How to give a dog medicine and vitamins: actionable tips & advice

There comes a time in every dog’s life when he needs to take some kind of medication, vitamins or supplements. Whether it’s an antibiotic for an infection or a dog supplement for canine joint health, you’re going to need to know how to give a dog medicine in a proper and safe way.

Majority of dogs are notorious for refusing to take medicine, vitamins, supplements and anything else that they deem suspicious and not appealing in smell or taste.

Some dogs may be more willing to take their medicine very easily- however, most canines will refuse to take medicine, and you may have to force it down. There are a few tricks that may help you to learn how to give a dog medicine without having him to spit it out, and a few things you need to keep in mind when forcing pills in your dog.

In my video guide on how to give a dog medicine or pills I explain how you can do this in a proper way, what safety precautions to take and what you should avoid doing.

Remember that no matter which method you choose to get your pet to take his dog pills, you should keep the experience a positive one for him. This is important for future success of giving your dog pills.

Finally, don’t get frustrated when pooch doesn’t eat his medicine on the first try. It’ll take time for you and your dog to learn how to give/take medicine pills. More on this below.

How To Give A Dog Medicine: A Video Guide

Video: Willard Vet Tutorial: Giving your dog pills made easy

Mix the medicine with dog food or dog treats

The easiest way to learn how to give a dog medicine is to give it with his dog food. Wrapping the medicine in a food source with a strong odor will entice almost any dog. That’s the oldest trick in the book, and most of the time, it works like a charm,.

As I explain in my video guide above, I like to use sliced deli meat. It provides a strong odor and is easily malleable. You can wrap the meat around your dog’s medicine pills, and your dog is likely to swallow it whole without even noticing the pill.

If your dog is clever, like our boxer, he may figure out how to eat the food and spit the pill out. In this case, you’ll have to get a little more creative. You can try using pill treats.

These special tasty dog treat pill-holders are specifically made to wrap around your pet’s treats. They are pliable, so you just slide the pill in and pinch both ends to hide it. This seals in the pill, and it’s rare that a dog would be able to smell the medication.

Some of the best selling pill treat brands for dogs include:

Video: How to Give Your Dog Liquid Medication

• GREENIES Pill Pockets
• Vet Works Pill Treats
• Zoe Pill Pops
• VetIQ Pill Treats

Personally, I love these dog pill pockets and they work perfectly well. However, there is no guarantee that your dog will enjoy the flavor and some pets do refuse to eat certain brands of treats.

The main drawback of using pill pocket treats is their cost.

Generally, dog pill treats are a great solution if your canine only needs to take medication or his dog supplements for a short period of time. But if your dog will be taking medicine or vitamins for a long period of time, it won’t be cost effective to feed him pill treats multiple times a day.

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A Game: An alternative way to give your dog pills

When doggy pill pouches/treats don’t work, you can try playing a game with your canine. I like to call it the “1, 2, 3 Game“. Using three dog treats instead of just one, you can trick your dog into easily eating his medication. When learning how to give a dog medicine, you’ll soon figure out that tricking the Fido can make your job much easier.

This “1, 2, 3 Game“ is very simple. Let’s say that you’re using deli meat. Instead of just one piece, use three pieces. Hide the pill in one piece. Give your dog a piece without the pill, then the piece with with pill, and finally the other piece with no pill.

Your dog may be suspicious at first, but he won’t find a pill in the first piece. After testing the first one, he’s likely to gobble up the other two piece without hesitation.

You can also use psychological tricks to give your dog medicine. One potential way is to use competition as a motivator. This works very well with majority of dogs.

For example, if you have more than one dog, feed the others a dog treat first. The dog that requires the medication will see other pets happily eat their treat, and he’ll be more likely to gobble his stuff down in fear that one of the others may take it if he doesn’t.

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