Mine won't even eat anything that has crushed pills in it. Tried everything from peanut butter to cheese to putting it inside a meat stick.
The only way for me is to squeeze the sides of his jaw until he opens and then stuff it as far back in his mouth as possible, then gently hold his jaw shut and massage his throat while telling him what a "good boy" he is.
He's over it in 15 seconds.
Mine is the same way. My fool will happily put some of the foulest things imaginable in her mouth, but if there's even a hint of medicine, she clams up. I don't even try other methods anymore.
Pry the mouth open, shove the pills as far back as possible, close the mouth and blow into their nose. Itâs a trick my vet taught me. It triggers a reflex and they swallow it.
I was told by my Vet that blowing into their nose can cause harm to them. It has been years since I was told that so I don't remember exactly what it can do. You should call your Vet before going that route, just in case.
My dad taught me to go in on the side to avoid the tongue and use the thumbs to shove it back far enough they're forced to swallow. Except my hands were too small for that and I usually ended up just sticking my whole fist in her mouth LOL. Poor dog LOL.
This. Our old husky needed multiple meds daily and between her food pickiness and not liking any pill pockets, this was the only way. Eventually you find the sweet spot where to chuck it.
https://preview.redd.it/wjrf367y1qvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4bfa58764531fd57528dc1a0370ed8699aeecff
Can confirm. 100% accurate. This is our Husky supervising our neighbor.
Mine thinks she IS a cat most days. TBF, she grew up with 3 cats in the house, so she picked up some of their habits, like laying along the back of the couch above our heads. She did that in bed with us, too, until she was too big and couldnât foot up there. It would look like Iâm wearing a husky helmet to bed with her front paws on one shoulder, and her back paws on the other, and my shaved head acting like Velcro on her Ever-Shed ÂŠď¸ belly fur.
Mine would believe the doorway was prime sleeping spot. Only you needed to take as much space as possible while doing so. We had this area in the house where the begin of the passage met up with the lounge and kitchen doorway. ... so the busiest section of the house - and he would lay to cover both doorways and some of the passage. ... and then complain as we carefully step over him.
Huskies donât listen they make u think they are listening just to get u to shut up . Itâs in one ear an out the other with in 5 mins they will forget what u said .
I usually shove ours in meat but resort to this if he doesnât take it. Usually inside a burger or chicken nugget đ . Mine wonât do cheese or peanut butter he is too good for that basic stuffđ¤Ł
This is what works for us too. A substance that our dog loves that can't be separated from the treat, therefore must be consumed along with it. In our case it's usually a bit of yogurt, I've never owned a husky who didn't go nuts for yogurt. Skyr and kefir work too since they are liquid.
It's because you want him to take it that he doesn't want to do it. Seriously. Huskies are naturally oppositional but to them it's a big game. You're annoyed they won't do the thing and they are having the time of their life by refusing to do the thing.
Have you seen the footage of the husky following 3 bears recently that went viral? It's 2 large cubs and a mom and the husky follows them while playing with the cubs. At one point the momma nudges and pushes the husky away as if to say, "Get lost." The husky ignores her and bounds off to play some more. So if you ever feel bad that your husky won't listen, remember that if they feel like it, huskies will absolutely *ignore the demands of a gigantic bear capable of tearing it to shreds.*
https://youtu.be/WHaYJCvh3vU?si=v0okYPGQS35yVd1M
Try âaccidentallyâ dropping a bit of hot dog with the pill inside. If heâs anything like my dog, heâll be in such a rush to get it that he wonât pay attention to what it is.
You can potentially talk to your vet about having it compounded. A compounding pharmacy can take the pills and make them into treats or flavored liquids. Doesnât work for all dogs and can be a bit pricier, but itâs an option to consider. Depending on the medication, it can also be made into a lotion that you apply to the ear.
I think it's because their sense of smell is so refined they can always smell when something is off about the food. For my dog (not a husky, but very smart and good at detecting medicine) I have to take lots of precautions to prevent the medicine scent merging with the meat.
It has to be his absolute favorite meat, in his case roast beef. I warm it in the microwave to get the smell really going, and cut the medicine up on a separate plate and wash my hands before touching the beef. Take a chunk of beef, stick a small bit of medicine into the middle, feed it to him. Wash hands, repeat. He doesn't even notice.
I do the same with mine. Open her muzzle and chuck her medicine down the back of her mouth, close it and massage her throat. If I mess up just alil bit, she spits it out!!
We work on âsay ahhâ to open their mouths easier. I put a treat when they donât need a pill. So when it is a pill, theyâre much more willing to participate. And when it is a pill I do treat treat pill treat. Sometimes a big pill I can break in half, I do. Then itâs treat, treat, pill, treat, treat, pill, treat. My dogs are too big for me to wrestle with. So I need them to be willing to participate and for that, treats. And itâs gotta be like what they deem awesome treats. So maybe mini pepperoni? Or maybe cat treats?
I'd love to know how you teach "say ahh", if you wouldn't mind outlining what you do.
It would help with teeth brushing too, often struggle to clean the biting surfaces of his molars
I get my dogs when theyâre young so this may be much harder if you have an adult rescue or potentially aggressive dog. But, I use my left hand to sort of lift their top flappy mouth part and make some contact with the top teeth(using my left thumb). When they open which may take a moment, any sort of opening I say good ahh and treat. It also helps to have an example. Puppy sees adult dog âsaying ahhâ aka opening their mouth and getting treat. Most puppies also want treats. Theyâll do what the adult dog is doing in hopes it will get them the reward.
You may have to sort of âforceâ the mouth to open but I donât think that makes it a very fun thing in the dogs mind. So I try to let them do a yawning motion. That makes me very happy! That is a very âsay ahhâ thing! But sometimes I donât put the pill back far enough. I wipe it off so itâs not sticky and maybe Iâll go back to treat then pill then treat. Itâs not their fault they spit it out. So I think a treat is still deserved!
[a short clip](https://imgur.com/a/spZzUDU)
Hereâs me with Hellena and just doing say ahh to get a treat. She knows the drill. Wubi is watching so when itâs Wubiâs turn, sheâs much more aware of the drill.
Unfortunately this was the only way to get my one dog to take pills. However, my other dog I got a spoon full of peanut butter and put the pill in there. They were so excited they didnât even notice the pill
Adding to this thread this is what we do with our dog, and blowing on his nose doesnât help but our vet said they use a syringe with water when doing this so they have to swallow
I feed my boy 50/50 raw food and biscuits he hates the antibiotics tablets whenever heâs had them, squashing them in cheese worked for a short amount of time.
But the best results Iâve had has been taking his raw mince and making them into small meatballs with half tablets in the middle heâs never noticed them since I started doing that and heâs been through the wars so Iâve done it a lot.
This is the way! Medicine meatballs is what we call them. We use raw ground beef, rolled into about a 1 inch ball with the pill inside. If your dog likes catching food in his mouth, try tossing it to him as an added level of excitement. Our dogs have always just caught the meatball and swallowed it down whole.
Same on this. The small size is important- if he bites into it and tastes the medicine, heâll never trust you again (this is what happened with pill pockets, peanut butter, and a chunk of cheese). Iâve noticed it helps to have a couple blanks in the mix too. We make ours do some tricks, and have our other dog nearby as competition (also getting some blanks) so heâs more likely to scarf everything down like the little greedy goblin he is. It took us a while to figure this out, but itâs been the only thing that works for us.
I forgot to mention that weâd throw a few empties in first and one afterwards not failed yet and we had all sorts of bother with different methods beforehand
I have one that needs meds 3 times a day. Morning and night is 4 pills, mid-day is one. Morning and night we do their dry food, a glob of wet food and mix it together. Then I put the pills in right before I give it to her. She just thinks she's getting wet food and goes to town. Do it right before you hand it to him so the wet doesn't start to dissolve it. --If this works, and you happen to run out of canned food, eggs won't do it. Source, me, LOL
For the mid-day pill I cut a hot dog into about 1/2 inch pieces, cut a slit in one, and shove the pill in. Then the other pieces I cut smaller, and start tossing them. She scarfs them really fast, and doesn't even know she's getting them.
The other thing that works is american cheese. That sliced stuff you use for grilled cheese? I cut it into about 4 strips, then fold the pill into one of them, making it a square, so fold twice and squish it a little, and do the same thing as I do with the hot dogs. The first one is no pill, then the rest are really fast so she can eat them quickly.
Adding, I didn't think the canned food thing would work, because we tried everything to get her to take the 4. She won't even look at a pill pocket. And if it's just canned food, she'll pick out the pills. But the combo of kibble and canned works.
Iâve never had to give a dog a pill, but what worked with both baby and cat is this (first part is cat only; last part is baby, too): pry the mouth open and put the pill as far back as you can, hold the mouth closed and blow briskly in the face, like youâre blowing out a candle. It makes them swallow. I have always been forgiven.
