Finicky pill taker - any ideas?

[Barb]

Brandy has been a real picky eater lately, I have boiled chicken and give her some bites in her dog food, and have tried a couple different dog foods lately.  She eats people food and treats just fine !!!

My problem is that she has a couple daily pills and I used to be able to just mix them in with her food and she would take them fine.  Lately, a no go.  I wrap them in a piece of chicken, p-nut butter, cheese and Miss Brandy has a very good nose - so she will drop the bite and nose it around so the pill drops out.... smarty little girllll   

Any ideas on what else I can do, short of holding her and cramming them down her throat?  I really don't want to do that - stressful for her AND for me !!!!

Appreciate any ideas !!!!

[PattyInAK]

Alex is currently on medication for his wound.  I break a Ritz cracker into fourths.  Put peanut butter on one piece of cracker, then the pills and top with another piece of cracker.  Alex takes his pills very well this way, and there is no wasted medication as can happen when crushed in a bowl with food.  The only other way of giving pills is to put it in the back of their mouth, then hold the mouth shut while stroking their throat, this should make them swallow.  However, this method doesn't make them very excited about taking their pills.  Good luck!

[DeeanDave]

When all else fails in our household, to give pills....we have to be real sneaky, because if they see me wrapping something up in the cheese or their Canine Carryout treat, they nose it and the pill falls out. And, that is cutting the pill in half to sneak it in!  So, when those tricks don't work, I take a little bit of raw hamburger (just enough to cover the pill), wrap it around the pill, and it is gone in nano-seconds!  Dee

[Barb]

Both GREAT ideas Patty and Dee !!!!  I was just kind of at wit's end - I couldn't think of anything.....  perfect !

(Rudy is going to be begging to take a pill - LOL !!!  He gobbles his up without a thought !!!)

[Brekkesmom]

I can't remember what they are called, but Brenda's Chesi (shih-tsu) had Cushings' and had to take medicine after her eye surgery a few weeks ago.  Sadly, at age 17, Chesi was not doing well - didn't want to eat, wouldn't sleep on the big bed, got lost in her home like she really didn't know where she was, and was helped to the Bridge on Thursday afternoon.  She is survived by Lassie, the sheltie, and Mocha, the choc/tan lh, who is Brekke's niece.  Anyhow, Brenda found these pill wrap treats, and Chesi took her pain pills and antibiotics with no trouble.  They look like a corndog without the dog, and you stuff the pill inside.  I believe they are fairly soft and moldable.  Have you used shredded cheese and squished the pill inside?  Just a couple of thoughts...hope you find a quick solution, Barb!

[tpoof]

Its amazing just how they can find a tiny pill all wrapped up in liver or cheese!!!  :thumb: and promptly spit it out!
I just hold em in my lap and gently give a treat then throw the pill as far down the throat as I can. :crazyeyes: :meme: :apls:
I'll gently rub the underside of the mouth to enhance swallowing,, it goes fast and works well. no problems.  :thumb:

[Sandishooligans]

I remember a long time ago, there was the cute thing going around on the internet about giving a cat a pill vs a dog.  The cat landed its owners in the ER vs the dog took the pill inside some cheese.  It was very funny.  Good ideas from both Patty and DeeNDave.  Hope one of those works for little Bran Bran.  The PB idea usually works good for the Roo.

[Roberta]

Emma was our worst pill taker could find it in anything , she would eat everyhting in the bowl and leave and give you  a look of"you think I'm that stupid" but Angus was the best, you would throw a treat and he would catch and swallow, then you threw the pill, and it would be down before he realized what he had done.
I with tpoof just talk sweet nothings when you do it.
roberta

[Sadiesmom]

I have a friend that gives pills in hot dog chunks. They love their hotdogs.

[Leslie]

two words:
    cat fud.

[Teresa]

Brenda must have used Pill Pockets http://www.amazon.com/Pill-Pockets-Dogs-Small-Pills/dp/B00061MW2W
Wouldn't it figure they would be made by the people who make Greenies? No wonder dogs like them. I've seen them at Pet Smart and Petco. Maybe even at Target. I think it is a great idea since Molly is the one in our family who can find a pill in a second. I'll be sure to have these on hand the next time she has to take anything.

[Barb]

Oh sure Les.... I am going to go scavange our neighborhood searching for kitty stuff - LOLOLOL !!!!

Hot Dog - great idea !!!

