A spoonful of sugar is not going to do the trick. Yuck, by the way. Some people call them Pill Pockets (trade name). Some say Sneaky Treats (another brand name). We are talking about foods that help the medicine go down for our canine and feline family.
Giving pills to dogs and cats can be a breeze or a real challenge. Whenever possible it is best to get it done without a struggle. Fighting your pet doesn’t usually end up well…for you or for them. Your pet may end up avoiding you, and inevitably the process just gets harder and harder.
We really need to think about the long term, too. If it is difficult to give routine medication to a young pet, what happens when the medicine is the difference between life and death?
Some veterinarians advise giving a treat as if it were a pill as a training method, opening up the mouth and popping it over the back of the tongue of a young puppy or kitten. This may make pilling a non-event when it becomes necessary later in life. No guarantees, but probably worth a try.
If it is too late to teach an old dog new tricks, don’t despair. Pet parents have come up with some innovative ways to get pills and capsules into their suspicious “fur babies” when manual pilling is not an option. This is an ongoing process, though, because if our pets catch on to the deceit, we have to work out the next approach.
Which of These Have You Tried?
Peanut butter or other nut butter.
Cheese; folded slices, cheez whiz or Velveeta, cream cheese
Ice cream, yogurt, whipped cream or fake whipped cream
Meat; meat balls, processed meat slices, hot dogs, Liverwurst (for cats, and most dogs)
Canned cat food (to a dog!)
Marshmallows
Banana
Sweet potato (cooked)
These home-made “medicine snacks” are enough to fool the food-motivated Labrador Retriever for its whole life. But the average savvy cat or Shih Tzu may not be so easily conned. These are a good starting point, though.
The Next Level
Some medications are very bitter, so crushing them in food is probably just going to disperse that bitterness throughout the food. It really has to be hidden “whole” in something. Sometimes it has to be a “double layer”, hidden inside 2 yummy things. Think about;
Chicken hearts (cooked)
Melted butter, put it in an ice cube tray, then put the pill in the butter and freeze it. Cover with another layer of yummy food before giving it. NOT for pets with Pancreatitis!
Low Fat Options for Pets Susceptible to Pancreatitis;
Some of the treats mentioned above, such as banana or sweet potato may be safe. Check with your veterinarian first.
Pitted prunes, pushing the pill into the hole in the prune (use very small prune or piece of prune)
Tube pasta, like mostaccoli or ziti, etc, cooked in chicken broth instead of water, and the pill put inside.
For the Pet Parent Chef
For someone who is keen to whip up something special for their special child, there are recipes for home-made pill pouches of all sorts.
Home-made Disguise Treats;
Combine in a bowl:
1 Tbsp milk or milk substitute (water or broth)
2 Tbsp rice flour or any fine flour (or rolled oats, ground to flour)
1 Tbsp smooth peanut butter (or other nut flour, +/- a drop of bacon grease)
Mix until it forms a paste.
Form into small balls.
Use something the size of a chopstick to make an indent in the middle.
This recipe will make 8-10 small disguise treats.
They can be kept in a sealed bag in the fridge for about a week or frozen for up to 3 months.
Other home-made ideas;
Mixtures of sweet potato, peanut butter, soft cheese or pureed meat or a tiny bit of bacon grease.
Just as Important as Your Ingredients are These Tips;
- Try not to handle the pill before touching the material you are using to hide it in. Dogs will smell the medication on the surface of the yummy material. After getting the pill and the food ready, wash your hands. Then hold the pill in one hand only. Hold the food in the other hand only. Insert the pill into the treat food, then wash your hands before touching the treat again to give to your pet.
- Take the most yummy treat you can hide the pill in. Then get 4 of those treats lined up in a row. Rapidly give a treat with no pill, a second treat with no pill, the treat with the pill, then a final treat with no pill. Keep the volume of food as small as possible.
- Do all your treat stuffing out of sight of your pet. They are much smarter than we give them credit for.
WHAT PILL TREATS HAVE YOU TRIED FOR YOUR PETS?
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