My dog won't take pills. How can I get her to swallow medication?

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.

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.

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.

You can try either of these but Coco may be on to you now. Remember that Coco's nose is very sensitive and she may smell the medication. Not to mention it tastes bad if the capsule/pill is broken open. You may try pill pockets (give her a few normal ones at first and act excited). Give her a few small ones first, then give her one containing the pill, then have another waiting for her. Allow Coco to see that you still have treats. This may make her excited and want to eat faster so that she can get the next treat. I hope that makes sense. You can also manually give her the pill: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-give-your-dog-a-pill/ If you cannot get her to take the medication, call your veterinarian to ask about alternatives. I hope this helps.

Hello. If Snowden likes ice cream, then yes, definitely use this as a treat. If she refuses the ice cream with the pill, you can try crushing the pill & mixing it into something liquid ( like melted ice cream ). Use a syringe or small baster, pull back a little on the corner of her lips on one side & squirt in. I would also try jarred meat based baby food. Many dogs like this. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It is very nice of you to care for homeless dogs. Under the pet info, it indicates "cat" but I am going to assume it meant dog based on what you wrote. Usually the best way to administer medications to dogs is by sneaking them into some food or a treat. This can be done with both liquid meds as well as capsules and tablets. Do not try to stick pills into Pillu's mouth, as he may have an unknown vaccination history and you would be at risk for a contracting a disease.

Hello there and thank you for your post! I am not sure what medication you are trying to hide, but you could potentially have it compounded into a liquid form if that is easier. I've had clients use pieces of canned tuna to mash around the pill and that seemed to work well. I've had other clients use pieces of liverwurst to mash around the pill as well. You could also invest in a Pill Popper, which you can find in pet stores. Basically, a Pill Popper is a syringe like device that contains a hollow rubber tip which you can insert capsules or pills and safely administer them into the back of your cat's mouth. I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns that you may have.