I did go by Petsmart on my way home from work - found some Pill Pockets - they are made by Greenies and come in Chicken and Beef.  I got a pack of each and if all else fails, we will use for treats !  (Teresa - just saw your post !!!  I had heard about them and did a search this morning and found them - I wasn't sure what they were called, but a little searching and I found them !!!!)  Petsmart had them.

Thanks everyone for great ideas !!!  I will give them a whirl tomorrow morning when I give Bran her pills.....  Rudy will probably be waiting in line for his - LOL - he eats his with his food and doesn't think twice.....

[TerriL]

Pill Pockets!  GENIUS!  :apls: :apls: Barb, I've been in your situation with Miss Buelah...she hates pills...no matter what I put them in.  I'm going to Pet Smart tomorrow and get some to have on hand!  Who THINKS of these things?????  Brilliant!   :apls: :apls: :apls:

[Kathleen]

If that doesn't work, you can try what I do to trick Winston.  Competition helps in this case.  I use a kraft single cheese slice, fold it into thirds, then each of those slices is folded into thirds again.  The pill goes into one of those slices and is carefully folded in and "mushed" so that the pill isn't visible and you can't feel the edge when you touch it.

Then I call the three to me.  Murphy gets a piece, Reilly gets a piece, Winston gets a piece WITHOUT THE PILL (this is key!).  Then Murphy gets a piece, Reilly gets a piece, Winston gets the piece WITH THE PILL, then Murphy get a piece, Reilly gets a piece, Winston gets a piece.  Ta da.  He has no clue.  If only he gets the treat, he's suspicious.  If I give him the piece with the pill first, he feels for it and spits it out.  The key is to give him a non pill piece first to allay suspicion.  It works like a charm for me.

[Barb]

Thanks all for the replies !!!   I am using the pill pockets and playing the treat game with her and Rudy.... Rudy gets a piece first, then Brandy and hers has the pill.... gulp down it goes.  So far so good !!!!

[neshane]

I always used the cheese slices, but my mom's dog can detect the hardest of the pill so she crushes the pill and puts it in Yogurt or cottage cheese.

[Joey N Tobys Mom]

I put pills in a frozen raspberry... they gobble them up every time.

[DP]

Our two are easy to medicate.  One small slice of a hot dog (no pun intended) and insert the pill and it is gone before you blink.  The hot dog holds the pill without letting it go no matter how much they mess with it.

We had an Irish setter BJ that could smell the meds a mile away and would turn down steak if there were meds in it.  If we could get the pill in her mouth you had to grab around her mouth hold it closed and blow a hard puff of breath at her nose and she would swallow.  (Trick learned from vet.  Worked on goats too)  We had to lure the BJ into the laundry room and it took two people to get the meds in.  we would wrap it in meat of some form and one person would hold her around her chest and the other would be at her head and once the pill was behind the teeth the person at the head would have to put BJ in a head lock and blow on her nose.  It is supposedly a reflex and they cannot help but swallow.  Like i said before she would smell the meds a mile away and would not be tempted by anything wrapped around it. (We used the meat because we felt guilty about the whole thing) She was not a biter and once it was done she was totally happy to have our attention.  She was not the brightest dog and we could easily get her into position without her fighting it or figuring out what was going to happen.  Once we were in position we had to work fast.  Usually took less than 30 seconds for the whole ordeal.  The hardest thing was opening the pill bottle with BJ in a headlock.  The whole thing sounds worse than it actually was on the dog but she was not hurt and it was the safest way to get the meds down her without cramming them down her throat.  We tried those pill straw things and i would not ever recommend them.

[Brekkesmom]

Oh, I forgot to mention - I always have three pieces of whatever I use to coax the pill-taker - the first bite has nothing, the second bite is "loaded", and then I have the third bite in my hand ready to stuff down the patient's throat so they don't usually pause long enough to know there was a pill in bite #2!

[Barb]

Oh, I forgot to mention - I always have three pieces of whatever I use to coax the pill-taker - the first bite has nothing, the second bite is "loaded", and then I have the third bite in my hand ready to stuff down the patient's throat so they don't usually pause long enough to know there was a pill in bite #2!

We play the treat game.  I get them ready with the pills, and snip a piece off for Rudy.  Rudy gets his "treat" first, then Brandy is waiting, with her tail wagging for hers, and she snarfs it right down, pill and all. Repeat for the 2nd pill and we are done !!!!

Pill Pockets Rule !!!