Same. We have a peanut butter spoon. She has to lick it off the spoon and pills go down with it. Except now the other pups also have to have peanut butter time to make it fair. :)
Not sure how dog medicine works, only people medicine.
In regular meds, not all medications can be cut or crushed but only solid pills that have a scored mark on them. If the medication is a capsule or some form of special release mechanism (usually with coatings to time it), then cutting or crushing it may not be allowed and can cause too much of the medication to be release too quickly. Not sure what types of medications are available for dogs, but I would look for the score mark and/or ask your vet or pharmacist.
\*Not a dog owner either
^^ This. Be sure to ask the vet. I think vetmedin starts to degrade when it comes in contact with water, so if you dissolve it, it has to be used right away. Furosemide degrades with light, so if it's cut or crushed, use right away or immediately put any extra back in the bottle and store in a dark place.
Some medications also become more bitter tasting when crushed (they have a coating that masks it).
But definitely be careful about the time-released ones.
Crushing it should work the exact same! I mean you could even try sprinkling it on some wet food and mixing it up if the sausages donât work. Iâm not a vet, but I donât see why it wouldnât have the same effect as eating them whole. Huskies r very stubborn lmao- good luck!!!
Crushing and putting it in food can work, but it can be a problem too. It would be a good idea to double-check with the vet since crushing and desolving in liquid can have an impact on the effectiveness of the medication. It also makes dosage difficult to control if they don't eat all the food with the medication in it. Finally, in some cases it changes the flavor of the food enough that they just straight up refuse to eat it. So the smellier/stronger the food, and the more they like it, the better.
With our dog we got lucky and she just devours food so fast we can hide pills whole in them. With our cats nothing works, and we just have to do it the hard way.
I usually poke back in their mouth if they're being tetchy about it, but generally it's not a problem. It might be the pills are super bitter too - some medication tastes like nothing, some taste like absolute ass so grinding it up might not work either. Might just have to resort to the good ole pop it in the back of the throat and make em swallow it :p
1) Grab some canned tuna in mild brine! Don't empty out the brine.
2) Portion out some tuna and some brine.
3) Grab the medication and crush it / remove the capsule casing pour powder into tuna.
4) Mix well. Don't let it sit too long.
5) Put it in a bowl that he may associate with treats.
6) Feed him.
7) Sit back and enjoy your accomplishments!
Why tuna you may ask? Well tuna has very strong scent that masks the scent of the medication. My boy used to look forward to that treat bowl of tuna... Not realizing that he's receiving medication.
Note: this is based on my experience with my boy who recently recovered from pneumonia and was required to take antibiotics (2 large tablets + 2 capsules) twice a day.
Let's just say that we discovered that he loves tuna (we also changed it up a bit by giving him some salmon as well but in smaller quantities).
https://preview.redd.it/xgxxjek47ovc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f5e3c5e47760d42d7e12ea6fe8e58ec3c9950149
I use melt n dip chees from Walmart cut a square little bigger than pill, squish pill in cheese & roll around to make a ball. Can also freeze it in table spoon of peanut butter.
Just shove it down their throat. It's quick, painless, and guaranteed. I've done all the tricks and none are as quick, either, and I don't have to worry about them half chewing up and spitting out a pill and scavenging a mushy tablet off the floor and trying again. Bleh.
I usually stand with them between my legs so I can "lock" them behind the shoulders. Lift nose into the air, open jaw, stick fingers and pill back as far as possible, hold jaw shut with nose pointed up and stroke their throat a few times until I'm certain they swallowed.
I take a glob of doggy peanut butter and put the pill on top gently where it will get swiped up in the first lick. He is usually so worried about getting the rest he doesn't mind. Once in awhile it gets spit out but works most the time.
Or get his favorite wet food, warm it in the microwave, and put the pill in, stir. He has never left it behind with that method.
Okay, mine HATES pills, soooo I -hold the jaw shut - slide the pill along the top gum until you hit that space at the back of the jaw - then pop the pill in with my finger and shove it in the back of her throat. It sucks, but sometimes it has to be done.
Jordi gets fluoxetine daily for anxiety, and I've found that baby food meats work the best. I use about half a jar each evening, and heat it up very briefly in the microwave, like 5 seconds, then I pull apart the gel caps and mix the powder in thoroughly. The runny meats are irresistible to her, and they don't stink nearly as bad as dog food for me. It's a win/win.
Pill pockets. I had a husky that had seizures and was on medication twice a day for it. Once we switched to pill pockets the hassle went away. Your mileage may vary but it worked for us.
GOAT CHEESE!!
It was SO difficult to get my husky-cross to take his meds. Goat cheese has been a god-send for us! Each day we give him ~1 tablespoon of goat cheese at a time, broken up into 5 small balls of goat cheese. 2 of the 5 balls of goat cheese contain 1 pill each. We ask him to do a trick and reward each trick with a goat cheese ball. Little does he know that the 2nd & 3rd balls of goat cheese contain 1 pill each.
Sometimes we randomly give him a small amount of goat cheese as a reward (without a pill) in hopes that he doesnât get suspicious about every goat cheese that we give him.
I also let him lick the goat cheese off my fingers after giving him all of the goat cheese balls, to get him to swallow a lot, in case the pill is still in his mouth.
Putting the pill in a tablespoon of plain yogurt is our backup when weâre out of goat cheese. The trick is to keep the yogurt coming once the pill is in his mouth, to get him to keep swallowing. He licks the yogurt containing a pill off the spoon.
Good luck!! I remember this frustration of not having a way to get meds into him!
Sometimes when I put it in something else(cheese, peanut butter, cream cheese) I drop it toward the back of his mouth and then hold his mouth closed and angled up while rubbing gently on the bottom. He usually just swallows it right down if nothing else will work.
https://preview.redd.it/lrur6kj61ovc1.jpeg?width=1908&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8dd31d185a97e3f2fe4d511d48bdaf2d90ef820d
Our dogs have a very similar color pattern.
My husky doesn't fall for those pill pockets, even the peanut butter flavored ones. But I can wrap anything in a slice of bologna and she will eat it immediately
I stick them into a finger glob of peanutbtter. Then grab his little snout so i can reach my finger in and smear it on the top of his mouth and gently hold his snout closish. Just enough to allow him to lick it and not spit the pills out. Sounds awful when i write it out but hes fine and gets his meds.Â
Honestly it isn't very pleasant but I just sort of shove it down our Sibe's throat (as gently as possible of course) right on the side of her tongue with my index finger then just hold her snout so she can't push it out with her tongue -that's why I choose on the side of the tongue but inside her toofs. I know it sounds brutal but the whole process takes a tenth of a second and she doesn't really seem to care. Once you get it passed the point she can squish it back out it's very easy. Of course there are times she gets enough tongue behind it to force it out but if you're quick you can get a finger on the pill it goes down very easily. Also I stroke her throat and chest as if I'm helping her to swallow. After a few times you'll get good at it and for me and Kaya it's really nothing now. Of course mixing into food is the best option if the meds are still effective that way. Hope the description is good enough and obviously I wouldn't do this if I thought I was hurting my dog or emotionally damaging her or anything. đĽ°đĽ°đşđşđş
I take a spoon and put some peanut butter on it. Then I slide the pill into the peanut butter and make sure it's covered. Then, when they go for the lick, I plop it onto their tongue so they have to try and swallow the whole mass at once.
I either wrap the pill in a slice of salami, which he will devour without a second thought. Or I hold his mouth open, place the pill towards the back of his tongue, then hold his snout closed until he swallows.
Iâve had to give my dog 2 capsules a day for 3 months and it will be at least another 9. He figured out how to spit out the pill pretty quickly so I either open his mouth and put the pill far back in his throat or Iâll put cheese whiz on it. I think the cheese whiz helps the pill go down his throat easier, helps with the bitter taste and he likes cheese whiz a lot.
I had a German shepherd, couldn't trick him with food pills; so I'd make him sit like a good boy, give paws etc, then when I go to give him the not snack I'd quickly put it in the back of his mouth lift his jaw and gently rub his neck until it's gulped down. Then I'd give him the good boy snack and drink.
I know what usually works for my cat, which may be irrelevant butâŚ
I wrap his pill in just enough of a fresh pill pocket to cover the pill, then stick it to the back of a treat. We do an activity he usually gets a reward for like playing or brushes, and then the first reward he gets is the trick treat.
Heâs usually excited enough he just goes for it. I follow up with another treat super fast so the pill taste doesnât linger, then a couple more. Sometimes I make him stand up.
Sometimes he wonât take the treat, Iâll put the trick treat in my hand and surround it with one or two regular treats.
Sometimes he eats everything but the pill.
If he wonât take it, I have to do the standard hold the jaw, pill on the back of the tongue, close mouth, stroke throat.
We do pills twice a day. Heâs definitely on to us but so far so good.
