Down the Hatch

Giving pills to your dogs is something that all dog owners will do at one time or another. Some dogs will just need it for a few days. Others will need to take medication for the rest of their life.

Giving dogs their medicine is easier said than done. Dogs can usually sniff out the pill with their strong nose and will do what they can to not take the pills.

There are some methods that do work. Here are ones that have worked for me:

1. Manually. This is one of the harder ways to get your pet to take medication. If you put your hand at the fulcrum of the jaw and press it so that it open, you can usually fit a pill at the back of the mouth. You then close the mouth and keep it closed for a couple of seconds so the dog will have to swallow the medication.
2. Cover the pill with food. Since Cookie needs to take Vitamin E every day as a preventative for epilepsy, Mom and I have had the best luck by either burying it in canned food or using peanut butter. Both of these foods are strongly scented enough that the dog is more focused on the food and not what's inside.
3. Grind it up. You can take the pill and use a mortar and pestle to grind it into a fine powder and put it in with the dog's food. This works best with moist food but may also work with dry. Also, the end of a butter knife will work as well.
4. Pill Pockets. Pill pockets are a new product made by Greenies that have worked great when I've had difficulty giving my dogs their medication. It's a soft treat that has a pocket where you insert the pill and then I close the top ends together. The dogs love the smell of the treat so much the swallow it whole. They are a little on the pricey side but are good to use as a last resort.

Well, thanks for stopping in. I hope the week is off to a good start for all of you.