Help. How do I get these pills into my dog.

[pigsDOfly]

My dog is on an antibiotic, half a pill once a day, and each day the whole thing is becoming more traumatic for both of us.

I started out by crushing them, but my vet told me that's not the best thing to do, and anyway, she soon decided she wouldn't take them like that as clearly they have a strong flavour and I suspect are very bitter. For the same reasons she can't/won't chew them.

I have tried using the syringe pill giver that I use for the cat (medicate cat successfully twice a day) but that sent her into a state of panic and now is pretty much useless, likewise lifting her muzzle and trying to pop it into her mouth.

I've smothered them in smoked salmon, peanut butter, cheese and several other things. Sometimes all at the same time.

She's a small dog and very wriggly so difficult to hold (I live on my own) and if I watch one more 'how to' video of a large calm dog being given medicine by a vet to show you how easy it is I shall scream.

Please, does anyone have any magic way of getting round this. I'm beginning to feel she's going to end up hating me at the end of the several weeks/months that's she's going to be on these things.

Only thing that works with one if my staffies is to completely cover is in a large lump of Philadelphia.

She was on anti biotics for weeks after breaking her leg.

We we t through a lot of Philly

you need to know the secret.....

dogs can't close their mouths if you place your fingers in the roof of it.

get dog to sit, open mouth and place two fingers in roof of mouth - chuck pill down back of throat, close mouth and rub neck gently - simples!!

Does your dog catch treats? If so press the pill in a cheese triangle/pate/philly and throw it at them with a ''Do you want this'' jolly voice.
My gannet would take them after a time not covered. Con them for a abit with treats then go for the pill.

Butter... a curl of butter moulds around pills very nicely. give her a couple of similar sized pieces with no pill to start with so she works out what they are and that they're nice and just slip down, then the pill (previously prepared) with the butter....

in a dairylea cheese triangle

I always hide tablets inside small treats like a piece of sausage or some home made liver cake, needs to be a strong flavour & not too big or they eat 'around' it spit the tablet out, sneaky

Thank you all for your replies and all your good ideas. I will give them all a try. She does the eating the tasty bit and spitting out the pill thing (think the cat's been teaching her things) so by the time she's finished we end up with a bit of soggy pill.

Secrets are good Macre (something she doesn't know about) will definitely try that.

Think I need to take her by surprise a bit. I tend to do it at the same time of day and as soon as she hears me taking the pills out she's already wary - if I forget to shut the bedroom door she can spend hours under the bed. Covering up the flavour is clearly the way to go so will buy some strong sausages today Becp.

Many thanks again.

Crunchy peanut butter-can't tell tablet from nut! Works with my boxer who has an amazing ability to hide tablets in his chops!!

Cut pills as small as you can. Coat completely in marmite.

Pretend to be cleaning the kitchen. 'Accidentally' drop a couple of very small bits of marmite in bread in the floor and allow her to steal them.

'Accidentally' drop alternately marmite pill and marmite bread while not paying any attention to whether dog eats any. Just pretend to clean.

It's the only way we can get anything into our boy

Push the pill into a chunk of cheddar. Never fails.

We wrap in half of one of those plastic cheese slices. Worked with ours.

Laughing at some of the subterfuge people have resorted to though!

I crush and stir into cream cheese or yoghurt.

Love the idea of the Marmite and cleaning the kitchen Sugar, does it work if you only pretend to clean the kitchen? My dog will probably see through it if I only pretend and will guess I'm up to something:). Actually, haven't tried Marmite, nice strong flavour, good idea.

Can't crush them Chickens unfortunately. Vet said it's better not to.

Why don't they make pills for dogs that taste of rabbit or chicken? I'm sure it's possible.

My mum always gives her dogs pills squished into a bit of Swiss roll cake ,probably not good for their waistlines but they always eat the pill.

Try wrapping them in ham. Mine just gobble the ham and dont notice the tablets. But they are greedy and not btight ;)

pigsDofly, i ahve always wondered that re. taste. At least with drontal they think it's something naughty :o

I stick pills in a small lump of cheddar cheese. I thought it was only me until I read this thread!

That applewood smoked cheddar works well too as it is really squidgable. I tend to use salami with a coating of butter because my lab has a nose that would shame a sniffer dog. The double fat content is normally enough to overwhelm him with greed

I normally chant can I introduce you please to a lump of cheddar cheese but I am not sure that is necessary, especially if you do not know the vindaloo song

When my dog was on ABs I tucked the pill under the skin of a raw chicken wing.

And then I feed him the chicken wing. I don't just tuck it in and then leave it. That would be silly.

It's very frustrating with a bright one!

I have to say I don't like pill givers for dogs (or cats that aren't trying to eat my face) and prefer to give them the pill neat and them give a favorite and unadulterated reward.
I'm not ignoring what you've said at all but it really is the most certain way of getting an intact pill where it needs to go.

I stand behind them at sit so their bottom is tucked into my legs (no scooting backwards), lift the head by the muzzle, open mouth and right to the back of the throat with the pill, head right back mouth held shut gently and rub to stimulate a swallow. It's fine if they wiggle their head, they will swallow & it will go.
Then a lot of praise, cuddle and a nice treat.
If the tablets get chewed or the coating melts then the bitter flavour, frothing and sticking in the mouth or throat occurs. It's a horrible association. The pill going quickly and then a nice flavour usually means medicating starts calming down. I don't treat routinely anymore, there's no need. She won't hate you but it's usually the prolonged battle that causes probs & distress & suspicion of treats. Firmly & quickly - over in a sec, big fuss.

If you don't think that'll work for you then Chappie (original so very fishy) about a tbs when they are hungry - as breakfast & before the main meal, however many times necessary through the day. Even most picky dogs will snort it down, it easy to hide a pill inside a lump of mush and it's better than giving cheese or butter in large quantities.
So, just to be different! There's always one isn't there.

I'm a firm believer of the 'tablets down the throat without treats' routine. Then if in future they're too ill to eat then they're used to the tablets. My boy has to be starved from tonight for GA tomorrow. I can give him his tablets in the morning knowing he'll take them.

In theory, I'm a 'shove it down, it's good for them' believer.

In reality, I practice the 'lump of Philly, lump of Philly + pill, lump of Philly' routine. it's the third lump that gets them, because they have to swallow the pill to consume the final treat, instead of spitting it out when you're not looking.

Get a labrador - sling tablets in bowl at feeding time - whole lot hoovered up in nano seconds!

Plan Lwb - PigsDOfly, would you like to swap your puppy for a Labrador?

Actually the best thing I did was introduce competition - they fought to suck the tablets of my hand in case the other got in first. Their likkle faces when it dawned that it was not treats...hilarious.