Give your dog medicine without a fuss

A lot of people don't know how to give their dog medicine. It you give a dog a plain pill, they will spit it out. If you try and shove it down their throat, they will struggle and fight... But if you turn it into a tasty treat, they will be really happy to eat it!

This instructable shows how I turn my dogs pills into a special treat. I call it "the cheese method". If you don't want your dog to have cheese, other methods include: slathering it with peanut butter, serving it in a dollop of yogurt, or inserting it into a little chunk of meat. They also make a prduct called "pill pockets" that you can buy at pet stores, but they are expensive and you have to go out of your way to get them.

Step 1 Gather your supplies

You will need:
*medicine
*a piece of cheese
*a plate
*a microwave

Comments

[lwbrown]

So what the heck do I do with liquid meds?!? He goes berserk as soon as he sees the syringe...

[allenamistral]

I always use peanut butter to give my dogs their meds. I place the pill inside and even though they know the pill is there, they just keep licking. I would assume you could mix the liquid in with some peanut butter. At least that's what I would try.

[Neon Panda]

Sorry, I can't help myself- Your dog is just to cute! How old is he?
I have a 3 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback who is snoring away right next to me :)

Great tutorial. Very clever ^_^ xox

[zaqwaxcedas]

i know dawgs cant eat chocolate just wanna know if dawgs can eat cheese

[rlove4]

no dairy, no pork, no nuts, no chocolate, no grapes/raisins for dogs as they're all toxic to their systems in various ways, some more serious than others. I don't take my own advice though as my Munsterlander loves cheese so she always gets a little when I have it - with no visible ill effects. Chocolate contains Theobromine which is poisonous to dogs which increases urination and can affect the central nervous system, as well as the heart. A large dog that eats a square of milk chocolate may go unaffected while a small dog that gets at a pound of plain chocolate under the Christmas tree may be dead by morning. A large dog that gets a square a dqy for years will suffer too as I understand it. Keep dogs and cats away from some plants too - take a look at this list I googled for. http://mistyhorizon2003.hubpages.com/hub/Houseplants-Poisonous-to-your-Cats

[zack attack]

its easier to get a spoonfull of peanutbutter, stick in the pill, then feed.

[That One Eegit]

My vet gives medicine that is already in a treat like mixture. Whenever he hears me getting one, he races over.

[Re-design]

I use mini marshmellows for my dogs and cats.  It works.

[John Smith]

Reminds me of this. (read ALL of it)

[alex-sharetskiy]

lol

[tipsychimp]

HAHAHAHA NICE

[Tool Using Animal]

Ha I haven't seen "How to give a cat a pill" since '97 ,ever read "Dogs in elk"?

[StrangeRover]

What part does the fortune cookie play in this process?

[alex-sharetskiy]

that fortune cookie is printed on the plate _{if you look closely, you can see the reflection of the flash}

[LasVegas]

Cheese is not good for dogs. They don't have the enzymes to handle the lactose. I use a glob of peanut butter. Not only do dogs love it, but it'd good for their coat.

[AubreeMarie]

Cheese from cows has the lactose dogs don't have enzymes for. But they're suckers for goats milk which is fortunatley okay for them. I had to hand feed puppied and all the resources and vets I found and spoke to suggested a recipe containing condensed/evaporated goats milk. So I imagine cream cheese and other goat derived cheeses would be fine.

[shangrilarcadia]

Yeah I know they say cheese is bad for dogs, but it's one of the only treats my dog truely enjoys, and it doesn't seem to bother her stomach. When we give her peanut butter treats she just spits them back out

[Ferrite]

Yeah, I use peanut butter also.

[zaqwaxcedas]

wait wait wait dogs can eat cheese!?

[Rokko8652]

Yes, of course! You must be thinking of chocolate, thats the no-no food for dogs.

[Kayjay]

i just put the pill on the back of our dogs tongue and hold its mouth shut and gently rub its throat about 9/10 times it will go down

[rws23]

I use hotdogs. Just cut off a small piece and drive the pill in as deep as possible. Works every time.

[1337sh33p]

my dog eats the cheese and spits out the pill

[shangrilarcadia]

Do you melt it or just wrap it? That's why I melt it - you can't eat around the pill if it's melted on.

[1337sh33p]

Next time he needs pills maybe ill try melting it

[jumboto]

You have inspired me to create a reply instructable! Check it out!

[crapflinger]

i don't even melt the cheese...i just fold the cheese in half twice (to make 4 slices of cheese)and make a little pill sammich...

[dacker]

I have to give my Golden Retriever a couple pills every day for allergies and have used a similar method. At first, I put the pills inside a marshmallow, but she seemed to get bored of that. I then put a little PB on the marshmallow and she did not get bored, but I got tired of the two-step process. Currently, I grab about one-third of the half-stale heel of bread on the end of the loaf, place the pills on it, fold it over, and squish it onto a blob. I never have a problem!

[TheCheese9921]

Yeah this is what I do with my dog too, I don't even waste my time with the microwave I just buy that cheep plastic wrap nasty "cheese" and it is like playdough, lol

[JakeTobak]

I do the same thing but with cream cheese or whipped cream cheese.