Pilling the Dog

Self | 5/24/2017 | Maddie10

[freeandfreezing]

Cheese spread like Kraft makes also works great with Labs. Just spray it on the pill, or dip out a chunk of the stuff from a jar and bury the pill in it.

Get the dog used to eating the cheese stuff frequently, so it doesn't figure out the trick.

[reformedliberal]

We had a dog like that. Had to have his Meloxicam compounded with 3x the usual *chicken* flavor and made into a liquid. About $100 for 4 oz back then. Talk to your vet. I think the compounding labs can come up with just about any med in liquid form and amplify the flavoring.

Present poocher eats anything and we just roll the pill into liver sausage and he gulps it down.

With the cat, who ONLY eats Meow Mix kibbles and cream in any form, plus the occasional lick of pan juices or a tiny sliver of roast chicken and is 19 w/high thyroid, we opted for the transdermal formulation. A bit of a struggle; the worst thing is holding her tightly for a second, but that takes 2 people. So far, no grudges.

[EBH]

Lab you say?

Here is what I do as a professional pet sitter for one finicky fido...and yes he is a lab who can down 56 ribs and two beef brisket in less than a minute!

I tend to like to use the duck flavor of pill pockets. It is an extra special flavor only the pet sitter uses. If the pill pocket is the same flavor as the dog food...eh...it isn’t a high enough value treat.

The dog in question needs 6 pills to control epilepsy.

I use 6 pill pockets, split them into halves. Wrap the pill in a half a pocket. So there are 6 loaded and 6 blanks.

We toss and the dog is to catch. We start off with two blanks, pill, blank, pill, pill, blank, pill, blank, pill, blank, pill...you get the idea. Tossed in rapid fire succession. Most folks make the food hide pieces too big and the dog/cat has to chew them...thus they find the pill. Using them smaller and trying not to handle the pocket after touching the pill usually works very well for us.

Beth talks about some tips and tricks The Finicky Feline & Fido uses to pill cats that are in our care.
https://youtu.be/c43tTDqurGw

[Andy'smom]

Good idea.

[Neidermeyer]

Ever watched a vet give pills? They simply use one hand to gently open the mouth, the other they use to stick the pill WAY back in the dog’s throat, then hold the muzzle closed, gently stroking the throat until the dog swallows. It really isn’t hard.
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^^^ What he said ,, you’ll have slimy fingers but it works 100%.

[TexasRepublic]

I figure a long funnel and a pencil to tamp down the pill ought to work! :-)

Seriously though, I just announce “Time for your pill” and the dogs lie down. I still have to gently pry their mouths open and poke it down with my finger. They know they will get a treat afterwards.

[11Bush]

Then again, I have yet to find anything that he will not eat.

LOL! Used to chase my doxi out of the cat litter. They are the Mikey of the dog world.

[SaraJohnson]

That always worked for me. Stick the pill at the back of his tongue and rub his throat. My dogs were not biters at all, by the way.

[gundog]

Hot Pockets. Sit on the couch and don’t give the dog one. One day, grudgingly give him the last one. When you have to pill him, throw in a pill.

[bk1000]

“It’s impossible to unclench her teeth to shove it in.”

This is a little hard to describe, but if you reach around over the top of the muzzle with your thumb on one side and fingers on the other side, apply pressure to each side, pinching the dog’s lips between your fingers and his teeth where they come together. Not too hard, but this will be uncomfortable and he will release his clench. Don’t try too hard, as I wouldn’t want to suggest something that could hurt him, but moderate pressure as I described will work.

[cpdiii]

I feed my dogs dry dog food and treat them with a half of can of wet food daily, that is well consolidated, “Alpos Chop House.” They devour this in a couple of big bites. When it is time for a pill I just push the pill into the middle of the “Alpo Chop House” and they do not even know they ate it.

[bgill]

Nope. She didn’t cooperate. Spit out the bread and butter. Still refuses it in canned food and sniffs of the dry food thinking there’s pills in that. It’s a pain pill for her tumor removal but she seems fine so I’m done. It’s the same stuff my doc gave me that makes me sick so she doesn’t need the same reaction. Hubby can fight with her with her night time arthritis pill.