Randy the rottweiler has a touch of pneumonia and has to take five pills in the morning and two before bedtime. They have to be broken in half, so its really 10 and 4.

At first I could hide them in canned Alpo, since he usually eats kibble and its a big treat for him. Now he’s figured out how to eat around the pills.

Then I tried cheese. He loves cheese, but can roll it around in his big dumb snout and spit out the pill halves.

This morning I tried SPAM and got a couple down his gullet, until he figured out he could keep the SPAM and lose the pills.

I tried bacon. He loves bacon. Same-O Same-O.

The only thing that has consistently worked is braunschweiger, but I think he’s catching on.

I tried the “pill pocket” treats - he won’t even eat those things empty.

He has no love for peanut butter.

Sliced baloney was likewise no bueno. He would work out the pill, spit it out, and swallow the baloney, all the while maintaining eye contact.

These pills aren’t cheap - three weeks worth was 400 bucks.

What else can I try? He weighs 137 pounds and is obviously smarter than I am, so I’m not up for fighting him.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

The only way I can do my coonhounds is to open their mouth, push it to the back, hold mouth closed and massage their throat while my wife brings me a bandage

Have you checked to see if you can grind them up and mix them in with some scrambled eggs? If so, get a bottle get a bottle of eggs beaters, make it up and heat them up at pill time. It surprises me that he doesn't like peanut butter. Good luck.

Usually, I just have mine sit then place the pill at the back of their tongue and then close the muzzel holding their chin in the air for a moment.

We hid it in wet food (little bites like meatballs) and it worked fine. Only other option would be a paste that you apply to the inside of their mouth.

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Jorge

I see where you say he has no love for peanut butter? That's an unusual dog for sure and an even more unusual Rottweiler.

But I'll say this anyway. Don't waste your money on the Pill Pockets.

I take an ordinary slice of bread (usually wheat). Tear it in pieces big enough to hold the pill, and put a thin coat of peanut butter on it, then the pill, then fold it up. You can even squeeze it into a small ball or something.

Don't just hand it to him or try to make him take it. Make a game of catch out of it. Bring him close enough. If he'll sit, so much the better, but standing's okay. Then toss it to him. My dog grabs it far back in her mouth and doesn't even chew it. It just vanishes.

I hate having to split pills, even scored ones. Make sure you have a really good pill splitter. Drugstores sell them. Some pills will crumble a bit, even with a pill splitter.

Yeah, big dog meds can cost some bucks. Good luck.

Cheese cube, works every time.

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Bill

I’ve been able to get a few halves down the little dog by crushing them into powder and mixing them into her food

Our Siberian Husky Nikki would USUALLY eat a pill placed in her food bowl or wrapped in cheese.

The one time she refused, I kind of jokingly told my 16 year old son to give her the pill and ...... she ate it, no problem. LOL

From that day forward every time Nikki needed a pill of any kind, Adam would hand it to her and she'd eat it.

I thought every one knew...................

that is why there is........................

Velveta cheese !!

We've been pretty lucky. Both our dogs take daily pills but we just toss them into their dry food and they go down with the food. On rare occasions we have to cheese wrap, but that always works.

Hmmm if you've got the nerve to do it, Shove them down his throat. Good liuck.

We have 5 dogs; most times wrapping the pill in the cheapest American cheese slice (not the whole slice, just a piece of it) does the trick.
The Pitt is a big baby, when he balks at a pill or spits it out, I put it back in and hold his muzzle shut and gently rub his throat- down it goes.

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It's easy. I cheat and I lie. Our two dogs love "Pup-Peroni" beef treats and they learned real quick what the word "treat" means. So, to get them to swallow their pills without thinking, I make a tiny slice in an inch-long piece of Pup-Peroni for each of them, tuck the pills in, close up the ends, and enthusiastically say, "Who wants a treat?" I immediately have two eager volunteers who willingly swallow the chunks of Pup-Peroni and then start lookin' for more.

So, yeah...I cheat by sneakin' the pill inside the treat, then I unashamedly lie to the dogs by telling them that they're actually getting treats. So far, they haven't caught on.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

Shove the pill down his throat, close his snout and blow on his nose.

Works every time.

Peanut butter.

Our Chihuahuas love it.

Our Rat Terrier either a pill pocket or hot dog/sausage.

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Un-Reconstructed Southerner

Well, it could be worse. They could be suppositories........

Larry

Our chis love peanut butter. PB on a pill and it is GONE!

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Inside a dollop of cream cheese..._

I would wrap the pill in cheese but would feed three or four pieces of "unpilled" cheese first. The first few pieces of cheese would be "checked for pills" but when none were found, they would just gobble the next few pieces of cheese right down. Worked every time.