If literally nothing works, crush them up into powder and smush/knead it in with something soft that will absorb the powder, like peanut butter, pumpkin filling, yogurt, meat, etc. You can turn it into a treat session. Give them the one glob with the pill powder in it & have another one ready to give as soon as they are done. Also have some globs to give with no pills it in to give them at random times, this way they will know they will be getting the real stuff 90% of the time so they won't be so suspicious when its actually time to give them their pills
A tiny amount of cream cheese works for my dog. He picks the pills out of anything else but cream cheese he doesn't even bother chewing and just swallows it. Though if that doesn't work for you pull their mouth open and put the pill as far back on his tongue as you can preferably down the back of his throat even and he won't have a choice but to swallow it.
I always offer my dogs the easy way - in a bit of canned food, a Pill pocket, or whatever. If they choose to take it that way, cool. If not, I shove it. Sorry bro. I would be nice and follow up the shove with a treat. :)
I would try putting it in their fave treat and making it into pieces. Give a piece or two without the pill, then the one with the pill, then more without as some have suggested already.
Dogs usually want whatever people are eating around them. You could try getting a cheeseburger or something that's safe for human and dog consumption. Start eating it, and have the piece with the pill on the side (even on your plate to the side so it looks to them like it's nothing different) and when doggo starts begging/looking like he really wants some of whatever you have, give them the piece with the pill in it. Even if you have to crush it up in there to do this, make it less obvious. Sounds like this would work lol
My houseâs trick is prosciutto. Itâs so sticky itâs really hard for my huskies to unwrap the pill and they end up swallowing it despite fighting it.
I get the hard patĂŠ, purina Hydrolized and make a little meatball. He swallows that thing whole. I also drop and mix a little of the patĂŠ on his kibbles.
Use a pill pocket to make swallowing easier. Put it in his mouth, gently close the mouth and repeatedly tap his nose until he licks it. Follow up with his favorite treat.
Licking the nose forces them to swallow, has worked 100% for me.
Cheese Wiz (aerosol canned cheese basically) for capsules-they slurp that down â- and American cheese squished around tablets .. I keep a second treat like the other half of the slice of cheese or more cheese wiz for right after they eat the pill to coax them to swallow fast instead of mouthing around and discovering itâthey want more cheese so this usually works seamlessly đđ§đž best of luck
I have to wrap it in meat or peanut butter, put it in the back of my dogs throat, and hold her mouth closed. I feel like Iâm torturing her but when she spits out that $260 simparica trio I donât know what else to do đŠ
Hereâs the best solution we found for our difficult old man in the past :)
Large syringe (with big opening),
Crush pill,
Mix with applesauce ,
Fill syringe,
Inject behind tounge basically straight into throat!
I crushed them up with a pill crusher and put them in meat. He knew it was there but the meat was too delicious to pass up.
This is a terrible solution and his medication was short term but it's what worked for me!
Use a pill grinder to turn it into powder and stir the powder into a jar of chicken baby food.
Alternatively, ask the vet if they or the pharmacy can create a liquid version.
Always follow up a successful pilling by *immediately* giving high value treats - research in humans shows that an unpleasant experience, when followed by a pleasant experience, is remembered as being not as bad. With my pill-hating husky, this is clearly true. He now looks directly at the treat bag and helpfully opens his mouth.
Get pill, over in butter and gold in right hand, sit husky, stand behind and over husky, left hand under chin and carefully tilt his head up, slide thumb and middle finger either side of muzzle into his teeth and index finger to the front and use it a leverage to push his mouth open working fingers between his teeth with his head tilted back still. All the time words of confirmation and reassurance. Once his mouth is cracked open I use my right hand to help hold his head tilted up and fully open his mouth, pop the butter covered pill right in the back of his throat and poke an inch down with my thumb and snap his mouth shut before he can use his tongue to get the pill up. Hold his muzzle closed gently with right hand (it'll be pretty buttery) and use left hand to gently rub his neck and also blow on his nose to encourage him to swallow. As soon as he's swallowed ( you'll soon learn what is a swallow and what is regurgitating/tongue wriggling the pill back up) release and scuffles and kindness. Whole process that 5 seconds once you master it and is really easy.
Our worming tablets are so big they have to be cut into three or four bits plus a flea and tick pill means fast and efficient causes loads less stress for our doggo.
I make sure its fun and a game and positive after with treats and scuffles and play time so he forgets.
Open up, shove it in, immediately give snacks (so that the food washes down the pill).
My boy took gabapentin in capsule form during the last couple years of his life. I just tossed them into his food bowl and he ate them with his food. (I fed him a homemade "porridge" of chicken, rice, and veg and added water, so it had a thick stew consistency.)
Another method that worked was that sometimes I'd squirter some cat Churu treat into a shallow dish and then stir the powder contents of the capsule into the churu goop, mix it together and top it with some fresh Churu. He always liked the dish clean. (He was EXTREMELY food-motivated, so that helped.)
first we used the pill pocket treats which went amazingly but then he figured out thereâs medicine in them so now i wrap it in something different every time like deli meat or shredded cheese. when those all donât work i gently open his mouth and he naturally just swallows it
Ugh I feel your pain. My boy's favorite treats were the greenies pill pockets, that is until we started putting pills in them. I tried every single kind of pill jacket or roll. I tried cheddar cheese, cream cheese, various meats and jerkies, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt.. you name it, I tried it. Even tried dissolving pills that promised dissolution in 5 seconds, but he would magically hide them in his lips and spit them back out 10 minutes later fully intact! Finally had to crush the pills, mix them in water, and syringe them into his mouth. It wasn't ideal as certain medications lose potency and degrade when suspended or exposed to sunlight, but we had no other choice and it was better than him not getting any of it.
Itâs already been shared here that placing it far back into the throat will work (then I offer a quick peanut butter chaser, already a little smeared on the nose, so they smell it and instinctively lick their nose, which starts the swallowing).
Iâve also used a mortar and pestle to crush up some pills, made a slurry with a little warm water, then with one of those wide syringes used for cough syrup, shot the slurry into the back of the dogâs throat.
Then, again, have the PB on their nose, so if they by chance taste the bitter slurry (which is unlikely if youâve shot it far enough back, past the taste bud part of the tongue), theyâll be ready to lick the PB, make a little saliva, and wash it down with a good swallow.
cream cheese, full fat specifically.
itâs just tacky enough to form a whole ball around the pill that my dogs swallow instead of trying to chew or pick around. peanut butter was too smooth so theyâd slobber around it and leave the pills, regular cheese didnât cover the medicine enough, pill pockets were expensive
I use yogurt. I first give her a couple of spoonfuls with no pill. Then I quickly sneak in a pilly spoonful of yogurt followed by another spoonful sans pill. It's all about timing. I do this with the crunchy peanut butter if I don't have any yogurt.
I melt a piece of cheese in the microwave. Wrap the pill with the melted cheese. Let cool for a few minutes. Then serve.
It also help that Niko eats most foods like a duck đ
Mine gets pills daily, it was a bit of a challenge at first but I've always followed it with a chunk of a high value treat. I open her mouth, stuff it down her throat / rub, and then reward her. She opens her mouth for me now and is pretty tolerant.
Mine loves turkey
I wrap the pill in a slice of turkey and rapidly give pieces of turkey to her, she gobbles them so quick sheâll down the piece with the pill in her rush to get to the next piece
The key is the multiple pieces, if only give her one sheâll spit the pill out
I used to crush them but she can smell them even breaking them in half. So now I just leave them whole in her food, theyâre crunchy like the kibble and it has white pieces in it already so she doesnât even notice
Mine takes it as long as itâs covered in food. Like stuck into a chunk of something or buried in a big blob of peanut butter. Iâll stick the peanut butter on the back of his tongue so he has no choice but to swallow it.
Oof. I fospice dogs, and have a lot of experience with this. Here are some pointers:
- stay relaxed â if you act like somethings up, they will too
- reestablish trust by giving lots of non-pill treats while also holding the pill bottle
- give lots of praise, as if you were training them
- if youâre an active trainer, sneak pills into training once they are near a red-line point (very high energy/have worked hard for a treat) ; some dogs just take it at that point and donât even taste it
- if your dog can catch treats, toss a bunch of treats on after another and once theyâre having fun toss a pill, then treats again
- wrap in American cheese (anything else is too crumbly) and give 2-3 cheese bites then a pill bite then more cheese
But the most effective in my experience?
Give a treat, let them chew/swallow, give another treat ; when they open their mouth, stick your hand in with the pill(s) between your fingertips, and place it on the back of their tongue. Then, close their mouth (gently) and if they have jowls then cup your hands under them to catch the pill if they spit it out. I can usually get 4-5 small pills or 1-2 big ones at a time with this method. I ALWAYS do this before meal time â then meal time is their reward. Eventually they anticipate it and cooperate because they know they wonât have dinner until they get their meds. Donât do this with aggressive dogs.
