How can I get my dog to take his medicine?

Question

He is a 14 year old Beagle/Collie cross. We are trying to treat him with oral tablets for a stomach bug. No matter what I mix his tablets with, my dog can always detect the flavour and will not eat it! I have tried every strong flavoured food I can think of with no result. I have also tried hand feeding him with only limited success. Unfortunately he has never "wolfed" his food so it seems impossible to hide it away without him noticing. Only idea I have left is trying to find a way to hold his nose as I know this works for humans. Has anyone had a similar problem and found a solution?

Answer 1

I do like with a child :I put the medicine in a spoon with a bit of water, my bro keeps the dog,s mouth open and I put the med. down in its mouth to be sure it can split it.
And I always "talk" with my pet(in a sweet voice) while I'm doing that to not scare it badly...
Good luck!

Answer 2

The trick is to get the tablet right at the back of his throat and then hold his mouth shut, gently rub in a downwards direction on his throat until you feel him swallow.Don't hold his nose, that doesn't work for dogs.If you are having trouble opening his mouth you need to open it from the top. Use your thump and first finger, put them over the dogs snout about 1 inch above the nose. Apply gentle pressure to his lips,against his teeth, your fingers should find an area that feels like a gap and when pushed against with your fingers will make him open his mouth. Maintain this hold to put the tablet to the back of the throat. Be careful not to yank the dogs head back. Alternatively, I use Philly cheese for mine as you can mold it round the tablet and dogs generally love cheese.

Answer 3

Assuming you can easily handle your dog then I always use a knob of butter, hide the tablet in that and put it at the back of the dog's mouth pushing it to the back of the tongue and then hold the jaw shut. Cheese would work as well but butter melts and the dog has to swallow.
NEVER give a dog CHOCOLATE. it is TOXIC to dogs and could kill it.
You could try and find a homeopathic remedy then the dog will eat the tablets readily or you can get soft tabs which dissolve in the mouth. I rarely use conventional medicine for animals. They respond quickly and well to homeopathy and there are plenty of vets who understand this method of treatment.
Stomach bugs will be helped with live natural yoghurt, I use this for every animal including my day old chicks and ducklings, they get it as their first meal mixed with crumb and egg yolk. It contains all the bacteria that are beneficial to digestion and is probiotic. If the tablets you are giving are anti-biotic you should definitely give your dog yoghurt as soon as the course is finished unless your animal has an intolerance to dairy.

Answer 4

yeah, dogs are great at detecting horrible tasting tablets in their food! i have found it really easy to do it like this: firstly, make sure your pooch is nice and calm, sit next to him and stroke the top of his head, then with that same hand, bring it over his eyes and gently open his mouth. with your other hand, push the tablet as far back into his mouth as you can, without actually putting it in his throat then gently clamp his mouth shut. DO NOT block his nostrils! that will only make him panic. gently rub his throat for about 20-40 seconds... hey presto! he should have swallowed it by then! if that doesnt work, maybe ask your vet for a different form of the same medication (injection, serum e.t.c.) also, remember to give him a little treat after he has swallowed the tablet, it will make him less resistant next time. hope this helps :-)

Answer 5

Have you tried making a parcel of processed cheese? You know the squares of "plastic" cheese you put on burgers? That's the only way I can fool my Border Collie into taking tablets. I put the tablet into the middle of a small square of cheese (almost, the cheaper the better - Tesco Value works great), squish the cheese all around it, and offer it to him as a training treat - i.e. distracting him by making him sit/lie down/give a paw or whatever, then saying "Good Boy" and giving him the cheese with the pill in it. He's never spat one out yet!

Answer 6

I recently had to give my puppy anti-biotic tablets twice a day for two weeks. I used that squirty Kong paste, squirted some of it over the tablet.... then opened her mouth, held her head slightly up, and put the tablet coated in the paste right at the back of her throat, kept her head held up until she's swallowed it and she would be licking her chops! I have also had "success" with a huge worming tablet using the same method but with soft cream cheese coating the tablet (Philadelphia).

Answer 7

OK the easiest way is to have two people, one person standing behind/over the dog( its easier if the dog is sitting between the legs), gently but firmly holds the dogs mouth open so his head is back and his nose is pointing up, the other person places the medicine as far to the back of the mouth as possible, the 1st person closes the dogs mouth by bringing the bottom jaw up so the the dogs nose is still pointing up, keep holding the mouth shut firmly, rub the dogs throat gently in a downward motion (this helps him get it down) and wait for him to swallow, keep waiting and rubbing until you are absolutely sure it has gone down, this is the best way, my neighbour is a vet nurse and this is her advice, has always worked for me

Answer 8

The cheese thing suggested by a few others works best. Don't crush the tablet, just put it whole inside a small piece of cheese. Otherwise you will have to force the tablets into him by one person holding his jaw open (wearing thick leather gloves!) and the other just tossing it down his throat as far as you can.

Answer 9

If the answer cannot be solved by wrapping the pills in cheese or a treat then just open the dogs mouth, pop in the pill and close the mouth holding it shout until it swallows the pill. It might help if you stroke the neck (beneath the throat) while holding the mouth shut. You will see the dog swallow

Other tricks are to put the pill in peanut butter, no jelly!

Answer 10

What is the medication? Some can be crushed or opened, but some can't.

You can force a pill down a dogs throat. Just hold open the mouth and push it down the back of his throat with your finger. If you get it deep enough, he swallows it. If it is an antibiotic in a capsule, just open it, pour it into the back of his mouth on the tongue, and he will get it down. If it is anything else, check with the vet. Not all meds are safe to open or crush.
I always ask for liquids because they are simply easier to put down a dog.

Answer 11

Mine takes his tablets wrapped in a variety of meats and cheese and even cake at times. I wrap the tablet up in cheese and have another piece about three/four inches away from his face, he eats the first piece whist eyeing up the second.

My first dog had to have tablets for eczema and he always found them, we tried popping them in his mouth and holding his muzzle shut whilst stroking his throat. After he swallowed we would release him, then sometime later in the day we would find his tablet around the house. We ended up melting dog drops and coating the tablets.

Good Luck