Tips for Getting Your Dog to Take Its Medicine
Your dog has a small tummy issue that calls for a prescription antibiotic from their vet. The problem is getting your dog to take the pill. You tried slipping it into their food but the clever little thing found it and pushed it out of their bowl.
Trying to get them to take their medicine feels impossible, but they need to take it. That’s why you should change up your tactic a little bit. You may not be putting the pill in the right kind of food or maybe they can smell the pill so they know it’s there.
Keep reading for a few helpful ways to trick your stubborn puppy into taking their medicine.
Make Use of Their Favorite Food
You can stuff their pills into a bowl of food but it has to be able to mask the smell and taste of the bitter medicine. To this end, wet food is going to be your best bet.
It’s easier to hide pills in a lump of strong-tasting wet food than it is trying to make it blend in with their dry food. If you don’t have any wet food on hand, there are a few more foods you can try.
Give Them a Treat
Dogs love treats about as much as they love walks and playtime. As long as the treat is strong tasting, they’ll gobble down it without a second thought. Of course, it’s easier still to give them their medication this way if their treat is the medication.
With the permission of their vet, try introducing your dog to full spectrum CBD oil. Eating them triggers an entourage effect that provides a large range of health benefits for your dog. You might even find that the medication you were previously giving your pup is no longer needed.
Before you decide to stop medications or implement new methods, always speak with your vet just to err on the side of caution.
The only problem you may come across with giving them any kind of CBD is finding their dose. Other than that, it’s quite good for them.
Stuff the Pill into a Sausage
If you have sausage on hand (and are okay with giving your dog people food), consider stuffing their medicine into a small piece of it. They won’t be able to smell it through the strong scent of the sausage so they’re likely to eat it all in one gulp.
They won’t give themselves time to taste or even register that they have been tricked into taking a pill.
P.S – Make sure the sausage is cooked all the way through and plain flavored.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is probably the most common food used to hide medicine from dogs. That’s because it works. It’s sticky but create a peanut butter ball to the best of your ability and place the pill in the center.
Sometimes the dog will catch the hint of something crunchy and spit the pill out. Invest in crunchy peanut butter to stop that from happening. If the entire peanut butter ball has a crunch, they won’t question the texture as much.
At the same time, crunchy peanut butter will encourage the dog to chew. If they happen to bite into the pill, they might taste it and spit it out. Try both methods to see which one works with your pup.
Cheese
You can’t give your dog huge pieces of cheese or they might experience some tummy issues. Hiding their pill in a small cube of cheese won’t hurt anything though.
Like the sausage, they won’t be able to smell the pill and they’ll eat the cube so fast that they won’t question anything.
Don't Open the Pill Bottle Anywhere Near Them
Dogs are smarter than humans think they are. They can recognize certain distinct sounds. That’s why they come running when they hear you shake their food bag.
It stands to reason that they can pick up on the sound of you popping open a pill bottle and hide under your couch. Get into the habit of taking their medicine bottle well away from them before you open it. They can’t recognize a sound that they’ve never heard after all.
Make Washing Your Hands a Habit
Dogs are known for their powerful noses. That’s why they’re used to find missing people and sniff out drugs.
So, they can smell their medicine on your hands. Always wash with soap and water after you’ve handled their pill bottle.
If they’re able to pick up on the smell of the medicine on your hands, it will make it easier for them to find it resting in their dog food and treats.
Put That Pill Inside Another Pill
Going back to the peanut butter example, some dogs are funny about textures. On top of having a gross, bitter taste, most pills have a chalky texture as well. No wonder your dog is tossing it out of the food bowl.
You can fix this problem by picking up hallow, edible pill capsules. All you have to do is open the capsule and place their medicine in it. It doesn’t have a taste and the texture is smooth.
Giving Them Medication by Hand
If your dog is too smart to fall for any of the tricks we’ve mentioned, there’s one last thing you can try. Have your dog get comfortable and tilt their head back. Slip the pill in their mouth and gently massage their throat until they swallow it.
Be careful with this method. If the pill is too big they may choke on it and be sure not to force it on them or again, the dog will choke.
Getting Them to Take Liquid Medicine
We’ve talked a lot about getting your dog to take a pill but giving them liquid medication is another monster all together. The trick is to make them associate medicine time with treat time.
Put their dose into a syringe and coat the mouthpiece with something tasty like peanut butter. They’ll be so focused on the peanut butter that they’ll ignore the medicine part of the experience.
Tricking Your Dog into Taking Their Meds
Getting your dog to take their medicine can feel like you’re pulling teeth. If the dog can taste or see the bitter pill at all, it’s likely they will reject it.
So, you’ve got to trick them by slipping it into their food or giving them CBD. Check out our shop to find CBD oil that will work for your pup.
