I need to get meds into my little dog.

[Rhiannon12866]

Does anybody have any suggestions? I have tried liver, ground beef, roast beef, four kinds of cheese (his favorite) and chicken, which he also loves. I just don't know what else to try. He has an appointment for a re-check, at the vet's, since his problem was a bad cold that could have turned into pneumonia. He's had two vet visits for this and was much better, but I just can't get his pills into him, today, despite his being given a liquid herb, which he's been given, which is supposed to increase his appetite. When I made his appointment, today, the kind lady there recommended a special kind of Irish cheese which has worked for her small dogs, which I'll get, tomorrow. My tiny dog is eight pounds. I'm just weary from trying, so any advice would be appreciated.

[radfringe]

1. I'm assuming the meds are in a pill or capsule form?

I've had cats and dogs that are very adept at eating around the pill and spitting it out...

have you tried using a "piller" -- it's sort of a syringe looking thing - vet's office should have them ($1-$2)


if using a piller is not an option -- what I have done in the past is to crush the pills (or open/empty the capsule) into their food/treat and mix it in

to crush the pills - I use two teaspoons, place the pill in one spoon, put the 2nd spoon on top and gently crush/rub them together...

[Rhiannon12866]

2. This sounds like a great idea and I will ask.

But my little guy, who needs the pills, will just not eat, at all. And they said they would hospitalize him, two weeks ago, when he was first sick, if he would not eat. *sigh* I have cooked for him, as was suggested, and he will eat sometimes, but not today. He has one liquid herb that I can get into him, though he fights me like the devil, but still has four pills, two of which need to be taken twice a day.:-(

[radfringe]

3. if you can get liquid herb into him

this doesn't work with all pills -- but you might try crushing one up and "dissolve" it into some water and injecting it that way

we tried that with a couple of meds our critters were on -- worked for some of the meds, but not others -- for some unknown reason it wouldn't dissolve

but it sounds like your best bet it to get a "piller"

Hold the dog's head up, put the piller as far back into his mouth as you can - after injecting the pill, quickly close his mouth and rub his throat gently until you "feel" him swallow

good luck!!!

-----

meanwhile here's a chuckle: Our 19 yr old cat is quite the talker

Last fall she developed a "head cold" -- she was on liquid meds for it but didn't seem to help -- back to the vet

Vet said she we could try another round of the liquid or go to a stronger version in pill form

My partner and I discussed pros and cons of giving pills vs liquid to this old lady....

The vet asked -- "so you want to try the liquid again"

The CAT replied "NOOOOOOOOO".... we went with the pills

When we take her to the vet, the cat says "oooout, oooout" all the way there, on the way home we hear "Hoooommme, Nooooowww"

If something drops on the floor -- the cat says "uh-ohhh"

[Rhiannon12866]

8. Thank you. I'm going to ask the vet about the "piller."

That sounds like my best bet, though his little mouth is awfully hard to find, even when I use the syringe to give him the liquid herb. I actually had better luck when I had to pill my beloved cat, since her mouth was much easier to find! I had to screw up my courage and be sure that I didn't hesitate, but I had seen the vet do it, so I just did what he did.:shrug:

But with this tiny dog, I have had this problem before. However, he's never been on so many before. He's been on thyroid meds for several months, and those I've managed to get into him, but now he's sick, so reluctant to eat, anyway, and he's on six a day! Yikes! The last time, I called the vet's office and they suggested that I slip it into the side of his mouth. Fine, tell me exactly where the side of his mouth is, and I can manage the rest!:eyes:

Your kitty sounds like quite a character! My friend has a cat that he's sure is calling his name, but yours has an amazing vocabulary! I sure hope that she's okay now.
:wow:

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

4. I use hot dogs to give...

daily supplements to one of mine. That works well - I use low fat hot dogs. The other won't take pills in anything I've tried - cheese, roast beef, peanut butter etc. I finally discovered that if I put the pills in a glob of canned dog food, he will take that.

