won't take meds

[honeybear]

Our yorkie has to take brochodialor pill twice each day and we are running out of ideas on how to get her to take them. We find one way and by the next time she too has determined that there is a pill in that treat. HELP please. It is time released so we can't crush it.

[Krystee]

With regular small pills, I would wrap it up in a small piece of bread (like a piece torn off of a slice) and Tobie never even knew there was a pill on there. However, he does tend to eat things fast. Sometimes I wonder if he even chews at all lol

[Amazing Yorkies]

I stick pills in cheese. I give them 1 small piece without pill for the trust issue that no pill is there and then they can't help but beg for the next piece.. with pill.
If all else fails, there is such a thing as a pill popper I get at the Vet. Stick the pill in the popper, and plunge it in. Works smooth and quickly and stress is gone. I've got some that just won't take a pill in a treat.

[Julie1760]

I also use cheese...I have in a pinch used liver paste or piece of hot dog. I try to find the food I know she is crazy for. Usually that is cheese.

[RMKC]

the only thing that worked for my 2 was the greenies pillpockets, i bought them at the Vets ! Good Luck !

[dwerten]

i use organic chicken i bake every 3 days and chop up chunks and put pill in there - also some people do 3 at a time one with no pill one with pill and last no pill to trick them

[Pa Yorkie Mom]

I also use Greenies Pill pockets. They gobble them so fast they have no idea there is a pill in there. I buy mine at PetSmart though. Pet Co also carries them. Cheaper than at the vets.

[honeybear]

Thanks to all who replied. She loves cheese, tried that....bread, tried that, allergic to chicken. Daughter said Petsmart has the green pill pockets for dogs and cats so I guess we will try that.
Thanks for your help.

[Abby08]

My husband is a licenced vet tech,( he no longer works in that line of work,but he does keep his licence up to date and attends educational classes for that purpose.) but he remembers how to give a pill. He opens the dogs mouth, so that he has hold of the upper muzzle and the bottom part hangs open with tongue out as usual . You put the pill as far back as you can see on the tongue. Quickly use your other hand to close the mouth, hand closing muzzle and holding closed but not so tightly they can't breath. The dogs face and muzzel should be pointed up vertically at you.

While holding the muzzle closed, stroke their throat gently with your other hand, and blow a quick long breath into the dog's nose. They should swallow and the pill should go down the hatch hold it closed until they swallow! very important! allow them to breath so don't hold muzzle too tight. Sometimes on a stuborn one, you can take a small food sryinge filled with water and poke it into the side of the mouth and squirt a little water into the mouth and that will induce them to swallow too.

Sometimes you can coat the pill with Nutri Cal or Butter or some kind of slippery flaovorful beef or chicken juice or something sweet like honey or kayro syrup to help it go down

Another friend told of their clever dog figguring out there were dreaded pills in his treats. They took a hot dog and cut it up in to several same size pieces, they put the pill in one and gave the dog the first "plain" two which he quickly gobbled up and then poped the third one to him just as fast,(with pill inside) into the dogs mouth, he gobbled it up and they gave him the last one as an added bonus treat. Just treat all the treats the same, so they won't know a pill is in one of them. Don't let them see you put it in either, they are pretty smart for being "dumb" animals

I hope this helps! My husband always gets the medicine job at home, and sometimes he has to do it more than one time, but he usually has success the first time but sometimes on rare occasion it will take 3 times

[Krystee]

Am I just a nervous weenie cause I would be scared to death to do that! LOL. I would be so paranoid that they would choke or something. Then again, I do get nervous just clipping their nails. LOL

[Rockdiva]

When Wookie was little I tried the hiding technique too, but he would eat the cheese, meat whatever around the pill then spit the pill out!!

I have had to do the above technique (putting pill in mouth and holding muzzle closed til swallowing) and it works great!

All of a sudden though he is taking his pills in cheese just fine, and any liquid meds he licks out of a syringe!! Don't know....

[Abby08]

Well, that is kinda my problem too, afraid they might choke, that is why I let my hubby do it most of the time. He has lots of training and has done it way more times than I have, but even I have done it successfully with both cats and dogs. None of our animals have choked to death yet and have taken their meds whether they wanted to or not

But, you don't put it down so far that you can't see it, just make sure you close their mouth quickly hold their head up in the verticle direction and blow down their nose and stroke their throat before they have time to think about it and work the pill back up to the front of their mouth

We used the additional technique with the oral syringe water squirt with our last collie to give her meds when she would no longer eat on her own.

The method with giving a couple of blank treats first and then the pill hidden treat works for us too.

Sometimes when you have given a pill in a treat and they have figured it out, you just have to try a different method and don't use the same technique each time.

[angel_evans]

My furbabies will eat anything and i mean anything when its mixed with green tripe.. but the smell of tripe is not for eveyone..
I hide their herbal coat supplement pills and their omega oil in a spoonful green tripe everyday for the past 6 months..

Other things i have had success with includes coating the pill with honey or hiding it in a small mince-meatball

[crystalsmom]

I found putting the pill in cream cheese works really well, it can't fall out and unless they start chewing they swallow it.

Get really excited when you are opening the package and you take a couple bites as your yorkie is watching.

I hope this works.

[MrsPeanut]

Have you tried peanut butter. That seems to get my dogs to eat the pills.