# How to get your dog to eat his medicine



## Luccagr (Feb 25, 2011)

I'm having to force feed Lucca his monthly Trifexis. Tried all sorts of method. I usually cut his Trifexis pill into 4 parts, coat them with peanut butter. He used to eat it but after awhile got smarter and lick off the peanut butter and spit out the pill. Thern I tried to stuff it in a banana. Same thing. And I made meat balls (no seasoning, just ground beef with egg and bake them) and tried to stuff the pill in. Doesn't work either. He looks at meatballs with suspicion now even when there's no pills inside. Urgh. Anybody has any idea how to get your dog to eat his medicine willingly? Or do I have to force feed him every month?


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## Capt Jack (Dec 29, 2011)

Jack is the same way can't wait for some advice on this one


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Bread works with Tess . Three pieces without, one piece with...Etc...


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

Here's what I have been doing with my 4.5 year old Golden for at least 3 years and it works every time.

I coat the pill with peanut butter and place it towards the back of his tongue. He closes his mouth and I lift his head and stroke him under his chin until he swallows it - takes second.. Then I let him lick the spoon clean of the remaining peanut butter to make sure without a doubt.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I bribe my guy. 

I have never had a golden who just nommed down pills. Wrap in lunchmeat, slather with peanut butter, pinch bread around them... whatever. Doesn't work. They slurp around the pill until they've cleaned it off and then they walk off and spit it somewhere they think I won't look - like under the kitchen table. >.<

So what I do is line up the treats for Jacks to see. The faster he swallows the pill, the faster he gets the treats afterwards. 

I chopped the trifexis pill into 3 or 4 pieces and stuffed each one to the back of his tongue, told him swallow, gave him treat - repeated till all pieces were gone.

ETA - That Trifexis pill is HUGE and smells like mold. I don't blame these dogs for not wanting to nom them.


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## GinnyinPA (Oct 31, 2010)

We use Pill Pockets; they have a strong liver smell and Ben loves them. 

One thing we were told by our vet a long time ago: don't pick up a smelly pill and then pick up the pill pocket (or hamburger) with the same hand because the smell gets transferred to the outside. Try to make sure the smell of the pill is contained inside the coating as much as possible and not on the hand that feeds him the treat.


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## Zombo (Nov 2, 2010)

We use pill pockets, too. Typically, we use just enough so that the entire pill is coated with a layer of pill pocket and then form a few extra balls from the leftovers. Our pup gets the pill pocket + pill first, then quickly gets fed a second and third pill pocket ball. She's so focused on the second and third treats that she just gulps the pill down.


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## Sammy&Cooper (Dec 28, 2011)

I've always hid my dogs pills in a piece of cheese.


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## Vanfull (Jan 20, 2012)

I have found that string cheese works best and you can form it around the pills well.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

rhondas said:


> Here's what I have been doing with my 4.5 year old Golden for at least 3 years and it works every time.
> 
> I coat the pill with peanut butter and place it towards the back of his tongue. He closes his mouth and I lift his head and stroke him under his chin until he swallows it - takes second.. Then I let him lick the spoon clean of the remaining peanut butter to make sure without a doubt.


I have two ways that work--Rhonda's way, above. Put it on the back of the tongue, clamp the mouth shut gently, and stroke the throat. But my preferred way is to put the pill into something yummy. Then I get both my dogs together for treats. They are very competitive about not losing out so I use that. I give them both a treat at the same time. Usually I hold it in the air and drop it straight down so they open wide and snap it up. The next round of treats is when I deliver the pill treat to the dog that needs it and the other dog gets a plain treat. Then I do one more round of treat delivery. They get so caught up in "getting mine" that they don't pay much attention to what might be hiding inside...


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Pill pockets is the only thing that works in my house too. I wish I was the one that invented them. They helped me a whole lot when Brady had to have about 6 pills a day last June. I was even able to fit two pills in one pocket.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

We use either peanut butter or that squirt cheese in a can. Hank doesn't like the Trifexis either so I have to use a large clump of the peanut butter. I've never tried the pill pockets, do they make them large enough for the Trifexis?


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## dakota825 (Feb 12, 2012)

Last time with pills started used liver sausage/braunschweiger. Molded the pill inside and had several ready to go as treats. Worked fairly good until Rex started chewing a large "treat".


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## bowdense (Feb 22, 2011)

Sammy&Cooper said:


> I've always hid my dogs pills in a piece of cheese.


Me too. It works for both of my dogs.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Buddy doesn't do pills. I just crush his or open the capsules and put into his food. He will take them that way. His pills aren't time released or anything special so crushing and opening is okay.

I do have to pill Zoey daily. Her 1 med can't be crushed. The rest I can crush and put into a small amount of food. I give them separate to her actual meals I don't want an association to be with meals and pills.

The rest will pick the pills out if given in a special treat like peanut butter, cheese, etc. but will take them whole if mixed with wet food and their regular food.


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## Neeko13 (Jul 10, 2010)

First of all, let me tell u your boy is absolutely gorgeous:: ....my nitro is u p to 6 pills a day, I put peanut butter on a small piece of bread wrapped up, and it works every time...Nitro has an enlarged heart, so we have to watch his sodium intake , so I've found salt free peanut butter for him....ESP. Since he gets lots of peanut butter during the day, he is on such a schedule, that he let's me know if I've forgotten:doh: to give him one of his pills...good luck...


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## Luccagr (Feb 25, 2011)

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. I'm gonna try the string cheese next month with his Trifexis and hope it works.


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## Lennap (Jul 9, 2010)

Oh My Gosh Remy would be two tons of fun if I bribed him to take his pills! He gets 2 antibiotics 2x a day for a week, every other week! In addition to his monthly heartworm.

I just open his mouth, place the pills at the way back of his tongue and hold his mouth closed until he swallows - then he gets lots of play and attention and told how special and wonderful and brilliant he is.

I never wanted to be dependent on any treats or food just in case I had to mediate him and didn't have any with me - so we got to the point where this worked for us.

Good luck


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## bioteach (Nov 13, 2010)

We had to give Brewer antibiotics three times a day and those pills would have choked a horse. He grew wary of just about any bribe that we offered so we finally had to offer a piece of turkey, toss the pill in the back of his mouth (timing was everything), and stroke his throat for as long as 30 seconds until he swallowed the pill. 

Is Trifexis the best heartworm medication? We have used other brands and the dogs love them.


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