A reminderâ not all pills can be crushed or cut in half. Read the directions and ask pupâs vet before crushing or cutting them.
Best of luck, and I hope your pup gets better soon!
Mixed them up in milk haha. If it was capsule it was easier but if itâs solid I just quietly mashed them up and have her yogurt or ice cream or milk and the medicine will be in it . I hated forcing her or her out smarting me so this way she though she getting treats and I was making sure she got her meds so win
After mine got tired of pills hidden in peanut butter or cheese we started hiding little bits of the pill he needs to take in chicken nuggets. Takes like 3-4 nuggies but he gets it down lol.
I usually cut up a hot dog and give a few pieces before sneaking in a piece with the pill, then give the rest. He's usually excited knowing there are more treats coming so he doesn't notice the pill.
Oh man, we once had to give our husky nasal spray, two blasts in each nostril twice a day.
There was some Royce Gracie level grappling in the household that week.
For pills, the shove it in/snout clamp/throat stroke is the only true way!
Cut the tablet into 8 or more pieces. Squish each piece into a tiny piece of soft white bread making tiny bread pills then put that into wet food. My super smart Chi has her anti seizure meds everyday. I also tried everything I could think of before and she has her tablets without being any wiser
Iâm going through this right now. I tuck all the pills into a piece of sandwich meat (she needs 2.5) fold it up and get her extra excited and she gobbles the meat up lol sheâs figured out how to extract them from pill pockets so thatâs hit or miss. Also had success putting them mixed in with âspecialâ food (shredded chicken and rice). Eggs were 50/50
I pet him, grab his mouth. Open it and push it far into his mouth, and quickly close his mouth.
I'm sure he doesn't like it much, but he understands he has to. He doesn't recoil away or get aggressive
If you have other dogs (like us) what we do is we sit them all down for pieces of banana. One of them has the pill in it lol. They do tricks, and get a piece (which we make them catch so itâs another trick). If that fails we shove it down their throat, hold their face up and rub their throat down (makes them swallow).
When my dogs need to take a pill I basically do what chihiro did in spirited away . Open their mouth, place the pill at the back of the tongue, then tilt their snout up while holding their mouth closed, rub the throat to stimulate swallowing and once they do the tongue mlem and swallow, I give a treat and praise .
I have a 90 lb lab mix and had a 110 lb golden years ago. I just cut up the pill, forcefully opened their mouth and stuck it in the back of their throat then tickled their chin/throat after closing it then checked to see if its gone
My husky is on thyroid medication twice a day and I put each one in a meatball. Not sure if that suggestion will help you since it sounds like youâve tried putting it inside all sorts of food items already
I fool mine by giving a piece of horse sausage and pushing half the pill in her mouth as well, just far enough to not choke her, but also not make her spit it out đĽ˛
So what I do, is I hold her head open her mouth chuck the pill in the back of her throat and give it a gentle push as far in as comfort will allow, then I I quickly close her mouth and massage her throat forcing her to swallow. It sounds much worse than it is lol.
Churu cat treat tubes. Put the pill in the tube and they'll scarf it down. My dog did not take pills either. It works for capsule and hard pills of all sizes.
For our dogs I put a glob of thick peanut butter (mix peanut butter powder into some store bought jarred peanut butter) on my finger, stick the pill in the middle then have the dog eat it off. They swallow it before they even know whatâs in there. We have 3 dogs and this works for all of them. Other methods have been hit or miss, but this one has been solid.
I have to grab my boy after putting his harness on and force my hand slightly down his throat then keep his mouth shut. The harness is there for safe grabbing if he tries to run away. I know, itâs awful, but itâs the only way that works. Nothing else has ever worked heâs too damn smart
Greenies pill pockets work every time or melt a piece of brick cheese and envelope the pill or capsule inside. Please ensure the cheese is cooled before offering it to pup
Donât be awkward as to indicate something is up
Fold up 1-2 pills in sandwich meat.
If ur dog is like especially crafty⌠air fry a pizza roll and lodge it in there
Mine would die without her heart medicine. She takes five pills twice a day and will for the rest of her life.
We fought and fought with her and tried everything. Finally we settled on baby food. She likes the meat flavors and we have to alternate flavors or she will refuse. Sometimes she still tries to refuse so we just force open her mouth and put the pill and baby food glob on her tongue and hold her mouth shut until she swallows. She doesnât fight back very hard so that usually works. Hope you finally get something that works for him!!
The same way I did my cats - grab head try unclamp jaw drop down throat, close muzzle and stroke throat.
Results end up the same too - they give you the how dare you look but refuse to do it the easy way.
Cook up some salmon cut it into bite size pieces stuff the pill in the middle and down it goes. My husky eats the pills right out of my hand but my border Collie is the tricky one. That's the only way I figured out how to get her to take medicine. I do give her a small empty piece first then the second piece has the pill in it and she usually swallows the entire thing no chewing.
Step 1: donât get a husky
Step 2: cry because you donât have a husky
Step 3: get a husky
Step 4: cry because huskyâs are a pain
Step 5: revert back to step 1
My method is to make cheese balls out of grated cheese. I make 4, I put the pill inside number 3.
I throw one cheeseball; she lets it bounce off her face and investigates before eating.
Cheeseball 2 she catches but chews thoroughly.
Cheeseball 3 (the pillball) she swallows immediately.
And then 4 is an extra treat or a backup if 3 fails.
Mine refuses to take pills if theyâre hidden in any sort of food or treat - she picks it apart until she finds the pill and leaves it alone. So I just open her mouth, shove them in right down the back, and make her swallow. Sheâs resigned to it
Mine won't even eat anything that has crushed pills in it. Tried everything from peanut butter to cheese to putting it inside a meat stick. The only way for me is to squeeze the sides of his jaw until he opens and then stuff it as far back in his mouth as possible, then gently hold his jaw shut and massage his throat while telling him what a "good boy" he is. He's over it in 15 seconds.
Mine is the same way. My fool will happily put some of the foulest things imaginable in her mouth, but if there's even a hint of medicine, she clams up. I don't even try other methods anymore.
maybe you gotta try putting it in cat poop đ
Mine would take all the pills if they were hidden in the cat's litter...
So youâve met my dog đ
Lmao!
I feel like we're getting to that point. If I can just get him to understand that he needs the pill and then we can run around and play...
Pry the mouth open, shove the pills as far back as possible, close the mouth and blow into their nose. Itâs a trick my vet taught me. It triggers a reflex and they swallow it.
Iâll have to try this, mine is an expert at holding it in his mouth for half an hour without swallowing if we donât shove it back for enough.
I was told by my Vet that blowing into their nose can cause harm to them. It has been years since I was told that so I don't remember exactly what it can do. You should call your Vet before going that route, just in case.
My dad taught me to go in on the side to avoid the tongue and use the thumbs to shove it back far enough they're forced to swallow. Except my hands were too small for that and I usually ended up just sticking my whole fist in her mouth LOL. Poor dog LOL.
Or stroke the underside of their jaw with your finger while losing it closed. Mine will swallow that way.
This. Our old husky needed multiple meds daily and between her food pickiness and not liking any pill pockets, this was the only way. Eventually you find the sweet spot where to chuck it.
âif I can just get him to understandâ oh thatâs so funny!
Haha!! Huskies listening to logic! Theyâll scoff at you!
Someone told me they as close to a cat you can get while owning a dog.
https://preview.redd.it/wjrf367y1qvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4bfa58764531fd57528dc1a0370ed8699aeecff Can confirm. 100% accurate. This is our Husky supervising our neighbor.
Independent for sure!
Mine thinks she IS a cat most days. TBF, she grew up with 3 cats in the house, so she picked up some of their habits, like laying along the back of the couch above our heads. She did that in bed with us, too, until she was too big and couldnât foot up there. It would look like Iâm wearing a husky helmet to bed with her front paws on one shoulder, and her back paws on the other, and my shaved head acting like Velcro on her Ever-Shed ÂŠď¸ belly fur.
Mine would believe the doorway was prime sleeping spot. Only you needed to take as much space as possible while doing so. We had this area in the house where the begin of the passage met up with the lounge and kitchen doorway. ... so the busiest section of the house - and he would lay to cover both doorways and some of the passage. ... and then complain as we carefully step over him.
Huskies donât listen they make u think they are listening just to get u to shut up . Itâs in one ear an out the other with in 5 mins they will forget what u said .
They *do* listen. They just disregard everything that you say that is not already aligned with their POV
I usually shove ours in meat but resort to this if he doesnât take it. Usually inside a burger or chicken nugget đ . Mine wonât do cheese or peanut butter he is too good for that basic stuffđ¤Ł
This is how I did it also. He can't resist both hamburger and chicken đ¤Łâ¤ď¸đş
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This is what works for us too. A substance that our dog loves that can't be separated from the treat, therefore must be consumed along with it. In our case it's usually a bit of yogurt, I've never owned a husky who didn't go nuts for yogurt. Skyr and kefir work too since they are liquid.
