Using food to give pets/animals tablets

[medtran49]

Mod Edit: start of new thread

I had to share a meatball with the pugs. Today is their flea and tick tablet day. Arwin gobbles hers down. Strider doesn't and is a huge PITA when it comes to pill giving, think greased wiggling piglet. If we are out and about, I will pick up a plain cheeseburger for them and hide it in a piece for Strider but today was a stay at home day. Found out meatballs work quite well too.

 

[caseydog]

Spaghetti and meatballs.

I had to share a meatball with the pugs. Today is their flea and tick tablet day. Arwin gobbles hers down. Strider doesn't and is a huge PITA when it comes to pill giving, think greased wiggling piglet. If we are out and about, I will pick up a plain cheeseburger for them and hide it in a piece for Strider but today was a stay at home day. Found out meatballs work quite well too.

View attachment 99562

Teddy LOVED these, especially the Peanut Butter flavor. PetSmart has them.

CD

 

[medtran49]

Teddy LOVED these, especially the Peanut Butter flavor. PetSmart has them.


View attachment 99566

CD

Nope, stuff like that doesn't work with him. Got to be people food, beef preferably. He's got to really, really want it so he gobbles it down. Otherwise, he chews/mouths it, finds the medicine and spits it out.

 

[TastyReuben]

Strider doesn't and is a huge PITA when it comes to pill giving

Otherwise, he chews/mouths it, finds the medicine and spits it out.

You’re giving me bad memories of Kate. She hated pills, and you’re exactly right about mouthing whatever it was hidden in, eating that, and spitting the pill out.

We’d hide a pill in a piece of hotdog or something like that, throw it in her bowl with her food, which was in the kitchen, and I’d find her pill that afternoon, spit out under one of the beds.

Tramadol was the absolute worst. She would not take it. The vet used to talk down to me a little for not being able to give her the pill, so I finally took her in and said, “Fine. You show me how you do it!” - Kate bit her…and never took the pill.

 

[medtran49]

You’re giving me bad memories of Kate. She hated pills, and you’re exactly right about mouthing whatever it was hidden in, eating that, and spitting the pill out.

We’d hide a pill in a piece of hotdog or something like that, throw it in her bowl with her food, which was in the kitchen, and I’d find her pill that afternoon, spit out under one of the beds.

Tramadol was the absolute worst. She would not take it. The vet used to talk down to me a little for not being able to give her the pill, so I finally took her in and said, “Fine. You show me how you do it!” - Kate bit her…and never took the pill.

Yeah, I've gotten bit a few times trying to give him a pill. Not because he actually tries to bite me, but because I have my fingers in his mouth trying to shove the pill down.

He has been known, however, to actually try and bite when I am cutting his nails. I don't dare try to have somebody else do it. Most pugs hate having their nails clipped or even somebody holding their paws for some reason. Out of the 6 pugs we've had, only 1 hasn't minded getting her nails done and that's because she was an extremely vain little thing and loved to get a pedicure because I painted her nails and then she would trot up to the door when daddy (Craig) came home, throwing out her feet so he would notice her nails and tell her how pretty she was. We named her Circe because she was such a flirt with men from day one. She was a very pretty girl and always smiling and happy.

 

[caseydog]

Yeah, I've gotten bit a few times trying to give him a pill. Not because he actually tries to bite me, but because I have my fingers in his mouth trying to shove the pull down.

He has been known, however, to actually try and bite when I am cutting his nails. I don't dare try to have somebody else do it. Most pugs hate having their nails clipped or even somebody holding their paws for some reason. Out of the 6 pugs we've had, only 1 hasn't minded getting her nails done and that's because she was an extremely vain little thing and loved to get a pedicure because I painted her nails and then she would trot up to the door when daddy (Craig) came home, throwing out her feet so he would notice her nails and tell her how pretty she was. We named her Circe because she was such a flirt with men from day one.

I had Teddy's nails ground when he was groomed. He didn't mind, and His nails were smooth, so they didn't scratch people or things. His nails were black, so you couldn't see the quick. Grinding was safer than clipping.

CD

 

[medtran49]

I had Teddy's nails ground when he was groomed. He didn't mind, and His nails were smooth, so they didn't scratch people or things.

CD

Yeah, I bought the tool for that for my Dremmel. Didn't work so well. They hated that as much, if not more, than nail clippers.

