Help please guys.  Copper was bitten by a dog and the bite has gone nasty for which the vet has given me anti-biotics.  She just opens the dog's mouth, pops in the tablet and strokes his throat and down it goes.

I have spent nearly an hour this morning trying to give the dog half a tablet.  I've tried wrapping it up in food (he won't fall for it), grinding up the tablet and sprinkling it on something yummy (won't eat it).  I've tried to open his mouth but he just clamps his jaws tight shut and I don't want to force him.  When I have managed to get the mouth open and poke the tablet down his throat he just gets it back up and spits it out.  The result is one stressed dog, one stressed me and wasted tablets.

I'm doing it wrong I know.  How do I make him take them?  The vet would do it but I can't go back and forward there twice a day.

CG

Hiya, I'm no expert on this, but Toby takes his tablets really well and easily if I just pretend it's a treat.  I would try putting it in your hand with another few treats, and making him 'wait' for each one, slipping the tablet in mid-way through.  Might work?!  :)

I find it easiest to have the dog on my left, facing facing forwards. With my left hand (I'm right-handed; a left-hander may do it the other way around!) holding the top jaw, using the thumb and middle finger I feel just behind the canine teeth where there's a bit of a gap, and press the lips firmly against the teeth. Press hard enough and the dog will open its mouth, because it's uncomfortable. (It's not cruel because the dog is entirely in control of when it stops resisting!)

Once the mouth is open and you're still holding the dog by the top jaw, pop the tablet as far down the throat as you can (you shouldn't be able to see it) with your right hand and then hold the dog's mouth firmly shut, point his head to the ceiling and stroke his throat until you see him swallow. Then give him a titbit to finish washing it down.

Hope this helps.
:)

Thanks all for replying so quickly - I've tried the food thing, even his favourites and he knows the tablet is in there.  I'll try JG's instructions - his jaws are so strong for a small dog that they're really hard to open.  He's so stubborn as well, the tablet was half way down his throat but he just kind of sicked it up and spat it out. 

Why can't they make them ice cream flavoured?  That's a thought - I'll try in a bit of ice cream, he loves it. :)

CG

I wrap Bess's tablets in anything tasty (meat, bread..) and make sure she can see I've got further pieces lined up ready so they go down fast. :-)

try putting the tablet inside a piece of cheese, my dog will do anything for cheese

I do it like JG, the important thing is to hold the mouth closed and point their face to the ceiling, stroking their throat they WILL swallow :) ......usually! :D  OR some grated cheese pressed firmly round the pill then wrapped in a slice of ham, small enough that he hasn't got to chew it just swallow, this works if your dog likes to 'catch' titbits :) Admittedly this will fool the bigger dogs but my smaller one has to have her jaws clamped shut :P

Hee hee - I'd better call in at Sainsburys on my way home to get all the goodies!  Seriously though, I'm going to nip home shortly and have another go so I'll let you know how I get on.  Thanks for the tips.

CG

I do it like JG, but have the dog between my legs, with his bum against a corner so he can't back out.

I only have to 'wrestle' with Missie, the other two eat everything given to them, and sometimes things that aren't! :P If its edible, inedible, they eat it :D

:)  I like to think of you all having as much trouble as me.  Copper is a very greedy dog (for anything that isn't dog food) but he's also as fly as they come so he knows when I've put the tablet inside.  However, saying that, I have managed to give him his morning tablet hidden inside a chunk of Walls Vanilla (I had to eat some as well to show him how its done :))

I will continue to try the proper way though as well.

CG

The only way I can get my dog to swallow pills is in cheese and even then it needs a special technique.  The pill gets wrapped in cheese and a selection of other pieces of cheese are put beside it.  Dog then asked to sit and piece of cheese thrown so she has to catch it.  this is done randomly until piece of cheese with pill inside is thrown.  I don't know why but when she has to catch the cheese mid air she can't spit the pill out and swallow the cheese - it all goes down in one. Success!

