# struggling to give Pip his tablets



## Rach&Pip (Aug 15, 2011)

Hello, thought I'd create a separate thread about Pip and his meds for his congestive heart failure.
we've had him back a day and a half now and its been lovely. but he has lots of tablets to take, and the vet said they are literally going to keep him alive. 3 meds in total; one of them once a day, another once a day, and another three times a day. the vet said when he was staying at the surgery him and the nurses would force his mouth open and pop the tablet in the back of his mouth, shut his mouth then massage his throat to help him swallow. today was extremely difficult; i managed to get a couple in him this morning, but when it came to any more he'd had enough. his head was writhing everywhere, he was growling and snapping and barking it was upsetting. we mashed one up in some fresh rotisserie chicken and he wouldn't touch it. we were so stressed we went back to the vet and the nurses tried to get it down him but it was a huge struggle and they had to give up in the end. the vet came in in the end and said its not worth causing him so much stress, in an ideal world he would take it easily at the same time each day etc. we just have to see what we can do, in the end when we came back home he ate the chicken. and we gave his other tablets later attached to bits food (porridge and hula hoops!). but doing this everyday is going to be tough. 

i realise I have been rambling on so will cut to the chase - anyone else who has had to give their dogs tablets, how did u do it? and particularly anyone whos chis are fussy eaters like mine so its not always guaranteed they'll get the whole tablet from a bowl of food its been mashed up in!


----------



## efinishya (Nov 2, 2010)

My friend has a dog that has severe allergies and needs to to take a tablet medicine everyday. The only thing that works for her is putting the tablet inside a banana. So maybe you could cut up a small piece of banana and put the tablet in it and see if that works. Or maybe just do what my parents did to me when I was little. Mash up the tablet, mix it with water and put in a syringe and give it to him.


----------



## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I use peanut butter! I started feeding dabs of p.butter when they were babies, and now they take it right off the spoon. Not much---1/4 of a teaspoon maybe. Less is good. Another thing is soft cheese like Laughing Cow. Have him sit with you, and feed the first little bit of p.butter with nothing in it, then the pill in the p.butter, and then very quickly as soon as he has it in his mouth, the 3rd bit that has nothing in it. Good luck. Sue


----------



## jan896 (Dec 9, 2009)

when chico had his LP surgery someone suggested Baby food... I use the Chicken baby food and smash the pill and stir it up in some baby food......... YUM...


----------



## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

I have to give my chi 3 tabs a day for severe allergies. I feed THK and put the pill in the food (not crushed up) so I know whether or not she ate it. She eats it most of the time. For the times she spits it out; here is a little trick I learned-- Get a little syringe of water. Put pill in the back of the dogs throat; as soon as you take your hand out, blow in the dogs nose (this triggers the swallowing reaction), then slip the syringe in the side of the dogs mouth. The water insures the pill went down. Works like a charm! I also buy discounted meat from my grocery store. I'll give Midgie an itty bitty piece of the meat which makes her want more, then I'll slip the pill in the middle of another small piece of meat and give it to her.


----------



## Nancy (Feb 4, 2009)

I have to give my dog phenobarbital 2 times a day...I use peanut butter ..works the best ..if I am out I use cheese..I scoop out a small peice enough to fit the pill in and then put the rest back on top....I always have 2 helpings ready incase the first one fails and the pill doesn't go down..works like a charm for Jose...


----------



## Gingersmom (Mar 12, 2009)

cheese here...we make a small cheese ball..they never notice the pill


----------



## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

Cheese & Peanut Butter here too. Get a block of cheese, cut off tiny piece, put pill in cheese, and make it to where the cheese makes a lil ball around the pill. Pretty much the same with peanut butter. Put the pill in the middle of a bit of peanut butter. Whatever your pups fave. treat is usually always works. Just make sure you put the pill in the middle and form a ball around it so they don't notice it. : )


----------



## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

Since I feed canned food, I can even make a tiny ball of their food around the pill and they take it. Hope some of the suggestions work for you. : )


----------



## AllaboutEve (May 20, 2010)

We use peanut butter for poppys allergy pills, or cheese, little balls of my cats meat if she is stubborn. I give her a couple of tiny chunks with nothing in & by the 3rd she is not even chewing so swallows it without even noticing!! . I've also used tiny meatballs from mince chicken. Hope it helps


----------



## svdreamer (Feb 20, 2010)

We use braunschweiger (goose liver). The strong smell and taste makes it go down easy. For some, I can push it down there throats, but for the few I have that are head shy, I use the liver. Also, Petsmart have the pill pockets that some have used and they have said that they work very well. You can get them cheaper online, too.