You have to understand. Most dogs don't particularly like their nails cut. Most pugs ABSOLUTELY loathe having their nails cut or even their paws held. Go on a pug owner board and some of the most popular suggestions are putting them in a human baby's onsie and hanging them from something or wrapping them up like a burrito in a large towel so they can't get leverage.

 

[medtran49]

When I take Strider to the vet and they need to draw blood, he has to be held by me at his neck and head and a vet tech holding his body, and be backed up against the end of the table so he can't move forward or backward while the doctor takes his blood. He weighs just under 40 pounds and he's nearly all muscle.

I cut his nails around the beginning of each month. He needs a dental though so I will let them cut his nails while he is under anesthesia this time since he has an appointment next week for shots and blood work.

 

[Windigo]

You’re giving me bad memories of Kate. She hated pills, and you’re exactly right about mouthing whatever it was hidden in, eating that, and spitting the pill out.

We’d hide a pill in a piece of hotdog or something like that, throw it in her bowl with her food, which was in the kitchen, and I’d find her pill that afternoon, spit out under one of the beds.

Tramadol was the absolute worst. She would not take it. The vet used to talk down to me a little for not being able to give her the pill, so I finally took her in and said, “Fine. You show me how you do it!” - Kate bit her…and never took the pill.

Cheetah is also not taking pills well.. But we're lucky because his thyroid meds come in liquid form and he is fine with that because it's in before he knows it and he automatically swallows the liquid. So he's doing better now!
Also I can give them to him without worry because I take the same meds in human form (he has thiamacare, I have thioguanine which both are thyroid meds) which is a relief because my husband doesn't always have the option to help. It's better if those who don't have to touch these meds do not.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

You’re giving me bad memories of Kate. She hated pills, and you’re exactly right about mouthing whatever it was hidden in, eating that, and spitting the pill out.

We’d hide a pill in a piece of hotdog or something like that, throw it in her bowl with her food, which was in the kitchen, and I’d find her pill that afternoon, spit out under one of the beds.

Tramadol was the absolute worst. She would not take it. The vet used to talk down to me a little for not being able to give her the pill, so I finally took her in and said, “Fine. You show me how you do it!” - Kate bit her…and never took the pill.

You should try feeding tablets to chickens! If 1 has to be done, the whole flock has to be done and they are amazingly good at doing exactly the same thing. Find the tablet, extract it and eat the treat anyhow.

Several of my chooks need 6-8 tablets every 3 months (the heavier the chook, the more tablets, so weigh first, and then try to force feed 8 tablets to a chook. A couple of them deliberately empty their bowels to try to avoid you feeding them the tablet. It's a mission we try hard to put off and it's overdue at the moment!

 

[rascal]

I've had cats and dogs most my life. German shepherds were no problem with pills. Small slit in horse meat. They used to wolf it down. Cats worked with ground pills mixed with meat mince. I feel your problems I was just lucky. Dogs were exercised by walking/running on pavement wore their nails down.
Pups were sold at 8 weeks, new owners problems then.
We were nzkc registered breeders.

Russ

 

[caseydog]

I hear an approaching modcopter...

CD

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I head an approaching modcopter...

CD

Yep, I was just thinking that myself

 

[Herbie]

And humans My mum used to crush up tablets and mix with honey. Still tasted awful

 

[Windigo]

Oh by the way we did try to give Cheetah pills through food, but he just spits everything out no matter how well wrapped it is. And forcing him to take 4 pills a day was a nightmare for all of us, so I'm really glad he has liquid medicine now.

As for medicine for humans, most of my medicine can't be taken with food so I usually have it before breakfast. I never thought about dragging a pill through honey or something though, I can imagine it might help in some cases to make the experience more easy.

Spoiler: Personal medical story

You know what's awful though, even if you mix it with soda? The liquid you must drink before an endoscopy or colonoscopy (I've had 10!). 4 litres of salt water solution doesn't taste good in any way at all. And what's worse, the stuff has a lemon scent to it remniscent of Jif or some kind of toilet cleaner. I still gag when I smell that kind of lemon cleaner. By the 8th time I had to force the stuff down with tissues in my nose to minimise the flavor because I'd just throw it out the way it came. So glad now I have no colon I will never have to do that again! Fasting is enough for a scopy with an ileostomy.. That's at least one benefit!