Pill Pocket/Peanut Butter

[Paula Shawber]

What do ya'll use to give your doodles a pill?  

Is all peanut butter safe?

Thank you!!!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

My Roo took a lot of pills as did my Thor.  I have used successfull:, small bites of bagel for liquid meds. pill pockets,  peanut butter (safe) banana, and easiest of all a treat, a pill, a treat one after the other in my flat hand.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

In all honesty, I think it's important for all dog parents to learn how to "pill" a dog. You pry open their mouth, and hold it open while you place the pill as far back as you can get it. Then you hold their mouth shut and gently massage their throat until they swallow. It's really not all that difficult. 
That said, you can coat the pill with peanut butter, cream cheese, liverwurst, mashed sweet potatoes, etc to keep it from sticking at the back of the dog's tongue and make them more receptive. I'd forget about actually trying to "hide" it in something and getting them to eat it. That might work once or twice, but if you have the misfortune to end up with a dog who is chronically ill, like I did, there is no way the dog isn't going to catch on when he is getting 9-11 pills a day, like the late great Jackdoodle. And then you're in trouble. So it's best for both of you to get used to giving/taking the pill without deception, lol. 
The only peanut butter that is not safe is peanut butter that is artificially sweetened with Xylitol. Plain old ordinary peanut butter is fine. Check your labels. And be aware that peanut butter is higher in fat and calories than any other food on the planet, lol. 

[Carolyn & Barkley the Bear]

• Not sure who taught me, but I do exactly as Karen said!.   I open up Barkley’s mouth ..... drop the medication in far back.....close his mouth...massage his throat while telling him what a good boy he is and that’s it...done!  Takes two seconds.  I have tried the coating and hiding etc but if I got one pill in him that way I was lucky.  The next time he was on to me and wouldn’t go near it.  He is too smart for my tricks!  :). 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I did the same with Luna except blew in her nose instead of massaging throat... sometimes I would massage her throat if the nose blowing wasn't working.  Haven't had to give Riley any pills yet but she is getting spayed today and I might have to so I will try the same method.

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

We had a sick rescue who was taking a lot of meds every day. She hated it and became wise on how to avoid them. I could pry open her mouth and put the pill far back in her throat, rub her throat, blow air into her nose,..she could still spit it out no matter how long I held her mouth closed. So I adapted. I got one of those medicine syringes like you use to give babies medicine. I filled it with water, then opened the dogs mouth and put the pill far back in her throat, closed her mouth and then inserted the curved tip of the syringe into the side of her still closed mouth. Push the plunger and the water goes in, she had no choice but to swallow with a mouth full of water. Not really “full” of water, you don’t want to drown or choke them. Just enough to make them swallow. There have been a few dogs I’ve had to use that trick with since but most are not that stubborn.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Clever, Lori. 

We use peanut butter. I put some on my fingers and let the dog lick, then I offer the pill smeared with peanut butter. Has always worked for us. 

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Lucy Won’t eat peanut butter anymore because I used to give them trifexis and I tried to hide it in the peanut butter. Now she just thinks I’m giving her something awful and she refuses peanut butter. 

[Andrea, Belle and Honey]

I learned a similar lesson, Lori, when I gave Belle hydrogen peroxide mixed with plain yogurt to make her vomit the used (yuk) infant diaper she ingested when she was a puppy.  Ever since, she has refused to eat yogurt. When I eat yogurt, she runs to hide in her crate. I really regret having deprived her of a treat she once loved.  Now I keep a medicine syringe in my doggy first aid kit for liquid medicines.   

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I rest my case, lol.

[Kamela & Beckett]

We had a chronically ill senior miniature schnauzer. I was able to give her 5-7 different meds per meal by mixing them in her with her Honest Kitchen food. But she loved to eat right up until the end, never picked them out and always finished all her food. I give our doodle his allergy meds twice a day hidden in small “gob” of canned food. It’s the same canned food as the LID food he eats and the only canned food he gets so he gobbles it right up. 

[Laura and Angus]

We definitely use peanut butter to deliver pills. When we first got our pup, our vet told us to use crunchy peanut butter so our doodle wouldn't notice the pill and spit it back out. We just put the pill in the middle of a glob of peanut butter and he sucks it right up with no problem because he looooves peanut butter. Never had to do any of the prying, holding mouth, massaging or any of that....