There is a new product called Pill Pockets - its a treat with a pocket that you can put the pill into

[Rhiannon12866]

9. Cheese usually works for me, since the little guy is nuts about it,

But I've now gone through five different kinds and he won't even eat it plain. The only thing he managed to eat, today, was some of his sister's food. I didn't stop him, since, at least he was eating something. I had made him chicken and rice, since the vet's had me cook that for him before when he's needed a bland diet, and he also loves chicken, but he wouldn't touch it.:-(

I will ask about the "pill pockets," thanks. How big are they, anyway? Since my dog is only eight pounds, anything I give him has to be very small, hence the problem with the pills.:shrug:

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

25. Pill pockets are kinda large...

for a small dog like yours. Lets see - about the size of a postage stamp I'd say

Have you tried cat food? Sometimes that tempts a dog with a poor appetite

[luzdeluna]

5. What kind of meds are they?

I work with several pets who get their meds in a cream form rubbed into their ears.

All kinds of meds can be administered this way. Check with your Vet.

Also, there are pharmacies that do compounding of all types of meds as well. Your dogs meds can be created in a chicken flavored or beef flavored liquid that you can dropper in the back of his tongue (tastes great).

I'll post the info from the pharmacy I use.

LDL

p.s. here you go http://www.staffordpharmacy.com/custom.htm

[Rhiannon12866]

10. Thank you! I will ask about this!

The herb that I'm giving him is in liquid form, since he wasn't eating, and is supposed to perk up his appetite, but then they gave me three different kinds of pills to get into him! One is an antibiotic, the second is a diuretic and I'm not sure about the third one. He's also on thyroid meds, but recently had the dose cut in half.:shrug:

Is that your dog? How adorable! Is he a Cairn Terrier? My previous dog was a Cairn, and quite a character. I lost him to kidney failure a few months before his 19th birthday.;(

[luzdeluna]

26. Thyroid meds...

One of the cats I take care of gets his thyroid meds as an ear cream. It's so easy and he really likes it because he get's his ears rubbed.

p.s. yup....that's my Henry the Terrier Boy!

LDL

[Rhiannon12866]

28. I have never heard of this as an ear cream.

I thought I was lucky to find out that they came in chewables. Thank you! I am so glad I posted this thread, since I've learned a lot from it!:-)

I received a very prompt e-mail, back from my vet, who said I can get the meds in liquid. So I have hope. *sigh* Here's what he said:

Hello:

The easy way is to compound the medications into liquid with the flavor he likes. We have a pharmacist that does that. If you like we can do that Monday or when you come Tuesday we can call her and have the medications done that way.

see you Tuesday

And your little guy is just adorable. I love Cairns. My other dog, Sara, I was told was a Cairn, which I thought was great, since I just love them. But, though she is very sweet, I don't think that there's much Cairn in there, if any.:-)

On edit: Here's my Sara. She is definitely not a Cairn. I have excellent photos of my Rags, but I can't post them. But I hope that I can, sometime. He was such a special dog.:-)

[Greylyn58]

6. My Sheridan was too smart for me

because whenever I've tried to give him pills, he figured out that I had put it inside some kind of food and ultimately would spit it out.

What has worked the best for me is just open his mouth put the pill as far back as I can. Next I hold his mouth shut while gently stroking his throat until he swallows.

Only thing that has worked for me.

[Rhiannon12866]

11. What a beautiful dog! Is he a Golden?

They are such smart dogs as well as being beautiful!
:loveya:

The problem with my dog is that he's so small that I have trouble even finding his mouth! And I can identify with your pill problem. My first dog was a cocker, and also very smart! That dog could have detected a pill in a side of beef! And once she discovered a pill concealed in anything, that was it, she wouldn't trust it again, which severely limited my options! One time, I just went straight for it, shoved the pill in her mouth and sat there for half an hour, holding her mouth closed and massaging her throat. Later, I found the damn pill stuck to my shoe!:eyes:

[Greylyn58]

15. Yes he's a Golden

and the love of my life. Best friend I've ever had.

My folks love him to pieces and refer to him as their "Fur Grandchild" since I don't have kids.

[Rhiannon12866]

17. Well, he really is a magnificent dog and that's a great photo.

You can see that he has a wonderful personality just from the picture and see the intelligence in his eyes.:-)

And I agree that pets make terrific friends. My Sara is very sweet, and, while my little guy can be skittish, I don't know what I'd do without him. I also had a kitty, but I lost her a year ago. My guys are what keep me going. All are rescue, even my tiny Brussels Griffon, and there have been times I probably would have jumped off of a cliff by now, but I know that they need me.:shrug:

My vet refers to my guys as "the children." I have a DU friend who refers to his daughter's dogs as his "grand dogs." And I previously had a Cairn Terrier that my father had a very special relationship with. My Dad's the reason I grew up to love animals.:-)

[ernstbass]