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Bill

I do this but also massage the neck a little when the chin is held up. Then follow with another treat. They start to think about the next treat while the other is going down the hatch.

I did the same but I put butter on the pills, I didnt need the band aid.

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Don

Cover them in "Cheese Wizz"......... got that from our Vet.

Velveeta.

My dog has to take 1 allergy pill every day. We have tried pill pockets, peanut butter, sticking my hand down his throat, disguising pills in cheese, ham, turkey, all to no avail. Stuff it into the center of a spoonful of Velveeta and gonezo!! Works every time.

I agree with this. At first my two are suspicious and sniff the pieces for contraband but after the first one goes down the rest go warp speed.

I crush the pill into a powder and mix it with bologna or liverwurst. There are some meds that specifically say to not crush. In that case you are left having to place the pill in the dogs throat deep enough that it can only go down.

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Dennis
SWCA #2409, SWHF #353

Hold dogs mouth open and up. Push the pill down as far as you can with your fingers. Pour a big glob of Kayro syrup down throat. Tickle throat and hold mouth closed until dog swallows. Larry

Meathead, below, takes 3 pills a day to help curtail the GSD natural tendency to chew up everything in sight. A slice of cheese folded in half with the pills in the middle works every time. We also use another slice of cheese to install her eyedrops at night. (She has Panus and is going blind).

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

If the pills are small enough try mini marshmallows or full size ones if the pill are much bigger. Cheap and effective way to feed a dog pills.

You can always use the "old blow tube trick". Just make sure you blow first.

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Expect the unexpected

I make Fido sit down in front of me, look him in the eye, and say, “Fido, now you can take this pill, or” — and at this point I give him a Clint Eastwood squint — “we can get a cat to keep you company...”

Works every time.

Once my daughter had to give her Weimaraner pills for something.

Every time it ate the pill it got a treat. That dog loved treats. Anytime a pill fell on the floor her dog would instantly eat it, knowing it would get a treat.

She dropped a pain pill once and the dog ate it. She freaked out and called her vet, and he said the dog was so big it wouldn't hurt it. It did sleep all day.

My dog loves her cheese. So all I have to do is get out a slice break off a piece and put the pill in it.

Peanut Butter!


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Have you tried mixing it in his beer? Works on me.

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"Don't Give Up the Ship"

my dog, The Cisco Kid, only weighs about 70 pounds. I have him buffaloed into believing I'm tougher and meaner than he is. (assuredly not true). I just pry open his mouth, jam them down his throat, and put the Clamp of Death Grip on his muzzle until he swallows. Haven't been bit yet, but he looks at me pretty stink-eyed.

Liverwurst has always been my go to. Dogs have never said no

Our old and cranky Basset Hound takes pills by slicing a hot dog into three (3) thin pieces, place the pill in one piece, start with one plain piece, then the piece with the pill, then the third piece. Been successful for me.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

I feel your pain. I hada dog that could eat a bowl of kibble & leave a pill in a clean bowl.

Tried cream cheese? Most dogs love it and it's super sticky so hard to get the pill out.

My present foster will eat pills if I give as treats witha chunk of wet food. If you offer another chunk of wet food quickly after the pill he might swallow the pill to get after the other treat.

I must give my two dogs pills every night. I crush the pills between two tablespoons and mix the powder into their canned dog food. One of them is very expert about picking pills, or even pill fragments, out of the dog food, so I must turn the pills into powder rather than cutting them up with a pill cutter.

I have a mortar & pestle I use on the dogs' glucosamin pills.

Might check with your vet about crushing pills. Some are designed to be taken whole. That goes for us humans, too.

Greenies Pill Pockets (in different flavors), cheese balls as mentioned. Braunschweiger.

My wife does a great job.

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Foster Positivity.

We grind the pill and mix it with yogurt, which he loves.

Pill Pockets come in different favors. Try different favors.

I tried Velveeta and he swallowed every cheeseball without spitting out a pill. I’ll keep at it until/unless he figures it out.

Thanks for all the tips.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

The dog or the owner?

We have an adoptadog. She is almost 12 and now has to take Viagra. Yep you read it correctly, Viagra.
She has a leaky heart valves and apparently the love pills have proved a good treatment for that.
She outsmarted all of the tricks and she is so sensitive that the poke the pill down the throat, hold the muzzle treatment got rewarded with avoiding me for a couple days. Can’t be having that.
Talked to her vet and they suggested just to toss them in her food and stir it a bit. Ain’t had a problem since.

Crush them into small pieces and roll the pieces up in a small meatball.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

Why should your dog take the pill when you continue to make the pill wrapper better and tastier each time.