I have to give my dog some pills and she wont take them?

Question

I have to give my dog some pills something about crystals in her urine or something and she wont take them. I have tried putting them in her hard food in her soft food and I've tried shoving it down her throat the way my mother used to do it but the dog just throws it up I found she will eat it if I crush it up and mix it in with her soft food but otherwise she wont eat it will crushing it up and putting it in her food do the same thing or is that bad?

I don't really crush them as much as I chop them up so there like 8 times smaller they are kind of big and I have to give 5 a time

Answer 1

Crushing up the pills should be fine. Dog medications do not usually come in a time released formula, so go right ahead. Also, if you want to try shoving it down her throat again coat the tablet in a little butter first, and then stick it as far back in the throat as you can, and then blow in her nose. If you can make her drink a little water after or give her a treat to get her to swallow something, so it will help make sure that the pills make it to the stomach.

Answer 2

Crushing it up and mixing it with soft food isn't so much bad, but there may be reasons its in a pill (slower digestion maybe) so it would be best if you could get her to take it whole. Wrapping it up in a favorite treat (cheese slices, a little piece of bologna maybe) could work. Most times the dog will have swallowed before they even know there is a pill in it. If she continues to throw it up, it may be that the pill is irritating her stomach and you may want to talk to your veet about switching meds, or getting a medicine to help with the problem. Other things to do to hide the pill....make a "meatball" out of soft food with it in the middle, wrapping it in cheese or something similar, hiding it in a small piece of chicken, etc.
If these things don't work, you may just have to force her to swallow it alone. Sometimes coving the pill in some kind of lube like KY jelly will make it go down the throat better. Just open the mouth, stick the pill in the far back, and hold the mouth closed until she swallows. You can blow on her nose to make her lick, most dogs will swallow when they do.

Answer 3

My most successful method os to put the pill in some folded over sliced cheese. Squish the cheese so that the pill is stuck inside. Your dog should not be able to tell as long as the whole pill is covered. Only give them what is covering the pill fist. The extra cheese can be given as a treat after the pill is swallowed. Make shure your dog drinks some water to help the medicine respond faster.

Answer 4

Crushing it and putting it in her food will not harm her. Alot of vets will recommend that for an animal that does not easily take medication. If she is throwing it up after putting it in her throat, you may not be getting it far enough down. The vet has a 'pill poker' that you can buy. The pill clips on the end of it; it makes the pill go far enough down the throat that they completely swallow it. After you put the pill down the throat massage the throat area, this will encourage them to swallow. If you dont want to go through all that, there is no harm in crushing the pill and mixing it with food.

Answer 5

It will most likely be fine, but she may not ingest all of the pill bits and powder if you do it this way and the pill will have less of an effect.

Sometimes you have to get creative when giving your dog medicine. Wrap the pill in a small piece of cheese or lunch meat. If you don't want to give your dog people food, then even buying a soft dog treat and jamming it inside works.

Answer 6

My vet has us use a large tablespoon of Peanut Butter, hiding the pill in the middle. Dogs are so crazy about peanut butter, that they lick it right off the spoon and never notice the whole pill.

Pills and capsules come with a coating, specific to what part of the digestive system the pill is intended to dissolve. Some of them are not intended to be crushed, because they are meant to disolve in an area past the stomach. Ask your vet or pharmacist before crushing the pill.

Answer 7

Ask your Vet if it is a pill you can crush and put in their food. Some pills are time released and could be messed up by crushing it.
If you can't then I suggest getting a hotdog and slipping the pill in the middle of a small piece and give it to her that way. Thats what I used to do with my dog.

Answer 8

If these pills aren't a long term solution get some reduced fat (organic, if possible) peanut butter. coat the pills in a layer and they should go down with no problem.
The reason I say this for only short term conditions is that peanut butter can have too much fat in it as well as way too much salt which isn't good for the dog either.
The first time you give it to the dog give it only the peanut butter so it thinks it is just a treat, then later slip in the pills. We had to use this technique on my chihuahua and if it could work for us it can definately work for you!
Hope that helps!!

Answer 9

As far as crushing up the pills, it depends on what kind of pills they are. If they're a kind of pill that is designed to start working immediately and short-term, then crushing them probably won't hurt. If they're extended/controlled-release pills, then crushing them will nullify that effect, which could result in too much drug entering your dog's system at one time. Ask your vet if you can crush them.

When I have to give my dogs pills, I usually just wrap them in a bit of American cheese. They gulp them right down that way. Good luck!

Answer 10

Crushing it in food will only work if she eats all of the food every time. So unless she cleans her plate every time it might not work because she won't get the full dose. Also if it is in a time release capsule, crushing won't work. I wrap my dog's pill in a little cheese and down it goes. Vets also sell these little pocket-shaped pet treats that you can stick the pill inside. I used those for my cat and they worked like a charm.