7. Could they give him a shot instead of the pills?

Maybe if it's an antibiotic, they could do that until the little guy feels better. I also place the pill in the back of the dog's throat, hold it closed and stroke throat but I have had big dogs with big mouths - that would be harder to do with an 8 pounder. Good luck

[Rhiannon12866]

12. He was given two shots by the vet and I was supposed to give him the pills

Starting 12 hours later. The first day, amazingly, I got everything into him, but today has been the worst. Cheese usually works because he loves it, but I have now tried five different kinds and he won't even eat it plain. And it would be hard to bring him to the vet's twice a day, since it's a 40-minute trip for me. I suppose I could take up residence in one of the big cages that they have in the back room. And with the problems I've had, don't think I haven't considered it!:eyes:

And you're right about his size. That's the problem. The herb he's on is liquid, and I've managed to get that into him, after I finally manage to locate his little mouth!:shrug:

[SW FL Dem]

13. Have you tried peanut butter?

I used to have to give my Maggie up to 18 pills a day. I just used a variety of foods. What worked one day didn't always work the next. Another possibility is pasta, I used penne pasta and stuck the pill in the middle. I also kept frozen taquitos on hand, I would thaw a chicken taquito and stick the pills in the middle.

[Rhiannon12866]

18. He turned away from peanut butter. I tried that twice. *sigh*

And I absolutely know what it's like, that sometimes things work and other times they don't. Your Maggie sounds like my Samantha. My sweet little cocker loved pasta, so that was one thing that worked for her. She had seizures, so was also on a lot of meds. We went through different periods, chicken, beef and I even took her through Wendy's drive-thru on a regular basis for cheeseburgers.:-)

But this little one is just nuts for cheese. He has issues with men, but will usually take cheese from anybody. He would take cheese from Freddy Kruger. I got everything but the antibiotic into him, finally, by putting it in American cheese, but now he won't even try it plain, after spitting out his last pill three times. He's also big on chicken, so I cooked that for him, but he wouldn't eat it today. I guess I'll try again, since it's been several hours, but, in my experience, dogs never forget anything!:eyes:

[Longhorn]

14. I had a cat who was refusing to eat

and I was advised to give him baby food. Since it's a little sticky, if you can get it on the tongue, they pretty much have to eat it while they're trying to get it off their tongues!

Also, my dachshund is on thyroid pills and they make a chewable. He has no problem with the other pills -- we just throw thenm in his food -- but when your dog is eating again, you might give the chewables a try, if you haven't already.

Hope he's feeling better soon!

[Rhiannon12866]

20. I will see if he'll eat baby food. Thanks.

My very first dog was a cocker who suddenly wouldn't eat and my grandmother suggested baby food. It worked! She really liked it, but I'd get her the "second foods," like chicken and vegetables or liver and vegetables, and she always left the peas, LOL! I don't like peas, either.:D

And both of my dogs are on thyroid pills. Usually that's the only med I have to give them. But I didn't know that they made them chewable. Thanks, I'll ask. My other dogs gets all excited when I get out the pills, since that means roast beef or chicken, but I always count my blessings when I get it into this little one. You also have a small dog, so you know what it's like.:eyes:

And thank you. It's been a rough couple of weeks. Three vet visits and my other dog required surgery. It's always something.:shrug:

[janx]

16. If you can't get a pill down his throat by tucking it in back,

closing his mouth, and stroking his throat, then you might try a technique I recently adopted.

I bury the pill in some favorite food, but I keep another bite or two of the food in reserve. The dog takes one bite and then quickly another (the reserve). He doesn't have time to chew!

This depends, of course, on what kind of eater your dog is. ;-)

[Rhiannon12866]

21. Part of my problem is just finding this little dog's tiny mouth,

Let alone managing to open it. My cat was easier to pill than he is! Yikes!:wow:

And thank you. I went back to my first option, American cheese, and got everything but the antibiotic in him by doing just what you said, though I am really an old hand at this. But he only needs that pill once a day, so I can try again. It's just that I have never before had to pill such a small dog. My other dogs were cockers and I could find their mouths.:-)

He's a very poor eater, obviously, but he ate some of his sister's food, when I fed them for the first time, today. My guys are really very funny. Each wants the other's food, and I didn't stop him, since I was just so grateful that he was eating something!:-(

[Lorien]

19. Pill pockets

you can get them at PetsMart. They're a moldable "pocket" made of a tasty chicken flavored substance that animals go WILD for. I give my cats their vitamins in a pill pocket every night, and they turn into crazed maniacs as soon as the package is pulled out. Oberon tends to dislike all soft treats, but he's wild about pill pockets!

