Why do dogs not like to take pills?
Dogs can be very reluctant to take pills. This might be very strange to you, especially because your dog will put just about anything else in their mouth (including the neighbors trash). The main reason that dogs do not like to take pills is that they are animals of habit, and a pill throws them off their usual eating routine. It also doesn’t help that most pills are a different color than dog food and are typically made of a hard capsule texture that your dog can easily distinguish from his/her food. If your dog is reluctant to take pills, there is no need to panic. In today’s article, we are going to discuss the best ways to administer pills to unwilling dogs.
Best Way to Administer Pills to Dogs
Below are the best ways to administer pills to dogs:
- Size
If you have a reluctant dog, you should ask your vet for the smallest pill possible. This will definitely make it easier for you to sneak the pill into your dog’s food.
- Put in treat
While you have probably already tried putting the pill inside of food, we recommend also trying to sneak the pill into a treat. Sometimes, dogs will let their guard down over the excitement of a treat, which can allow you to feed the pill through a treat without your dog noticing.
- Positive reinforcement
Whenever your dog does take a pill, it is very important that you reward him/her so that your dog recognizes that eating the pill is a good behavior. We recommend giving your dog a treat or just give him a lot of love and rubs right after they eat the pill. If your dog then associates the pill with treats, it will make your job a lot easier in the future.
- Wait until your dog is hungry
Another thing to try is to put the pill in your dog’s food when they are really hungry. Their hunger might distract them just enough to not realize there is a pill in the food.
- Crush it
Some pills are able to be crushed up. We definitely recommend doing this if your dog is reluctant to eat the pill. Just make sure to check with your vet beforehand to ensure that the medication still has the same effect if it is crushed up.
One of the best ways to administer a pill to your dog is to sneak it inside of a pill pocket. These treats are designed to have space to hide a pill inside so that your dog doesn’t even realize it is there. It also makes it impossible for your dog to separate the treat from the pill, so your dog is forced to eat both at the same time.
