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Pill Pockets Hide Pills And Capsules So Your Dog Will Swallow Them
When our little pug, Pearl, had emergency eye surgery, we didn’t think anything of popping a pill in her mouth – well, that was the theory – our theory, certainly not her’s.
For a 14 pound dog, Pearl put up quite a fight in getting her to take a pill. Hiding it in peanut butter, ham, or a piece of bacon, John and I were at our wits end trying to get a small pill down her throat.
Fighting with her 4 times a day was wearing for human and canine alike.
That’s before I figured out some tricks, including hiding the pill in a tasty pill pocket like those below.
BTW, here’s an article about a better E-collar (ie, Elizabethan collar, cone of shame): Cone of Shame Alternatives.
Pill Pockets For Dogs
Pill pockets are soft and mushy so you can wrap them right around a pill or capsule. For larger medications that may not fit easily into a pill pocket, scroll down to see the Wrap-A-Pill option. Additionally, toward the end of the article, I’ll show you how to even make your own pill pockets!
All of the pill hiding dog treats below have different flavors which you will see when redirected to Amazon.
Greenies Pill Pocket Tablet Variety Pack (3, 3.2 Oz. Packs)
VETRISCIENCE Laboratories – Pinchers, Pill Hiding Dog Treats with Probiotics, Organic Peanut Butter, 45 Hiders, (2 Pack)Milk-Bone Pill Pouches Dog Treats, Real Chicken Flavor, 6 Ounces (Pack of 5)Pill Buddy Naturals, Peanut Butter & Apple Recipe for Dogs, 1 Pack, 30-CountZoë Pill Pops for Dogs, All Natural, Healthy Dog Treats, Grain-Free, Grilled Beef with Ginger Recipe, 3.5 oz., 92048
Tips For Pilling A Difficult Dog
We quickly figured out that, even with the pill wrapped in a pill pocket, Pearl was a no-go when it came to swallowing her medication. That’s when we figured out how to trick her:
We took a pill pocket and hid the pill in it, enclosing it entirely in the pocket so she couldn’t see it. We then took TWO other pill pockets and formed them to look identical to the real pill.
We called our method ‘primer, pill, chaser.’ What that means is that we gave her a dummy pocket first. As she swallowed it, we immediately gave her the pill pocket containing the medicine and then immediately chased it with the other dummy pill pocket.
It worked!
Pill Pockets For Cats
The cat versions of pill pockets come in flavors cats love. That doesn’t mean they can’t be used for dogs as they certainly can. If the pocket is too small for a dog medication, you can smoosh more than one together.
Pill Pockets for Cats Chicken 1.6 oz 4 Pack (180 Pockets)Greenies Pill Pockets Salmon Treats For Cat 45 oz. 1 pkFELINE GREENIES Pill Pockets Cat Treats, Salmon & Tuna Flavor
Wrap-A-Pill Options
Wrap-A-Pill is a thick paste that can be molded around any pet medication. It allows for the most adaptation of any pill pocket.
(2 Pack) Tomlyn Products Pill-Masker Original For Cats & Dogs (Bacon)Pet MD Wrap A Pill Cheese & Bacon Flavor Pill Paste for Dogs – Make a Pocket or Pouch to Hide Pills & Medication – 4.2 ozPet MD Wrap A Pill Bacon Flavor Pill Paste for Dogs and Cats – Create a Pocket to Hide Pills and Medication – 59 ServingsPet MD Wrap A Pill Peanut Butter Flavored Pill Paste for Dogs – Make a Pocket to Hide Pills and Medication for Pets – 59 Servings
Make Your Own Pill Pockets
If cash is in short supply, you can easily make your own pet pill pockets by doing the following:
Mix 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1/4 cup flour, and water or milk to make it pliable.
That’s IT! Well, except forming them into pockets. I took a bit of this homemade pill pocket paste and rolled it into a small ball. I then found that using the blunt end of a chopstick was the perfect implement to form the pocket.
Good luck!