[Rhiannon12866]

22. I will ask about them, thanks!

My vet happens to be located at Banfield, in PetsMart, so this will work out well. How are your lovely kittys doing, anyway? They really are such pretty cats. If I recall, you were wondering about a dental problem. This may be one of my little guy's problems, since he is due for a cleaning. My other dog had hers a week ago. And I told you that dental surgery changed my cat's life. It's always something, isn't it?:shrug:

[Lorien]

23. They're doing great, thanks!

Miro-the 16 year old DSH, is the one with the awful teeth. I just scheduled a "no anesthesia" dental cleaning for he and Oberon (my Maine coon-who has red gums right now) today. The woman who does it uses acupressure and body wraps to keep them calm. At Miro's age, I hate to knock him out for anything!

The Pill Pockets can usually be found by the toothpastes and vitamins. Good luck! :hi:

[Rhiannon12866]

24. I am so glad to hear this. Dental surgery turned my terrified cat,

Who I rescued from outdoors, into practically a lap-cat. I only wish that I had done this immediately, but took her to the wrong animal hospital. I will never do that again. My vet also uses alternative medicine and he's treated my beloved cat and both of my cockers with acupuncture.:-)

How do they manage "no anesthesia" dental cleaning? My beloved cocker, Barney, who I lost two years ago, at age 18, really needed his teeth cleaned, again, but I was just too afraid of the anesthesia, at his age, to do this. My current vet takes every precaution. The way it was explained to me was that they treat them "like people," with blood work before and the insertion of an IV catheter, in case they need to use this, so he probably would have been fine there, but I still was scared.
:scared:

Thanks for telling me where to find this. We go back on Tuesday, so I'll look for them!:hi:

[Rhiannon12866]

27. Thank you all, so much! I got an e-mail response from my vet,

And here's what he's proposing. You all have been just the best, with such helpful suggestions, while I've been so worried, so I certainly thought you deserved to read it. BTW, I tried cooking ground chicken for my little guy, today, also suggested by a kind person at my vet's office. It was no help with the pills, but, at least, he ate. Thanks again!

Rhi:grouphug:

Hello:

The easy way is to compound the medications into liquid with the flavor he likes. We have a pharmacist that does that. If you like we can do that Monday or when you come Tuesday we can call her and have the medications done that way.

see you Tuesday

[luzdeluna]

29. Great News

Compounded medications are more expensive than regular meds.

If your dog is on a long term drug you might want to shop around for the best price. They also have a shorter shelf life so you can arrange to have a delivery schedule with your pharmacy that will ensure it is always available and fresh.

Good luck!

LDL

[mopinko]

30. cottage cheese

i had my mom's old cocker for a couple of years when she had to move to assisted living. he hated pills, but he had arthritis. i used to slip his pills into a spoonful of cottage cheese. it was something that he loved, and it was hard to pick the pills out from the lumps.
btw, you dog looks like an otter hound. does she have webbed toes?

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

31. Now that you've solved the meds issue by compounding

Have you found anything to tempt his appetite? There is one food my fussy eater will never turn down - Natural Balance Roll. I get it at Petco - you can also get it from some of the pet supply catalogs. I just noticed that they recommend it for a way to hide medications! I'll have to try that


http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/products/DFRolls.html

<snip>A Great Choice for Convalescing Dogs Natural Balance® Dog Food Rolls are hard to resist for older or convalescing dogs, and a great way to hide medication. See some Testimonials.


The Finest Ingredients for the Health of Your Dog Natural Balance® Dog Food Rolls contain only premium ingredients: USDA inspected meats, no by-products, (an excellent source of protein), and dried kelp (an excellent natural source of vitamins, mineral and trace elements). The high quality animal fats (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, source of vitamin E, and ascorbic acid – vitamin C) helps your dog have a healthy skin and a shiny coat. Highly palatable, Natural Balance® Dog Food Rolls are very appealing to both the owner and, more importantly, to the dog. <snip>

LAMB FORMULA ROLL
Lamb, Lamb Hearts, Lamb Kidneys, Lamb Lungs, Whole Wheat Flour, Rice Flour, Lamb Fat (Preserved with mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbic Acid source of Vitamin C) Sucrose, Ground Whole Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Phosphates, Brewer's Yeast, Dried Kelp Meal, Lecithin, Natural Smoke Flavor, Glycerin, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Niacin, Vitamin A Acetate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, ,Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Sodium Nitrite.

