Easy Way to get your Dog to take Medication

Medicine Balls are An Easy Way to get your Dog to take Medication.

Have you ever had to give your dog medicine only to have them eat everything but the pill! 

Trying to get Ruby to take a pill has been a battle. And I’m the one who's losing! She just hates to swallow her medications. 

However, she would happily eat cat poop. But a pill? Nope, not at all. She apparently has her standards. 

There are some things you can do to help your dog with taking a pill. 

Talk to your Veterinarian about How to Get your Dog to take Medication.

Sometimes pills can be crushed or split them to make them smaller. Often a dog will take them if they are smaller and hiding in food. 

After talking to your veterinarian you’ll know if you have a pill that can or cannot be split or crushed.

For example, some dog medications like Keppra, a dog seizure medication should never be split or crushed. 

A popular medication like amoxicillin and clindamycin should never be crushed into a powder. 

Most times there are alternatives for medications that have dog flavors they enjoy on the coating. In these instances they will eat them with no prompting. 

Alternatives to get your Dog to take their Medicine

After trying to get Ruby to take her pill in everything from cheese, luncheon meat to a big thick piece of roast beef, I finally gave up and looked for alternatives. 

Have you tried pill pockets? I did. Ruby got them out of the pill pockets in two seconds flat. Goldendoodles are smart dogs! 

Sometimes you can mix a can of dog food to hide the pill and mask the taste. Pushing the pill into a chunk of the wet dog food, especially if your dog is a quick eater, they may not notice it the first few times. 

However, I came up with my own version of pill pockets for my dogs. They love homemade dog food as a topper to their kibble. 

I needed something that would hide the pill, no matter what the size and yet was small enough for her to chew it with minimal bites. 

It needed to be tasty to hide the taste of the pill. Otherwise, Ruby would spit it out the minute she found it.

A doggie medicine ball for medicating your pet was born. 

What is a Doggie Medicine Ball for Medicating your Dog? 

Meatballs! That's how to get your dogs to take their medication because dogs love meatballs!

Basically, it’s a pound of hamburger meat with spices and tastes to mask the medication. 

It’s small and round so it can be chewed quickly and easily while still having pieces of the medicine ball to taste in each bite. 

What is An Easy Way to get your Dog to take Medication?

The best way I've gotten my dogs to take a pill is by playing a game of hide and seek with the pills.

First you have to hide the pill in a high value treat. These medicine balls are great. Here's some tricks:

• Place the pill into a medicine ball and put it to the side.
• Give your dog a medicine ball without the pill.
• Then give your dog a second medicine ball, without the pill.
• Next give your dog the medicine ball with the treat - split the pill into two if possible.

How do you Pill an Uncooperative Dog?

Both my dogs, Ruby and Callie aren’t fond of pills, but they will take them with using the tricks above.

Unfortunately, my neighbor's dog is one tough cookie. She should have been one of those special forces bomb-sniffing dogs! She can sniff out the tiniest dog pill in the biggest treat ever. 

Getting her to take a pill was one heck of a battle. One that my neighbor was losing!

It took some special hide and seek skills to get her to take her pills.

Here’s a few tricks that we’ve used and worked: 

1. Open the pill bottle out of sight of your dog.
2. Check with your vet if the pill can be split or even crushed. Score! If it can.
3. Add a topper to your dogs meal and hide the pill inside the topper.
4. Place the pill either split or crushed into the medicine ball.
5. Make some homemade dog treats and hide the pill inside.
6. Use other treats to hide the pills like:
   1. Peanut Butter
   2. Yogurt
   3. Hot Dog Pieces
   4. Marshmallows
   5. Chicken Hearts
   6. Liver Pate
   7. Sardines
7. Have your neighbor bring their dog over and give them both a treat at the same time. Your dog will want to make sure he or she eats whatever treat you're giving them.
8. Play a game. Give your dog 5 or 6 treats without the pill, then sneak one in!

How do you make a Doggie Medicine Ball?

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of oats
• 2 tablespoons parsley

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Spray your cookie sheet with your favorite spray or use a silicone baking mat.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix it throughly.

Roll the mixture into balls large enough to accomodate the medication.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Let cool down on a paper towel.

Refrigerate or freeze as needed.

FREE Printable Recipe