Walmart.com: Greenies Pill Pocket Dog Treats With Real Chicken, 30ct: Dogs


----------



## joeandruth (Aug 11, 2012)

Gingersmom said:


> cheese here...we make a small cheese ball..they never notice the pill


...

We use a tiny ball of whipped cream cheese, carefully rolled around the pill. This works extremely well.


----------



## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

I also use peanut butter to sneak Gemma pills or medicine. She just licks the glob off my finger and gulps it down. If you do use peanut butter, make sure you use all natural or organic peanut butter. Don't use cheap stuff like Jif or Skippy with all those sugars and hydrogenated oils.


----------



## MiniGrace (Oct 31, 2011)

I use little sections of hot dog. I also sometimes wait until I am eating a meal and they are so excited to get a treat from my plate that they don't notice the pill tucked inside it. I realize feeding your dogs from the table is not something that everyone does so you might not want to do that but it may work.


----------



## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

LittleGemma said:


> I also use peanut butter to sneak Gemma pills or medicine. She just licks the glob off my finger and gulps it down. If you do use peanut butter, make sure you use all natural or organic peanut butter. Don't use cheap stuff like Jif or Skippy with all those sugars and hydrogenated oils.


I had a dog on a horrible tasting medicine 2x a day for 60 days a year or so ago so I feel your pain. Also I have not bought sugarey "regular" peanut butter ever in my adult life. Except to medicate that dog. When it comes to stuff like this you just have to do what works and sugar and hydrogenated oil tastes good. I used in the end peanut butter and either Velveeta cheese or squeezy can cheese. I know it is gross and bad for them but Copley needed these meds to live so I did it. The other trick I learned was that I always gave him 3-4 bits and the meds were hidden in a different one every time. He was so used to getting 4 pieces of cheese or PB in a row that he didn't notice the pills were in one of them- he just swallowed fast to get to the next one.

Other things that worked for us for a while were chicken gizzards and hearts with pills stuffed in them (The arteries in the heart were great pill pockets), natural peanut butter, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese and wellness 95% meat canned topper. Good luck!


----------



## Barracuda51 (Oct 7, 2012)

Yup peanut butter, sliced cheese or braunschweiger works for us, most the time with our ol gal Luna i just pop open her mouth push pill as far back as i can quickly, close mouth hold shut stroke throat and its gone and treat afterwards.


----------



## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

doginthedesert said:


> I had a dog on a horrible tasting medicine 2x a day for 60 days a year or so ago so I feel your pain. Also I have not bought sugarey "regular" peanut butter ever in my adult life. Except to medicate that dog. When it comes to stuff like this you just have to do what works and sugar and hydrogenated oil tastes good. I used in the end peanut butter and either Velveeta cheese or squeezy can cheese. I know it is gross and bad for them but Copley needed these meds to live so I did it. The other trick I learned was that I always gave him 3-4 bits and the meds were hidden in a different one every time. He was so used to getting 4 pieces of cheese or PB in a row that he didn't notice the pills were in one of them- he just swallowed fast to get to the next one.


Did you ever try giving him organic/natural peanut butter? Most dogs really like peanut butter regardless of whether it's organic or the cheap sugary stuff. I'm pretty sure it's just the peanut flavor that they love. Gemma LOVES the organic peanut butter I get. I also never buy the other stuff anyways.

For the OP, A small piece of fresh raw meat is another good idea which is healthier than the high-fat alternatives like peanut butter and cheese. If it's a long term med, you probably want to use something that's less fattening. You can poke the meat with a thin knife and stick the tablet inside. Depending on how big the tablet is, you may want to break it up into a few pieces and conceal it in a few pieces of meat instead of just one. You don't want the piece to be big enough to be a choking hazard. I always have to cut Gemma's raw up very small because she just gulps without chewing when it's only meat. I could easily conceal pills in the meat without her knowing.


----------

