Get a dog to eat(and like) a pill

Today I took my english mastiff puppy to the vet and she had to take some antibiotics when we got back home, and the puppy (her name is liberty) hates pills. What to do? read on young one.

Step 1: Supplies

What you need.
Rice flour
water
chicken broth
fork
small bowl
pill

and of course
(drum roll please)


A Puppy! (who hates pills)

Comments

[Crazblnd]

I have one dog that will eat anything you hand him, no problem. I have one dog that can find the pill hidden in anything and spit it out. Both of my pups are old, and so have several medications daily. My secret weapon is squeezy cheese! You know, the stuff that comes in the can for squeezing on crackers. They seem to prefer the american or bacon cheddar versions. Unlike peanut butter, it doesnt stick, so it slides down and doesnt cause my brat to "feel or taste" the pills. And like PB, it sticks to the pills, so is very hard to "eat around". Works like a champ. Another weapon to add to your inventory =)

[Bernice Spiteri]

This is really good, but my dog's a VERY fussy eater, and the only way we can make her swallow her pills is by hiding them in the center of a piece of soft chocolate (like a piece of a mars bar) and even then she sometimes doesn't eat the chocolate!

[kylara70]

You need to check with your vet. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs (REALLY). Some dogs have more trouble with it than others (West highland white terriers) but it is poisonous to all dogs. The bad stuff in it can build up in their systems and eventually kill them. Some dogs can have an immediate reaction. Please ask your veet before you give your dog any more chocolate.

[Bernice Spiteri]

actually, it was the vet who suggested it as it seemed the only way we could get her to take her pills. But thanks for the message. ;)

[susanrm]

Your vet needs to be better informed. Poor doggy. Have you tried the commercial pill pockets? Animals love them... I'm on this site to try to find a less expensive homemade alternative.

More info on the chocolate-toxic-to-dogs issue:
http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/nutritiondogs/a/chocolatetoxici.htm

It's the theobromine that gets them. And even worse, the toxicity is cumulative. That is, the bromides don't break down in the dog's body, so the toxicity builds little by little. I hope your dog will recover.

[rbiggs1]

It actually takes a lot of chocolate to poison a dog. It would take almost 2 pounds of milk chocolate to cause concern to a 20 pound dog and the chances that your dog could eat that much without you knowing or stopping it are slim. Not to mention, if you have 2 pounds of chocolate laying around you have other issues...

Now you claim that it the poison builds up over time. This is not true. The theobromine lasts for at most 48 hours in an average dog's system.

So basically, if you do not give him a lot of it every day, he will be fine. Probably will just have an upset stomach.

That being said... Dont give your dog chocolate if you can avoid it regardless of how safe it is. Worry more about the sugar than the toxicity and dont panic if your puppy eats a couple M&Ms.

[susanrm]

Well, we disagree about that. I have heard from multiple sources, including vets, that the toxicity from the thebromine can build up in the tissues after repeated exposure to chocolate, since the dog's system breaks it down so slowly. And while a little chocolate won't do immediate harm, other more concentrated sources, such as baker's chocolate, cacao, and high-percentage chocolate, can do more harm and kill a dog in much smaller amounts. So again - better safe than sorry!

As far as the idea of dosing pills in soft chocolate, which was what initiated these responses, that should be out of the question.

[Grady]

I use cheese, peanut butter, hot dog, anything that my fido likes, as long as he doesn't see me do it.

[Big Ugly Mich]

Fido. The perfect name for a dog. http://www.cyberspacei.com/englishwiz/library/names/etymology_of_first_names.htm#F

[Father Christmas]

hmm, well i like this, but i like my version better. Buy a package of hotdogs. Cut or rip a half inch segment, stuff pill in, and let your doggie enjoy the hotdog.

[superitchy]

My dog refuses hotdogs and all other forms of cheap meat products. No idea why, spoiled brat.

[Father Christmas]

seriously? the only thing my dog refuses to eat is a nice thick beef steak..

[whozred]

This is the only reason why we have hot dogs in our house; to give our dogs their medicine. Tried just about everything else and this turned out to be the best one.

[Father Christmas]

Or you can stick a glob of peanut butter on your finger and stick the pill to that. my dog eats around it otherwise. but i love my canine companion and i am willing to get dog saliva and peanut butter on my finger on a daily basis of she feels better. :)

[Ms. Walker]

Good idea, we just dip the pill in a little cream cheese and our dog swallows it without issue.

[svfox69]

I've used peanut butter and sometimes I use bacon.
Just the smell of bacon drives him nuts. He gobbles anything up that has bacon on it.

Steven
http://scrabblecheat.com top scrabble help, never lose a game

[Briguy9]

yeah really. what happens if you have a pill that you arent supposed to break otherwise it wont work? Also what I do for pills is I wrap it up in a cube of kraft singles and i just feed to the dog and rub his/her throat. much easier, less tieme involved. Of course the fastest way is to shove it down the dogs throat and rub away.

[dombeef]

Yeah me too

[Padlock]

I have my text zoomed on my computer, so the title looked like at first

Get a dog to eat
(and like) a pill

[dombeef]

Huh?

[Padlock]

Get a dog to eat. As in to acquire a Canis lupus familiaris to consume orally.

[dombeef]

Oh ok

[dombeef]

lol!

[coopwilki]

just mix in the pill with the dogs food, much easier.

[28.martine]

I just put a little p-nut butter on the pill and I. done. I give my dog calcium pills so I have to give them every day for the rest of his life this Instructable is a lot of work wile just a spoon of p-nut butter does the job.

[markovanpelt]

very nice dog!!!

[juniorsav]

MARSHMALLOWS!!! Does the trick everytime.

[explosivemaker]

nice idea using the jar in place of a blender, will have to remember that one....

[oldanvilyoungsmith]

what jar for the blender? the thing I put on the blender? thats an attachment that came with it. I don't think jars would fit... but if they did... cool idea i'll have to check it out.

[explosivemaker]

.....oh, I thought it was like a small mason jar or whatnot......yeah......it would be tricky to find a jar that would match up with the threads, but it would be pretty handy if it worked....

[explosivemaker]

...Wooo Hoooo!.....I tried it today and it worked with a mason/canning jar....now I just have to find that darn rubber ring that fits in there.....

[Swishercutter]

I thought about using an ice cube tray with unflavored gelatin mixed with chicken flavoring then you just crush/open the pills, one into each spot of the tray. Then you have one cube of chicken jello for each time you are supposed to give the pill. Although I never tried this I doubt many dogs would pass on chicken jello. My dog was one of the ones who could eat a pill out of the hunk of cheese then spit out the pill.

[explosivemaker]

ha ha ha, chicken jello.......although I'm not sure how good for them it is.....

[GiggleCream]

I would love to get a dog to eat.

[Sandisk1duo]

you eat dogs?

[robotguy4]

Meh, it isn't that unlikely. In many places (Korea is one place), dog meat is a delicacy.

[cafriend]

It's called "Kagogi", and it's rather expensive here. But the dogs they use for it are bred for it. And it's usually never on the menu. You have to be with a Korean to order it most places.

[robotguy4]

Delicacies are usually expensive.

[omnibot]

My cat bites dogs, perhaps he's Korean?

[Sandisk1duo]

ll