How to Give a Dog a Pill (Even One He Won't Take)

TL;DR

The easiest way to give a dog a pill is to hide it in a small, soft treat, hand-feed it while your dog is hungry, and watch that it is swallowed. VCA Animal Hospitals suggests pill pockets, a little canned food, a soft treat molded around the pill, cheese, lunch meat, cooked sweet potato or peanut butter (make sure it is xylitol-free). If your dog finds the pill every time, give it directly: tilt the head back, open the mouth, place the pill far back over the tongue, close the mouth and stroke the throat or nose until they swallow. If that fails, ask your vet about a pill-giving device or having the medicine made into a flavored liquid or chew.

Before you start

• Read the label. Check the dose, how often, and whether the medicine must be given with food or on an empty stomach. If it must be given without food, hiding it in food is not an option; ask your vet.
• Ask before crushing or splitting. Some tablets are coated or slow-release, and crushing them changes how they work. Your vet or pharmacist can tell you.
• Choose a calm moment. VCA advises a safe, comfortable place, having the pill ready, and never interrupting your dog while eating, drinking, grooming or toileting.
• Stay calm. Dogs pick up on stress, VCA notes.

Method 1: hide the pill in food

1. Pick a soft, smelly food your dog loves. VCA lists pill pockets or pill wraps, a little canned dog food, a moldable soft treat, peanut butter, lunch meat, cheese, marshmallows and cooked sweet potato.
2. Wrap the pill completely, with no edges showing.
3. Offer it when your dog is hungry, before a meal.
4. Hand-feed it. VCA recommends this so you know your dog took it.
5. Use the "treat, pill treat, treat" trick: give a plain piece, then the one with the pill, then another plain piece straight away, so your dog gulps rather than chews.
6. Watch afterwards. Some dogs spit pills out; VCA notes a clever dog may leave a pile of pills behind the couch.

Food safety:

• Peanut butter: check the label for xylitol, which the FDA warns is dangerous for dogs.
• Diet restrictions: if your dog is on a prescription or low-fat diet, or has food allergies, ask your vet which foods are safe to use.
• Count the calories if your dog takes several pills a day.

What worked for our founder's pug

Morty, who founded Dogevera, used these two tricks to give medicines to a pug and says they almost never failed:

• The decoy sausage. Cut a small sausage or hot dog into bite-size pieces and tuck the pill into one. Hand over a few plain pieces first, then, while your dog is busy enjoying them, toss the piece with the pill so it lands toward the back of the mouth. Expecting more sausage, the dog swallows it without inspecting it. Use only a tiny amount: processed meats are salty and fatty, so skip them for dogs on a low-fat diet, and check the label for onion or garlic, which the ASPCA lists as toxic to dogs.
• The quick direct method. Press gently into the gap behind the upper canine tooth on each side, which keeps the mouth open, tilt the head up, drop the pill as far back as you can, close the mouth, keep the nose pointing up and stroke the throat until your dog swallows. These are the same steps VCA describes below.

Method 2: give the pill directly ("pilling")

The steps VCA describes:

1. Coat the pill with a little soft treat so it slides down more easily.
2. Hold the pill between thumb and index finger of your dominant hand.
3. Hold the muzzle from above with your other hand, thumb behind the canine teeth on one side of the upper jaw, fingers on the other.
4. Tilt the head back so the nose points up; the jaw will drop open slightly.
5. Open the mouth wider by pressing gently on the lower front teeth with the ring and little fingers of your pill hand.
6. Drop the pill as far back over the tongue as you can, beyond the hump of the tongue, then close the mouth and hold it shut while you bring the head back level. Do not push your fingers too far back, which can make your dog gag.
7. Stroke the throat or nose, or blow lightly on the nose, to prompt swallowing. A lick of the nose usually means the pill went down.
8. Reward straight away with a treat, play or praise, to make next time easier.

A small amount of water or a bit of food afterwards helps the pill go all the way down.

What if my dog still won't take the pill?

• A pet piller: VCA suggests this device, which places the pill at the back of the mouth without your fingers.
• A different form: veterinary compounding pharmacies can often make medicines into flavored liquids or chews, such as chicken or beef flavor, VCA notes. Ask your vet whether your dog's medicine can be compounded.
• Help with fear: if your dog is anxious or fearful of being pilled, VCA advises contacting your vet for advice.
• Practice with treats: handle your dog's mouth gently for a few seconds, then reward, on days with no pill, so mouth handling stops predicting medicine.

Giving pills to a senior dog

Older dogs often take several medicines a day.

• Use a pill organizer and a written schedule, and tick off each dose.
• Ask your vet whether doses can be combined at the same time of day.
• Watch for dental pain: a dog that suddenly resists mouth handling may have a sore mouth. See senior dog dental care.
• Consider powders for supplements. Powdered supplements that mix into food avoid pilling entirely. Our green-lipped mussel powder is sprinkled on a meal once a day; in a 2002 study, 83% of dogs with arthritis given mussel powder on their food improved their arthritis score by 30% or more within 6 weeks, against 7% without it.

FAQ

What can I hide my dog's pill in?

Pill pockets, a little canned dog food, a soft treat, cheese, lunch meat, cooked sweet potato or xylitol-free peanut butter, as long as your dog's diet allows it.

How do I give my dog a pill without food?

Place it directly at the back of the tongue, close the mouth, tilt the head slightly up and stroke the throat until your dog swallows, as described above.

Can I crush my dog's pill and mix it in food?

Only if your vet or pharmacist says the medicine can be crushed. Some tablets are coated or slow-release, and many taste bitter when crushed, so dogs may refuse the food.

What if my dog spits out the pill?

Rewrap it in a smaller, tastier piece, use the treat-pill-treat sequence, or give it directly. If you are not sure a full dose was swallowed, call your vet before giving another.

My dog bites when I give pills. What can I do?

Stop and ask your vet. Options include a pill-giving device, a compounded liquid or chew, or help for handling fear.

References

• VCA Animal Hospitals. Giving Pills to Dogs.
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control. Garlic.
• VCA Animal Hospitals. Nutrition and Pancreatic Disease in Dogs.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Paws Off Xylitol; It's Dangerous for Dogs.
• Bierer TL, Bui LM. Improvement of arthritic signs in dogs fed green-lipped mussel. Journal of Nutrition. 2002.