternative medication dosing systems.

Medicating pets can be very frustrating - particularly since Mattie is so picky! I never recommend dissolving medications in water to give via a syringe because in most cases, the medication falls out of the mouth so there is no way of knowing how much was actually ingested. Personally, my favorite way to medicate animals is simply to push the pills down the back of the throat, provided that Mattie is agreeable and unlikely to bite you. As you mention, hiding pills in peanut butter is often successful, but if you choose to continue using this, make sure your peanut butter does not contain xylitol, as it is highly toxic to dogs. I don't know if they are available in the UK, but Greenies makes a product called pill pockets which are basically highly palatable, doughy, pliable treats in which you can hide medications for pets.

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! :)