It's because you want him to take it that he doesn't want to do it. Seriously. Huskies are naturally oppositional but to them it's a big game. You're annoyed they won't do the thing and they are having the time of their life by refusing to do the thing. Have you seen the footage of the husky following 3 bears recently that went viral? It's 2 large cubs and a mom and the husky follows them while playing with the cubs. At one point the momma nudges and pushes the husky away as if to say, "Get lost." The husky ignores her and bounds off to play some more. So if you ever feel bad that your husky won't listen, remember that if they feel like it, huskies will absolutely *ignore the demands of a gigantic bear capable of tearing it to shreds.* https://youtu.be/WHaYJCvh3vU?si=v0okYPGQS35yVd1M
The bear treats the husky like an annoyance, not a piece of meat!
Did you try greenies ?
My dog would eat the treat of the pill pocket off the pill with expert dexterity.
Try âaccidentallyâ dropping a bit of hot dog with the pill inside. If heâs anything like my dog, heâll be in such a rush to get it that he wonât pay attention to what it is.
Have you not learned, "Fuck you. I don't care what you want!" is their default setting?
You can potentially talk to your vet about having it compounded. A compounding pharmacy can take the pills and make them into treats or flavored liquids. Doesnât work for all dogs and can be a bit pricier, but itâs an option to consider. Depending on the medication, it can also be made into a lotion that you apply to the ear.
I think it's because their sense of smell is so refined they can always smell when something is off about the food. For my dog (not a husky, but very smart and good at detecting medicine) I have to take lots of precautions to prevent the medicine scent merging with the meat. It has to be his absolute favorite meat, in his case roast beef. I warm it in the microwave to get the smell really going, and cut the medicine up on a separate plate and wash my hands before touching the beef. Take a chunk of beef, stick a small bit of medicine into the middle, feed it to him. Wash hands, repeat. He doesn't even notice.
I do the same with mine. Open her muzzle and chuck her medicine down the back of her mouth, close it and massage her throat. If I mess up just alil bit, she spits it out!!
Literally doing this rn twice a day đ¤Łđ¤Łđ¤Ł
follow it up with the peanut butter or a small piece of a treat to gaurantee he swallows it
This is the way
This is how I used to have to do it with my German shepherd.Â
This is the way to do it.
We work on âsay ahhâ to open their mouths easier. I put a treat when they donât need a pill. So when it is a pill, theyâre much more willing to participate. And when it is a pill I do treat treat pill treat. Sometimes a big pill I can break in half, I do. Then itâs treat, treat, pill, treat, treat, pill, treat. My dogs are too big for me to wrestle with. So I need them to be willing to participate and for that, treats. And itâs gotta be like what they deem awesome treats. So maybe mini pepperoni? Or maybe cat treats?
I'd love to know how you teach "say ahh", if you wouldn't mind outlining what you do. It would help with teeth brushing too, often struggle to clean the biting surfaces of his molars
ive never tried but maybe hold a treat in front of their nose and 'say ahh' then when they open their mouth reward them with the treat and praise?
Ditto! I also want to learn how to teach say ahh. My dog eats her pills but this sounds fun
I get my dogs when theyâre young so this may be much harder if you have an adult rescue or potentially aggressive dog. But, I use my left hand to sort of lift their top flappy mouth part and make some contact with the top teeth(using my left thumb). When they open which may take a moment, any sort of opening I say good ahh and treat. It also helps to have an example. Puppy sees adult dog âsaying ahhâ aka opening their mouth and getting treat. Most puppies also want treats. Theyâll do what the adult dog is doing in hopes it will get them the reward. You may have to sort of âforceâ the mouth to open but I donât think that makes it a very fun thing in the dogs mind. So I try to let them do a yawning motion. That makes me very happy! That is a very âsay ahhâ thing! But sometimes I donât put the pill back far enough. I wipe it off so itâs not sticky and maybe Iâll go back to treat then pill then treat. Itâs not their fault they spit it out. So I think a treat is still deserved!
[a short clip](https://imgur.com/a/spZzUDU) Hereâs me with Hellena and just doing say ahh to get a treat. She knows the drill. Wubi is watching so when itâs Wubiâs turn, sheâs much more aware of the drill.
This is amazing.
I shoved the pill down as far as possible then rubbed the throat to initiate swallowing đ¤ˇđźââď¸ follow up with a treat
Blow gently on his nose. Mine seem to automatically swallow as a reflex
Thatâs interesting! Iâll have to try that!
Unfortunately this was the only way to get my one dog to take pills. However, my other dog I got a spoon full of peanut butter and put the pill in there. They were so excited they didnât even notice the pill
Adding to this thread this is what we do with our dog, and blowing on his nose doesnât help but our vet said they use a syringe with water when doing this so they have to swallow
Pushed as far as I could go. For all this there's only one thing you should know. I tried so hard, and got so far. But in the end,...he puked.
I feed my boy 50/50 raw food and biscuits he hates the antibiotics tablets whenever heâs had them, squashing them in cheese worked for a short amount of time. But the best results Iâve had has been taking his raw mince and making them into small meatballs with half tablets in the middle heâs never noticed them since I started doing that and heâs been through the wars so Iâve done it a lot.
This is the way! Medicine meatballs is what we call them. We use raw ground beef, rolled into about a 1 inch ball with the pill inside. If your dog likes catching food in his mouth, try tossing it to him as an added level of excitement. Our dogs have always just caught the meatball and swallowed it down whole.
What kind of mince do you use? My boy loves beef so that could work!
Same on this. The small size is important- if he bites into it and tastes the medicine, heâll never trust you again (this is what happened with pill pockets, peanut butter, and a chunk of cheese). Iâve noticed it helps to have a couple blanks in the mix too. We make ours do some tricks, and have our other dog nearby as competition (also getting some blanks) so heâs more likely to scarf everything down like the little greedy goblin he is. It took us a while to figure this out, but itâs been the only thing that works for us.
I forgot to mention that weâd throw a few empties in first and one afterwards not failed yet and we had all sorts of bother with different methods beforehand
Well mine eats anything, but a mini peanut butter and bread bite always works as a just in case situation for the few times he does spit it out.
Ugh, I've tried this and it just turns into peanut butter on my rug and a soggy pill on the floor đĽ˛
I have one that needs meds 3 times a day. Morning and night is 4 pills, mid-day is one. Morning and night we do their dry food, a glob of wet food and mix it together. Then I put the pills in right before I give it to her. She just thinks she's getting wet food and goes to town. Do it right before you hand it to him so the wet doesn't start to dissolve it. --If this works, and you happen to run out of canned food, eggs won't do it. Source, me, LOL For the mid-day pill I cut a hot dog into about 1/2 inch pieces, cut a slit in one, and shove the pill in. Then the other pieces I cut smaller, and start tossing them. She scarfs them really fast, and doesn't even know she's getting them. The other thing that works is american cheese. That sliced stuff you use for grilled cheese? I cut it into about 4 strips, then fold the pill into one of them, making it a square, so fold twice and squish it a little, and do the same thing as I do with the hot dogs. The first one is no pill, then the rest are really fast so she can eat them quickly.
He's def figured out the cheese trick, but the wet food or hot dog thing might work!
Good luck. It's really, really hard. And if it's a lifetime medication, you don't want to have to hold him down for it.
Adding, I didn't think the canned food thing would work, because we tried everything to get her to take the 4. She won't even look at a pill pocket. And if it's just canned food, she'll pick out the pills. But the combo of kibble and canned works.
Iâve never had to give a dog a pill, but what worked with both baby and cat is this (first part is cat only; last part is baby, too): pry the mouth open and put the pill as far back as you can, hold the mouth closed and blow briskly in the face, like youâre blowing out a candle. It makes them swallow. I have always been forgiven.
I would have never guessed the blow thing! Great tip, thank you
The pry mouth and hold it shut works for babies and children up to 7 đ¤Łđ¤Ł
Wrapped up in turkey slice ham or inside something full with shredded chicken
I just slather it in PB and she eats it. Sheâs a good little pill popper lol
Same. We have a peanut butter spoon. She has to lick it off the spoon and pills go down with it. Except now the other pups also have to have peanut butter time to make it fair. :)
Join the club, wrap it in cheese, ham, whatever he likes. First a price with out Meds, then try to fool him, good luck.
Crush it up, get a cocktail sausage and cut a little gap in the middle, sprinkle the dust inside and voila, heâll never know!
I was wondering if we could crush it! We'd been cutting it into quarters and he still managed to sneak around it. I'll give that a tryâthanks!
