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My ancient dog, who is on a lot of medication, has quit taking his medicine, no matter how we dress it up. It works for a while and then he starts avoiding it. We have tried pill pockets, cheese, peanut butter, eggs, gravy, fish oil. Admittedly, he is on a lot of medicine - 2 different pain pills, rimdyl, joint supplement, and right now antibiotics, all twice a day. I just forced some down his throat but that is a chore, he is not a small dog, and more importantly, I'm afraid I'll hurt him. He's now got a gum tumor on top of his arthritis and torn tendons. Any suggestions?
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I had to try a couple of different method and tricks when my boy was recently ill. I found the key was to mix up location, timing, presentation, and time. In other words don't always give it before dinner. And don't let them see you prepare the pill in its disguise; put them in another room.
It is kind of like getting a kid to eat- sometimes you need to make a big production of it, e.g get pup excited (or as excited as a sick pup gets), and then slide in the treat disguised in a treat.
I cut up pieces of his favorite treats, in our case, cheese, chicken, or liver, and made a slit in the small chunk of cheese and slid the pill into the slit then handed it to him.
When pup is hungry, get him amped up, then give 3-4 treats rapid fire, and slide the treat with the pill in on the 5th or 6th repetition
Get the pill "prepped" in its treat, then take it along with other similar treats in to the LR or den and while you are watching tv casually hand treats to pup again giving 2-3 before you give the one with the pill.
Sometimes when you really do have to pill them, it helps to get the pill in the throat immediately followed by a swallow of water from a syringe or turkey baster- all you have to do is put the end of syringe in the side of cheek. That way you don't necessarily have to shove your arm down their throat so less chance of hurting him.
I am sorry your pup is ill The issue with the pills sounds like a real quality of life situation- no fun for either you or pup. Is it possible to prioritize the pills- which ones MUST he have; does he need all of them? I hesitate to mention this, but is it possible your pup is just saying "no more"?
I am sorry your pup is ill The issue with the pills sounds like a real quality of life situation- no fun for either you or pup. Is it possible to prioritize the pills- which ones MUST he have; does he need all of them? I hesitate to mention this, but is it possible your pup is just saying "no more"?
That thought has crossed my mind and is part of what has me so upset. He's not really eating like he used to anymore and even ignores his raw hides.
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Oh boy, I know exactly what you are going through. One of the ways I was finally able to get my dog to take his pills was to butter bread both sides, smear the inside with a good dollop of cream cheese to really cover the pills, wrap them up and then dip it in canned cat food! He could smell those pills a mile away if I wasn't careful. I think I had tried everything before that and he was the only dog who I couldn't get pills down his throat. I too would give him several treats of the same kind and slip the pill one about half way through. Messy, but desperate times call for desperate measures!!!!
Oh, make sure you wash your hands after handling the pills too before you give him the treats so he can't smell them on you.
Sorry about your ill doggie.
With my old doggie I ended crushing the tablets with a crusher that I bought and mixing it with a small amount of canned food that he liked, before giving him the rest of the can.
But if he is not wanting to eat, he might be telling you he's had enough.
Sounds to me your dog is trying to tell you some thing. Like its time you let go.
I went thru the same thing with April our old horse. 2 years the vet told me she needed to be put down. Then 1 day she stopped eating refused apples & carrots. She mouthed them then spit them out. She was a walking skeleton covered with horse hide. When I told the vet to put her down she walked right up to me then my son nuzzling both of us then walk over to the vet & laid down. He injected her she took a deep breath & was gone.
My gf had a 17 yr old yorkie. The nite she decide it was time she was ready to let him go..she was talking to me on the phone. Dusty walked up to her jumped up on her lap & went to heaven. Up until then she was pushing every drug she could think of to help him with pain.
I could tell you other stories ALL True. But I think you get the idea. Good Luck
We have a younger dog that will not eat the medication, no matter what you do to hide it out comes the pill after she's eaten whatever was on it. It's actually pretty humorous becsue she is so nonchalant about spitting it out, it's like she's saying "Nice try". You could probably hold her mouth closed for an hour and she would still not eat it but I'd imagine it would be dissolved by then. We have to grind it up, usually I just put it on a plate and "slice" it into powder with a knife, mix it with a little water and people food.
Oh boy, I know exactly what you are going through. One of the ways I was finally able to get my dog to take his pills was to butter bread both sides, smear the inside with a good dollop of cream cheese to really cover the pills, wrap them up and then dip it in canned cat food! He could smell those pills a mile away if I wasn't careful. I think I had tried everything before that and he was the only dog who I couldn't get pills down his throat. I too would give him several treats of the same kind and slip the pill one about half way through. Messy, but desperate times call for desperate measures!!!!
Oh, make sure you wash your hands after handling the pills too before you give him the treats so he can't smell them on you.
Good luck to you and your good boy.
Picturing this just made me smile. Thank you, I needed that. What the heck, I just might give it a try.
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I drop my dogs' meds right in the bowl for their first feeding of the day. They are hungry enough to gobble it all down.
That worked just fine when he was younger, he'd inhale food like I never fed him. But these days he's pretty nonchalant about food and will leave it sitting for hours, or even a day sometimes.
He's a pitbull mix and at least 15. We've had him slightly over 14 years now and he was fully grown when we got him from the pound.
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Moderator - Diabetes and Kentucky (including Lexington & Louisville)
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so less chance of hurting him.
