My dog was given a prescription for Cepalexin to treat a cyst on her tail.
In the past, whenever she had needed medicine, the pills were solid, and I had no trouble crushing and mixing with ice cream, to administer the med.
This time around, the pills are in capsule form, and I asked the Vet whether I could open the capsule and pour the powder onto the ice cream. He said no, as the capsule was part of the Med.
???
I thought a capsule was just the delivering agent, opened by stomach acid, and discarded, allowing the contents to do their thing.
My Vet is closed this week for the holidays, so I am wondering if anyone can answer my question…how is the plastic capsule a part of the med?
Thanks.
It’s most-likely a time-release capsule, which is designed to dissolve at a certain rate to deliver the medication gradually.
If you’ve never made a dog swallow a pill before, here’s the procedure:
- Stick that thing as far back in your pooch’s mouth as you can get it.
- Hold the dog’s mouth closed with your hands. If it’s a big dog, hold his head between your forearm and your chest.
- Pull your dog’s nose upward and rub the dog’s neck in a downward motion, putting pressure on the throat. Repeat until he swallows a couple times.
Perfect technique, friedo. And I agree with you re: the time-release capsule.
Complete hijack: My dog, of course, will swallow almost any pill if given to her with a “Hey, want a TREEEAATTT?” Unless they taste especially nasty, in which case 1-2 molecules (really, that little) of peanut butter applied to the pill and they’re down the hatch.
She’s a ravenous little goblin. 
End hijack.
peanut butter or creme cheese are almost certain ways to make any dog eat anything. I am not sure if they will somehow mess up the release timing of the capsule, though.
You can also use a syringe to give a little water after the pill to make it easier to swallow.
Other tried and true dog pill administration methods:
-Wrap pill in a ball of american cheese
-1" section of hot dog with pill slid directly into the middle of it.
I too thought the outer casing of a pill was just gelatin and not actually part of the “medication.”
The old dog had to have medicine daily for years. A one inch cream cheese ball, got swallowed whole with no fuss.
The outside geletin capsule isn’t important to meter out the dosage. It’s all the tiny round balls inside that need to remain unbroken.
I’ve seen a gaylord of empty geletin capsules. They’re shipped assembled, and the recipiant, had to open , fill, and close the capsules. It has no medicine constiuants in the outer capsule. A gaylord is a pallet box combination four foot by four foot and four foot tall.