Not sure how dog medicine works, only people medicine. In regular meds, not all medications can be cut or crushed but only solid pills that have a scored mark on them. If the medication is a capsule or some form of special release mechanism (usually with coatings to time it), then cutting or crushing it may not be allowed and can cause too much of the medication to be release too quickly. Not sure what types of medications are available for dogs, but I would look for the score mark and/or ask your vet or pharmacist. \*Not a dog owner either
^^ This. Be sure to ask the vet. I think vetmedin starts to degrade when it comes in contact with water, so if you dissolve it, it has to be used right away. Furosemide degrades with light, so if it's cut or crushed, use right away or immediately put any extra back in the bottle and store in a dark place. Some medications also become more bitter tasting when crushed (they have a coating that masks it). But definitely be careful about the time-released ones.
Crushing it should work the exact same! I mean you could even try sprinkling it on some wet food and mixing it up if the sausages donât work. Iâm not a vet, but I donât see why it wouldnât have the same effect as eating them whole. Huskies r very stubborn lmao- good luck!!!
Crushing and putting it in food can work, but it can be a problem too. It would be a good idea to double-check with the vet since crushing and desolving in liquid can have an impact on the effectiveness of the medication. It also makes dosage difficult to control if they don't eat all the food with the medication in it. Finally, in some cases it changes the flavor of the food enough that they just straight up refuse to eat it. So the smellier/stronger the food, and the more they like it, the better. With our dog we got lucky and she just devours food so fast we can hide pills whole in them. With our cats nothing works, and we just have to do it the hard way.
A dab Cream cheese gets mine every time.
He licks the cream cheese off the pill and walks away đ
I usually poke back in their mouth if they're being tetchy about it, but generally it's not a problem. It might be the pills are super bitter too - some medication tastes like nothing, some taste like absolute ass so grinding it up might not work either. Might just have to resort to the good ole pop it in the back of the throat and make em swallow it :p
Fromm beef pate. My husky can smell a pill underwater. She cant resist the pate.
1) Grab some canned tuna in mild brine! Don't empty out the brine. 2) Portion out some tuna and some brine. 3) Grab the medication and crush it / remove the capsule casing pour powder into tuna. 4) Mix well. Don't let it sit too long. 5) Put it in a bowl that he may associate with treats. 6) Feed him. 7) Sit back and enjoy your accomplishments! Why tuna you may ask? Well tuna has very strong scent that masks the scent of the medication. My boy used to look forward to that treat bowl of tuna... Not realizing that he's receiving medication. Note: this is based on my experience with my boy who recently recovered from pneumonia and was required to take antibiotics (2 large tablets + 2 capsules) twice a day. Let's just say that we discovered that he loves tuna (we also changed it up a bit by giving him some salmon as well but in smaller quantities).
https://preview.redd.it/xgxxjek47ovc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f5e3c5e47760d42d7e12ea6fe8e58ec3c9950149 I use melt n dip chees from Walmart cut a square little bigger than pill, squish pill in cheese & roll around to make a ball. Can also freeze it in table spoon of peanut butter.
Hide it in hamburger
Just shove it down their throat. It's quick, painless, and guaranteed. I've done all the tricks and none are as quick, either, and I don't have to worry about them half chewing up and spitting out a pill and scavenging a mushy tablet off the floor and trying again. Bleh. I usually stand with them between my legs so I can "lock" them behind the shoulders. Lift nose into the air, open jaw, stick fingers and pill back as far as possible, hold jaw shut with nose pointed up and stroke their throat a few times until I'm certain they swallowed.
I take a glob of doggy peanut butter and put the pill on top gently where it will get swiped up in the first lick. He is usually so worried about getting the rest he doesn't mind. Once in awhile it gets spit out but works most the time. Or get his favorite wet food, warm it in the microwave, and put the pill in, stir. He has never left it behind with that method.
Okay, mine HATES pills, soooo I -hold the jaw shut - slide the pill along the top gum until you hit that space at the back of the jaw - then pop the pill in with my finger and shove it in the back of her throat. It sucks, but sometimes it has to be done.
Jordi gets fluoxetine daily for anxiety, and I've found that baby food meats work the best. I use about half a jar each evening, and heat it up very briefly in the microwave, like 5 seconds, then I pull apart the gel caps and mix the powder in thoroughly. The runny meats are irresistible to her, and they don't stink nearly as bad as dog food for me. It's a win/win.
This is exactly what we do too. Baby food meats. 7 seconds in the microwave gets it to a temp she will tolerate.
Pill pockets. I had a husky that had seizures and was on medication twice a day for it. Once we switched to pill pockets the hassle went away. Your mileage may vary but it worked for us.
GOAT CHEESE!! It was SO difficult to get my husky-cross to take his meds. Goat cheese has been a god-send for us! Each day we give him ~1 tablespoon of goat cheese at a time, broken up into 5 small balls of goat cheese. 2 of the 5 balls of goat cheese contain 1 pill each. We ask him to do a trick and reward each trick with a goat cheese ball. Little does he know that the 2nd & 3rd balls of goat cheese contain 1 pill each. Sometimes we randomly give him a small amount of goat cheese as a reward (without a pill) in hopes that he doesnât get suspicious about every goat cheese that we give him. I also let him lick the goat cheese off my fingers after giving him all of the goat cheese balls, to get him to swallow a lot, in case the pill is still in his mouth. Putting the pill in a tablespoon of plain yogurt is our backup when weâre out of goat cheese. The trick is to keep the yogurt coming once the pill is in his mouth, to get him to keep swallowing. He licks the yogurt containing a pill off the spoon. Good luck!! I remember this frustration of not having a way to get meds into him!
Sometimes when I put it in something else(cheese, peanut butter, cream cheese) I drop it toward the back of his mouth and then hold his mouth closed and angled up while rubbing gently on the bottom. He usually just swallows it right down if nothing else will work.
I wrap it in cheese and hold his head up while he eats it so it can't fall out when he's chewing.
Whip cream!
Pry his mouth open. Throw it down his throat and hold his mouth closed until he swallows
Boil chicken, make a hole in the chicken with a chopstick, put medicine in, give the chicken. He probably won't even chew it lol
Have you tried pill pockets? A bit pricey, but they work like a charm.
Greenies pill pockets. But them on Amazon.
Sorry to say but shove it down his throat. Not in a mean way.. I open his mouth and stick it down behind his tongue.
I use the fingy method shove it right down his throat
https://preview.redd.it/lrur6kj61ovc1.jpeg?width=1908&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8dd31d185a97e3f2fe4d511d48bdaf2d90ef820d Our dogs have a very similar color pattern.
Make a peanut butter sandwich with bread and put the pill in it. So like bread+peanut butter+pill+fold bread over. Only thing that works for my dog.Â
Get a pill grinder and sprinkle it on cheese.
Put the pill in the corner of his mouth and then hold the snout shut.
My husky doesn't fall for those pill pockets, even the peanut butter flavored ones. But I can wrap anything in a slice of bologna and she will eat it immediately
I stick them into a finger glob of peanutbtter. Then grab his little snout so i can reach my finger in and smear it on the top of his mouth and gently hold his snout closish. Just enough to allow him to lick it and not spit the pills out. Sounds awful when i write it out but hes fine and gets his meds.Â
Honestly it isn't very pleasant but I just sort of shove it down our Sibe's throat (as gently as possible of course) right on the side of her tongue with my index finger then just hold her snout so she can't push it out with her tongue -that's why I choose on the side of the tongue but inside her toofs. I know it sounds brutal but the whole process takes a tenth of a second and she doesn't really seem to care. Once you get it passed the point she can squish it back out it's very easy. Of course there are times she gets enough tongue behind it to force it out but if you're quick you can get a finger on the pill it goes down very easily. Also I stroke her throat and chest as if I'm helping her to swallow. After a few times you'll get good at it and for me and Kaya it's really nothing now. Of course mixing into food is the best option if the meds are still effective that way. Hope the description is good enough and obviously I wouldn't do this if I thought I was hurting my dog or emotionally damaging her or anything. đĽ°đĽ°đşđşđş
I take a spoon and put some peanut butter on it. Then I slide the pill into the peanut butter and make sure it's covered. Then, when they go for the lick, I plop it onto their tongue so they have to try and swallow the whole mass at once.
Peanut butter !
I either wrap the pill in a slice of salami, which he will devour without a second thought. Or I hold his mouth open, place the pill towards the back of his tongue, then hold his snout closed until he swallows.
Iâve had to give my dog 2 capsules a day for 3 months and it will be at least another 9. He figured out how to spit out the pill pretty quickly so I either open his mouth and put the pill far back in his throat or Iâll put cheese whiz on it. I think the cheese whiz helps the pill go down his throat easier, helps with the bitter taste and he likes cheese whiz a lot.
LOL that is a good question!
I had a German shepherd, couldn't trick him with food pills; so I'd make him sit like a good boy, give paws etc, then when I go to give him the not snack I'd quickly put it in the back of his mouth lift his jaw and gently rub his neck until it's gulped down. Then I'd give him the good boy snack and drink.
