Tricks to give your dog a tablet

Young kids and dogs have one very annoying trait in common – they make taking medicine one of the most difficult tasks on earth.

Often, the process can be an absolute debacle and what worked the last time, isn’t working this time. Here are a few tricks you can try to get your greyhound to down their medication in 2 seconds flat.

1.             Treat time

Turn the occasion into treat time and hide the medication in their favourite food or try a new treat to pique their interest. Try peanut butter or cream cheese (xylitol-free of course).

If your dog has cottoned on to the scam, they may decide to eat around the tablet or spit the tablet back out after they have extracted all of the delicious goodness surrounding the pill.

That’s when you need to get a little more creative and beat them at their own game. Try giving them 3 in quick succession, and hide the tablet in the second treat. Chances are that they trust you after the first treat, and the last treat will mask the taste of the tablet in the second treat.

2.             Crush it

If the first method doesn’t work, consider crushing up the tablet using a mortar and pestle and mixing it into some wet food. It might be worth putting the tablet in strong-tasting food to mask the taste.

3.             Turn it into a game

If your dog likes catching food mid-air, you can trick them by substituting one piece of food with a tablet. Throw them pill-sized food in quick succession, and try and match the colour of the pill so they’re none-the-wiser. When they’ve downed the pill, keep the game going for a little longer to ensure they’ve swallowed every morsel.

It’s important to remember to reward good behaviour, and ensure positive association with whatever method you are using.