[Rhiannon12866]

32. Update on my little dog:

I took him to the vet today because I was that worried, and also my other dog was scheduled to have the stitches removed from her recent surgery, which is a whole other story. I don't know which one of them had a most unpleasant time there. My regular vet was with another client, when I got there, so I drew his partner, who has only seen him once before, but he was so concerned, that he also came in and examined him, as well.:-(

Anyway, the vet even had a very difficult time with him. She said that he is remarkably stubborn and that he clamped his little jaws shut when she attempted to open his mouth. Plus, he has the little pushed-in face, so it's tough to open his mouth. The good news is that he is much better and he only needs the diuretic and the thyroxine, which are the smallest pills, and only once a day. Also, the antibiotic may have been depressing his appetite, so now all I have to do, for the next 24 hours, is to get him to eat chicken!:-)

The vet decided to try the "piller," since he was so resistant. I was worried about him choking, since he has before because he's so small, but the vet didn't think that there would be a problem. She did the thyroid med first and got that into him, then the lasix. By that time, as with my concealing pills in the food, he'd figured out what was coming. He's no fool, my tiny dog! She used the "piller," and shot it into the back of his throat, and I rubbed it, but she said to watch him. Sure enough, a good 10 minutes later, he spit the damn pill out! She was actually very amused by how tough he is, since he's so little. All I need!:D

She crushed it up and put it into a syringe with some water, and that worked, though he fought like the devil, and she gave me the syringe to take home. Anyway, if the vet had this much trouble, it's not just that I'm incompetent!:shrug:

Thanks for all the terrific advice! I have gotten a real education about pilling pets from everybody! I'm bookmarking this and passing it on to friends who may find themselves in the same trouble! DU people are always the best!
:grouphug:

[luzdeluna]

33. Maybe your Vets shoud contact this pharmacy....

...before they do this to your dog again.


http://www.staffordpharmacy.com/custom.htm



This is a quote from their web site.
"Veterinary medicine presents some interesting challenges not seen with the human patient. Sometimes it is just a matter of finding a particular flavour that will be acceptable, other times it is preparing a product that is not available commercially. Just like humans though, the challenges of finding a solution to a therapeutic problem in animals becomes a real opportunity for the compounding pharmacist to work with the veterinarian, the animal owner, and the animal patient. Solutions that we have been involved include the creation of a product that could be applied to a cat's ear to deliver some needed medicine. The medication once delivered to the blood stream in that manner allowed the veterinarian to examine the cat without the normal need for physical restraint. Several drugs can be delivered transdermally and often it is a drug that helps to relax the animal that is best put in a dosage form that can just be gently rubbed on the animal's ear, where fur is very short and blood supply is close to the skin surface"

LDL

[Rhiannon12866]

34. Well, I posted that my vet e-mailed me back, suggesting that we

Could try a "compound," but they told me that this would be expensive and that they'd have to mail it to me. *sigh* I live in the boonies, though my vet is pretty well-connected. We decided against it, since they determined he'd only have to take the two smallest of his meds, and only once a day, which I could certainly get into him, though the vet didn't have an easy time! So thank you so much! I am printing this out! I will actually print out this entire thread and give your reply to my vet. I am sure, knowing him, that he'll appreciate it it. And he is especially in tune with cats. Thanks so much, luzdeluna!

Rhiannon:-)

[Princess Turandot]

35. I'm going thru this right now with my Yuri..

who is prescribed a tablet, and 2 capsules. The first thing I do with pet meds is to taste a tiny piece/drop, so I know what I'm dealing with. I know their taste buds are not the same as ours, but I figure if it tastes like poison to me, they won't like it much either!

If the pill is small enough, I put on a pair of old gloves, open the jaw and put the pill as far back as I can, then close his mouth and stroke his throat until he swallows.

What I'm doing with the capsules is dissolving them in as small an amt of water as possible, perhaps 0.50 mil, then suck the liquid up with a syringe and squirt it down his throat. (I put the water in the syringe first to make sure that it isn't a huge amt, then squirt it into the pill powder.)

If the medication has little taste, I give him his morning dose by putting it on a very small portion of wet food, which I know he will completely it. Then I feed him the rest of his breakfast,