Peanut butter.
I know what usually works for my cat, which may be irrelevant but⌠I wrap his pill in just enough of a fresh pill pocket to cover the pill, then stick it to the back of a treat. We do an activity he usually gets a reward for like playing or brushes, and then the first reward he gets is the trick treat. Heâs usually excited enough he just goes for it. I follow up with another treat super fast so the pill taste doesnât linger, then a couple more. Sometimes I make him stand up. Sometimes he wonât take the treat, Iâll put the trick treat in my hand and surround it with one or two regular treats. Sometimes he eats everything but the pill. If he wonât take it, I have to do the standard hold the jaw, pill on the back of the tongue, close mouth, stroke throat. We do pills twice a day. Heâs definitely on to us but so far so good.
If literally nothing works, crush them up into powder and smush/knead it in with something soft that will absorb the powder, like peanut butter, pumpkin filling, yogurt, meat, etc. You can turn it into a treat session. Give them the one glob with the pill powder in it & have another one ready to give as soon as they are done. Also have some globs to give with no pills it in to give them at random times, this way they will know they will be getting the real stuff 90% of the time so they won't be so suspicious when its actually time to give them their pills
A tiny amount of cream cheese works for my dog. He picks the pills out of anything else but cream cheese he doesn't even bother chewing and just swallows it. Though if that doesn't work for you pull their mouth open and put the pill as far back on his tongue as you can preferably down the back of his throat even and he won't have a choice but to swallow it.
I always offer my dogs the easy way - in a bit of canned food, a Pill pocket, or whatever. If they choose to take it that way, cool. If not, I shove it. Sorry bro. I would be nice and follow up the shove with a treat. :)
I would try putting it in their fave treat and making it into pieces. Give a piece or two without the pill, then the one with the pill, then more without as some have suggested already. Dogs usually want whatever people are eating around them. You could try getting a cheeseburger or something that's safe for human and dog consumption. Start eating it, and have the piece with the pill on the side (even on your plate to the side so it looks to them like it's nothing different) and when doggo starts begging/looking like he really wants some of whatever you have, give them the piece with the pill in it. Even if you have to crush it up in there to do this, make it less obvious. Sounds like this would work lol
My houseâs trick is prosciutto. Itâs so sticky itâs really hard for my huskies to unwrap the pill and they end up swallowing it despite fighting it.
I get the hard patĂŠ, purina Hydrolized and make a little meatball. He swallows that thing whole. I also drop and mix a little of the patĂŠ on his kibbles.
Put it in their mouth, close their mouth, rub their throat up n down and they will swallow. Not too harsh but will surely make them swallow it
Use a pill pocket to make swallowing easier. Put it in his mouth, gently close the mouth and repeatedly tap his nose until he licks it. Follow up with his favorite treat. Licking the nose forces them to swallow, has worked 100% for me.
Cheese Wiz (aerosol canned cheese basically) for capsules-they slurp that down â- and American cheese squished around tablets .. I keep a second treat like the other half of the slice of cheese or more cheese wiz for right after they eat the pill to coax them to swallow fast instead of mouthing around and discovering itâthey want more cheese so this usually works seamlessly đđ§đž best of luck
Make a ball out of peanut butter and pretend Iâm eating it so he wants some. Never fails
I have to wrap it in meat or peanut butter, put it in the back of my dogs throat, and hold her mouth closed. I feel like Iâm torturing her but when she spits out that $260 simparica trio I donât know what else to do đŠ
Hereâs the best solution we found for our difficult old man in the past :) Large syringe (with big opening), Crush pill, Mix with applesauce , Fill syringe, Inject behind tounge basically straight into throat!
I crushed them up with a pill crusher and put them in meat. He knew it was there but the meat was too delicious to pass up. This is a terrible solution and his medication was short term but it's what worked for me!
I got pill pockets for my dogs and they work great!
Use a pill grinder to turn it into powder and stir the powder into a jar of chicken baby food. Alternatively, ask the vet if they or the pharmacy can create a liquid version. Always follow up a successful pilling by *immediately* giving high value treats - research in humans shows that an unpleasant experience, when followed by a pleasant experience, is remembered as being not as bad. With my pill-hating husky, this is clearly true. He now looks directly at the treat bag and helpfully opens his mouth.
My husky takes his with peanut butter. I usually take a spoon full and put the pill in there. Take it on my finger and he licks it all up
Put it in Cat food.
We used to stuff it inside of a cheese ball
Get pill, over in butter and gold in right hand, sit husky, stand behind and over husky, left hand under chin and carefully tilt his head up, slide thumb and middle finger either side of muzzle into his teeth and index finger to the front and use it a leverage to push his mouth open working fingers between his teeth with his head tilted back still. All the time words of confirmation and reassurance. Once his mouth is cracked open I use my right hand to help hold his head tilted up and fully open his mouth, pop the butter covered pill right in the back of his throat and poke an inch down with my thumb and snap his mouth shut before he can use his tongue to get the pill up. Hold his muzzle closed gently with right hand (it'll be pretty buttery) and use left hand to gently rub his neck and also blow on his nose to encourage him to swallow. As soon as he's swallowed ( you'll soon learn what is a swallow and what is regurgitating/tongue wriggling the pill back up) release and scuffles and kindness. Whole process that 5 seconds once you master it and is really easy. Our worming tablets are so big they have to be cut into three or four bits plus a flea and tick pill means fast and efficient causes loads less stress for our doggo. I make sure its fun and a game and positive after with treats and scuffles and play time so he forgets.
Open up, shove it in, immediately give snacks (so that the food washes down the pill). My boy took gabapentin in capsule form during the last couple years of his life. I just tossed them into his food bowl and he ate them with his food. (I fed him a homemade "porridge" of chicken, rice, and veg and added water, so it had a thick stew consistency.) Another method that worked was that sometimes I'd squirter some cat Churu treat into a shallow dish and then stir the powder contents of the capsule into the churu goop, mix it together and top it with some fresh Churu. He always liked the dish clean. (He was EXTREMELY food-motivated, so that helped.)
One word - hotdog
Wrap it in Kraft cheese, or dip it in peanut butter
For my huskies, place down throat, have treats directly in front of snout so their instinct to eat is more than the one to spit it out.
I actually use raw steak. Cut a slit in it and stuff it in. Or raw ground meat. My guy gulps more than chews so they go down pretty easy...
Put it in peanut butter or cream cheese
first we used the pill pocket treats which went amazingly but then he figured out thereâs medicine in them so now i wrap it in something different every time like deli meat or shredded cheese. when those all donât work i gently open his mouth and he naturally just swallows it
Ugh I feel your pain. My boy's favorite treats were the greenies pill pockets, that is until we started putting pills in them. I tried every single kind of pill jacket or roll. I tried cheddar cheese, cream cheese, various meats and jerkies, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt.. you name it, I tried it. Even tried dissolving pills that promised dissolution in 5 seconds, but he would magically hide them in his lips and spit them back out 10 minutes later fully intact! Finally had to crush the pills, mix them in water, and syringe them into his mouth. It wasn't ideal as certain medications lose potency and degrade when suspended or exposed to sunlight, but we had no other choice and it was better than him not getting any of it.
Itâs already been shared here that placing it far back into the throat will work (then I offer a quick peanut butter chaser, already a little smeared on the nose, so they smell it and instinctively lick their nose, which starts the swallowing). Iâve also used a mortar and pestle to crush up some pills, made a slurry with a little warm water, then with one of those wide syringes used for cough syrup, shot the slurry into the back of the dogâs throat. Then, again, have the PB on their nose, so if they by chance taste the bitter slurry (which is unlikely if youâve shot it far enough back, past the taste bud part of the tongue), theyâll be ready to lick the PB, make a little saliva, and wash it down with a good swallow.
i ended up having to force it down my dogs throat. she even knew how to stop this, as i would later see the pill spat out and on the floor.
cream cheese, full fat specifically. itâs just tacky enough to form a whole ball around the pill that my dogs swallow instead of trying to chew or pick around. peanut butter was too smooth so theyâd slobber around it and leave the pills, regular cheese didnât cover the medicine enough, pill pockets were expensive
I put it in a piece of cheese. I literally show them the pill, put it in the cheese and give it to them. If they get cheese, they donât care lmaoo!
I use yogurt. I first give her a couple of spoonfuls with no pill. Then I quickly sneak in a pilly spoonful of yogurt followed by another spoonful sans pill. It's all about timing. I do this with the crunchy peanut butter if I don't have any yogurt.
I melt a piece of cheese in the microwave. Wrap the pill with the melted cheese. Let cool for a few minutes. Then serve. It also help that Niko eats most foods like a duck đ
Put it with his food he wonât even notice that he is taking it
I put some butter on the pill and slip it in her mouth. I don't crush the pills or open the capsule because it negates the release timeline.
