# SUGGESTIONS FOR GIVING BITTER PILLS



## Lilysplash I (Jul 19, 2007)

Sadie is on *Metronidazole *and it seems it is so bitter that it it is a hard medication to disguise. Sadie hasn't been fooled anyway. I have had a hard time even with the pill dispenser or by hand. Somehow, it ends up on the floor. She had diarhrea and was throwing up but after $160 vet bill nothing concrete was found.

We are to give her two pills a day for 10 days which seems like an eternity with our latest attempts. Help please!


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

I got several suggestions here when we had to give Cash a big pill for 30 days. but the one that worked the best was, wrapping it in cheese or turkey meat... and feeding him a plain piece of the good a few times to get him excited (we would do sits and paws) and then give him the piece with the pill in it. followed by another plain piece so he swallows. 

I also got pretty good at opening his mouth and putting it as far back as possible and then holding his mouth shut and stroking his throat to get him to swallow... if the first method doesn't work. but even still I started with the plain goody and then ended with it. 

I hope sadie starts to feel better.


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## SaydeeMomma (Sep 9, 2008)

Lilly

My Saydee had to take Metronidazole too. I tried everything, including shoving it down the back of her throat (WAHHH!) and she would also throw it up. There are these things called Pill Pockets that are supposed to work good, but I couldn't get to the store, so I made my own. I just took a couple of yummy Bil-Jac soft treats and squeezed them together to make a little ball and pushed the pill inside it. Saydee took it as a treat and didn't even seem to notice the bitter pill inside!

Somewhere on the forum I read someone uses cream cheese balls...


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Kubrick is the master of eating everything BUT the pill. Even with cream cheese! He's impossible. Every pill I give him now I do the way Missy does: I open his mouth and stick the pill WAY back in his throat and make sure he swallows. I give him a treat right before and straight afterward and he doesn't seem to mind me doing it. Good luck!


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

If they are small enough, you can drop them down the back of their throat (I have to do this with the heartworm pills, but if they are too large, I always wrap them up in cheese or deli meat.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Like Missy & Carolina, I put them past the tongue so they can't taste them and use your finger to help push it past the point where they can pull it back up themselves. 

If the dog is going to vomit it back up, then I do the other method that Missy mentioned - giving a high bonus treat (meat or cheese) once or twice and then diguising one with the pill and following with a last piece that is free of the meds. If you prep the pill piece first so they don't see you, you can give all 3 or 4 treats right in a row without the dog even knowing what you did.


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## Eva (Jun 20, 2008)

Todd's taking two pills twice a day right now.
I was stressed out because he HATES PILLS and will fight me and/or hide if I try to get one down his throat but I found a great way to hide them. I bought some cream cheese and made little balls of it. I stick the pill in the center of the ball and mold it shut over top. He thinks that he's being spoiled rotten and swallows it whole! Works great!! :biggrin1:


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Eva that's clever.

I could probably do that with ICE CREAM too! Gucci loves vanilla ice cream, she thinks that is the greatest thing in the world. I'd have to be quick on that one though!

But the smaller pills, I just lay her on her back and drop them down low where she can't spit them back out, its a good technique to master if they are stubborn with the pills!


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

We used pill pockets and he ate the pill without a problem, I don't think he even realized it was there.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

the past few days I have been giving Cash pet flora which is a capsule. I tried to hide in the cheese and but somehow-- the capsule always got spit out--- so lately, I have just mushed inside a ball of cheese and put that in his food bowl-- he is such a chow hound-- it just eats it with everything else.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

A neighbor introduced us to using Liverwurst. It is quite smelly, soft, and mold-able. You cut little cubes, wrap a pill in one, and give a treat before and after with another little bit. Works like a charm with my guy. (Don't tell him.)

Sheri and Tucker


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## Janet Zee (Mar 16, 2007)

I hide the pill in a small pat of butter, pry open their mouths and drop it as far back as possible, holding their mouth closed gently and stroking their throat until I feel them swallow. The butter helps the pill slide down easily and they love the taste.


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## Eva (Jun 20, 2008)

Sheri said:


> A neighbor introduced us to using Liverwurst. It is quite smelly, soft, and mold-able. You cut little cubes, wrap a pill in one, and give a treat before and after with another little bit. Works like a charm with my guy. (Don't tell him.)
> 
> Sheri and Tucker


Liverwurst sounds like it would be perfect! 
If Todd catches on to my cream cheese trick I'll have to buy some. 
There's no way that he could resist Liverwurst...lol


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## Paradise Havs (Sep 25, 2008)

When Bentley was on a long course of antibiotics one of the things that worked was mini marshmallows.


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## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

I do the same as Missy, a couple of pieces of cheese or chicken without the pill as a reward for a trick then the 3rd piece with the pill as a reward but as I am handing him that 3rd piece with the pill I have the 4th piece in my other hand following fast behind the 3rd. I usually will hold the 4th piece right above his nose so he sees it and knows it is coming, they usually are so concentrated on getting that 4th piece they see coming at them they swallow the 3rd piece so fast without even thinking about it.


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