My dog has to get his epilepsy meds twice daily. He is a rather greedy dog so we dont have huge problems. The easiest way I find is in a small wad of butter (you have to be quick before it melts though!). This has proved easy when one of my other dogs (who is VERY fly about spitting tablets out) was on antibiotics. The butter with the pills just slides down without any probs. Not sure if it will work for you though - just a thought!
Good luck

Hi Colliecrew - I do that too ;) 

I use the same method as JG for putting them in the mouth and down the back of the throat but find coated with a little butter really works a treat and stops them gagging on them (particularly the uncoated types) and bringing them back up as partial mush 10 minutes later :P

Regards, Teri

A dog training book I like suggests you get your pooch used to getting three marshmallows as a treat occasionally.  The idea is the dog knows three are coming so gulps the second one really quickly in order to get at the third.  I guess the first one is a heads up for the dog.  Then, when you need to administer pills, you slip them into the second marshmallow.  Sounds like Copper isn't going to fall for this now but maybe for later times it will work.  Guess the pooch must be a certain size too, in order to swallow big marshmallows.  Have not tried it myself, have a Lab.

LOL

My present dogs will take anything I give them, but my Tibetan and my Afghan cross were sooo crafty, the Tibetan would actually remind us to give him his pills by bringing us the box :D and then would manage to spit them out and cover them with his paws :D :D :D  then he'd be stuck because if he walked away he'd be caught out :D :D  really comical to see :D :D  The Afghan could always tell if we tried to fool him with treats, the one, two, three was amazing, three treats would be gulped down (pill in second) and three seconds later out would come the pill   we tried cheese, mars bar, marshmallow, minced meat, meat pieces, all sorts but nothing worked.  In the end we would have to shove them down his throat, but even then you'd have to give him 1/2 a pound of meat to make them stay down and he could froth like something from ghostbusters  LOL

Hi, i d the shove down the throat too, with him between legs, but my most trouble is the cats, i do same method but with cat under my arm
Good luck

Buy some Tesco Value ham only 40p  wrap tablet in a piece.  feed another little piece then give the piece with the tablet from one hand while your other hand is immeaditly offering another piece.  never known it to fail.  They swallow the tablet bit quick to get the next bit thats dangling by thier mouth.

Bev

We're pilling sick cat right now and may have to for the rest of her life, what a nice little exercise in owner/pet bonding.  But at least the stuff stays down.  My friend's cat swallows the pill, she holds on and strokes down his throat to make sure.  And then he coughs and coughs till he gets it up and out.

Just thought of another pilling idea.  Read somewhere that people with something stuck in their throats or taking a big pill, should try eating a piece of banana.  Either with the pill or after it.  The banana is kind of slimy so slides down easily and takes the other stuck stuff or pill with it.

You could always get a Buster Pill Giver

They cost a couple of quid & put the pill at the back of the throat

My Lab wll only take her pills in SAUSAGES ! we have treid everything else but thats the one I cook them then cut one in half then slice halfwaythrough and hide the pill in there  also she likes to catch a treat so I throw it and its in and gone she adores sausages.
Also could try the beef  or crab paste which worked with the cat  :)

I put my dogs tablets in a bit of cheese :-) he loves it

I melt a few doggy choc drops in mike, grind up the tab, sprinkle it on, 2 mins in the freezer and one large choc drop with tab - goes down a treat :)
Gina

I noticed in Pets@Home at the weekend they had special treat things for pills. Like a little hollowed out kibble type thing with a lid. You put the pill in, pushed the lid on and then gave them the whole thing. They weren't that expensive, but I don't know if they would work any better than wrapping them in cheese.

I used the method same as JG with mt German Shepherd. She was on medication for a long time and I always used to say open wide whilst doing it. She got so used to this that now I only have to lightly touch her mouth and say open wide and she does it herself without any force used. She is a big handfull of a dog just wish she could use her obvious intelligence in other areas.