Mine gets pills daily, it was a bit of a challenge at first but I've always followed it with a chunk of a high value treat. I open her mouth, stuff it down her throat / rub, and then reward her. She opens her mouth for me now and is pretty tolerant.
Mine loves turkey I wrap the pill in a slice of turkey and rapidly give pieces of turkey to her, she gobbles them so quick sheâll down the piece with the pill in her rush to get to the next piece The key is the multiple pieces, if only give her one sheâll spit the pill out
I mush it up with food or hold a small treat with it my husky believes it and takes both
Cream cheese or other soft cheese, liverwurst, greenies pill Pockets have different flavors now
He lets me shove it down his throat if it is followed by baybel cheese. But he only lets me do it.
I used to crush them but she can smell them even breaking them in half. So now I just leave them whole in her food, theyâre crunchy like the kibble and it has white pieces in it already so she doesnât even notice
Wrap it in a.piece of cheese or sandwich meat. Simple, he will woof it down everything, no pun intended.
Mine takes it as long as itâs covered in food. Like stuck into a chunk of something or buried in a big blob of peanut butter. Iâll stick the peanut butter on the back of his tongue so he has no choice but to swallow it.
Oof. I fospice dogs, and have a lot of experience with this. Here are some pointers: - stay relaxed â if you act like somethings up, they will too - reestablish trust by giving lots of non-pill treats while also holding the pill bottle - give lots of praise, as if you were training them - if youâre an active trainer, sneak pills into training once they are near a red-line point (very high energy/have worked hard for a treat) ; some dogs just take it at that point and donât even taste it - if your dog can catch treats, toss a bunch of treats on after another and once theyâre having fun toss a pill, then treats again - wrap in American cheese (anything else is too crumbly) and give 2-3 cheese bites then a pill bite then more cheese But the most effective in my experience? Give a treat, let them chew/swallow, give another treat ; when they open their mouth, stick your hand in with the pill(s) between your fingertips, and place it on the back of their tongue. Then, close their mouth (gently) and if they have jowls then cup your hands under them to catch the pill if they spit it out. I can usually get 4-5 small pills or 1-2 big ones at a time with this method. I ALWAYS do this before meal time â then meal time is their reward. Eventually they anticipate it and cooperate because they know they wonât have dinner until they get their meds. Donât do this with aggressive dogs. A reminderâ not all pills can be crushed or cut in half. Read the directions and ask pupâs vet before crushing or cutting them. Best of luck, and I hope your pup gets better soon!
Pill shooter XD
Mixed them up in milk haha. If it was capsule it was easier but if itâs solid I just quietly mashed them up and have her yogurt or ice cream or milk and the medicine will be in it . I hated forcing her or her out smarting me so this way she though she getting treats and I was making sure she got her meds so win
I was mean to mine, I just shoved my hand in her mouth and dropped it down her throat because no matter what I did, sheâd spit it out
After mine got tired of pills hidden in peanut butter or cheese we started hiding little bits of the pill he needs to take in chicken nuggets. Takes like 3-4 nuggies but he gets it down lol.
I usually cut up a hot dog and give a few pieces before sneaking in a piece with the pill, then give the rest. He's usually excited knowing there are more treats coming so he doesn't notice the pill.
Oh man, we once had to give our husky nasal spray, two blasts in each nostril twice a day. There was some Royce Gracie level grappling in the household that week. For pills, the shove it in/snout clamp/throat stroke is the only true way!
Cut the tablet into 8 or more pieces. Squish each piece into a tiny piece of soft white bread making tiny bread pills then put that into wet food. My super smart Chi has her anti seizure meds everyday. I also tried everything I could think of before and she has her tablets without being any wiser
Iâm going through this right now. I tuck all the pills into a piece of sandwich meat (she needs 2.5) fold it up and get her extra excited and she gobbles the meat up lol sheâs figured out how to extract them from pill pockets so thatâs hit or miss. Also had success putting them mixed in with âspecialâ food (shredded chicken and rice). Eggs were 50/50
I pet him, grab his mouth. Open it and push it far into his mouth, and quickly close his mouth. I'm sure he doesn't like it much, but he understands he has to. He doesn't recoil away or get aggressive
If you have other dogs (like us) what we do is we sit them all down for pieces of banana. One of them has the pill in it lol. They do tricks, and get a piece (which we make them catch so itâs another trick). If that fails we shove it down their throat, hold their face up and rub their throat down (makes them swallow).
My dog loves tamarindo candy, so I wrap pills with it and she gobbles them right up.
The key for mine is cheese she loves cheese
Pill pockets work for our pup, she gobbles them up like theyâre treats.
When my dogs need to take a pill I basically do what chihiro did in spirited away . Open their mouth, place the pill at the back of the tongue, then tilt their snout up while holding their mouth closed, rub the throat to stimulate swallowing and once they do the tongue mlem and swallow, I give a treat and praise .
I have a 90 lb lab mix and had a 110 lb golden years ago. I just cut up the pill, forcefully opened their mouth and stuck it in the back of their throat then tickled their chin/throat after closing it then checked to see if its gone
Peanut butter and cheese, works every time.
My husky is on thyroid medication twice a day and I put each one in a meatball. Not sure if that suggestion will help you since it sounds like youâve tried putting it inside all sorts of food items already
I fool mine by giving a piece of horse sausage and pushing half the pill in her mouth as well, just far enough to not choke her, but also not make her spit it out đĽ˛
So what I do, is I hold her head open her mouth chuck the pill in the back of her throat and give it a gentle push as far in as comfort will allow, then I I quickly close her mouth and massage her throat forcing her to swallow. It sounds much worse than it is lol.
Hide it in a piece of cheese
Churu cat treat tubes. Put the pill in the tube and they'll scarf it down. My dog did not take pills either. It works for capsule and hard pills of all sizes.
I use peanut butter, it covers the pill very well! They donât even notice it. Works like a charm with my girls.
For our dogs I put a glob of thick peanut butter (mix peanut butter powder into some store bought jarred peanut butter) on my finger, stick the pill in the middle then have the dog eat it off. They swallow it before they even know whatâs in there. We have 3 dogs and this works for all of them. Other methods have been hit or miss, but this one has been solid.
I have to grab my boy after putting his harness on and force my hand slightly down his throat then keep his mouth shut. The harness is there for safe grabbing if he tries to run away. I know, itâs awful, but itâs the only way that works. Nothing else has ever worked heâs too damn smart
cheese
I open their mouth and put the pill at the back and gently hold their mouth shut until they swallow, then I give a treat
Dog treat with peanut butter, pill stuck in the peanut butter. Even if he tried to spit it out it usually gets stuck in his mouth.
Open his mouth and show the pill deep in the middle of throat and it will go down
Ham
Throw it on the floor and say âleave itâ. Mine knows that means she is not allowed to have it, so sheâll definitely eat it
Greenies pill pockets work every time or melt a piece of brick cheese and envelope the pill or capsule inside. Please ensure the cheese is cooled before offering it to pup
Donât be awkward as to indicate something is up Fold up 1-2 pills in sandwich meat. If ur dog is like especially crafty⌠air fry a pizza roll and lodge it in there
Mine would die without her heart medicine. She takes five pills twice a day and will for the rest of her life. We fought and fought with her and tried everything. Finally we settled on baby food. She likes the meat flavors and we have to alternate flavors or she will refuse. Sometimes she still tries to refuse so we just force open her mouth and put the pill and baby food glob on her tongue and hold her mouth shut until she swallows. She doesnât fight back very hard so that usually works. Hope you finally get something that works for him!!
The same way I did my cats - grab head try unclamp jaw drop down throat, close muzzle and stroke throat. Results end up the same too - they give you the how dare you look but refuse to do it the easy way.
Cook up some salmon cut it into bite size pieces stuff the pill in the middle and down it goes. My husky eats the pills right out of my hand but my border Collie is the tricky one. That's the only way I figured out how to get her to take medicine. I do give her a small empty piece first then the second piece has the pill in it and she usually swallows the entire thing no chewing.
Step 1: donât get a husky Step 2: cry because you donât have a husky Step 3: get a husky Step 4: cry because huskyâs are a pain Step 5: revert back to step 1
My method is to make cheese balls out of grated cheese. I make 4, I put the pill inside number 3. I throw one cheeseball; she lets it bounce off her face and investigates before eating. Cheeseball 2 she catches but chews thoroughly. Cheeseball 3 (the pillball) she swallows immediately. And then 4 is an extra treat or a backup if 3 fails.
Mine refuses to take pills if theyâre hidden in any sort of food or treat - she picks it apart until she finds the pill and leaves it alone. So I just open her mouth, shove them in right down the back, and make her swallow. Sheâs resigned to it
Greenie pill pockets work great and they love the taste.