# How do I get my dog to take these pills? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047 "2005-07-18T21:41:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/21 "2005-07-19T02:45:45Z")
Okay, I had some shredded cheese, so I tried the cheese ball trick. It worked, atleast for tonight. I may have to try something else tomorrow, because, by the time he got to the fourth cheese ball, he had a WTF? look on his face. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/22 "2005-07-19T02:58:54Z")
doesn’t cheese have an … unfortunate… effect on the digestive systems of dogs??? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/23 "2005-07-19T03:18:17Z")
My dog is usually happy to swallow pills wrapped in a piece of bread. Soft bread (no crust), rolled in a tight ball. ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/24 "2005-07-19T03:21:35Z")
My pooch gets two pills, morning and night: a Benadryl pill for her allergies and a fairly large 3V capsule, which helps her coat and skin. Each one gets bundled in a small sheaf of shaved turkey. She _loves_ the things. All I have to say is, “Turkey treats!” and she gallops, scampers and skids her way to the kitchen. Given dogs’ usual gulping method of eating (they don’t call it ‘wolfing your food for nuthin’), it’s pretty easy to get pills down 'em if they don’t even realize they’re there. A few times she’s gulped so fast the pill’s fallen out, but all it takes is another little turkey bundle. Hope your pup feels better soon. Veb ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/25 "2005-07-19T03:21:36Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > doesn’t cheese have an … unfortunate… effect on the digestive systems of dogs??? That’s probably a good thing. He’s been pooping twice as much as usual. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/26 "2005-07-19T03:59:25Z")
I always bury the pill in a huge spoonful of peanut butter, which I let my dog lick right off the spoon. She gets so caught up in the licking and swallowing that the pill is inside her before she realizes it. The unfortunate side effect is that, now, everytime I get the peanut butter out she dances around the kitchen on her hind legs until she gets a scoop. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/27 "2005-07-19T08:52:07Z")
> [@TVeblen](#): > > Each one gets bundled in a small sheaf of shaved turkey. She _loves_ the things. All I have to say is, “Turkey treats!” and she gallops, scampers and skids her way to the kitchen. Sadie used to go absolutely gaga whenevever I said, “Time to cheese the dog…” ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/28 "2005-07-19T09:06:36Z")
Another “wrapper” that works well (at least for us) is just … plain old _butter_. Wrap the pill in a small chunk of butter – most dogs love butter! If the dog is especially picky/sneaky, use the two-bit method already mentioned (pill in the second gob of butter). Of course, this will affect the digestive system probably even more than the cheese does, so you should factor this into your considerations. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/29 "2005-07-19T10:05:42Z")
If no one has said it yet: cheese. You can form it nicely around the pill, and it should stay encased in cheese just long enough for your dog to snarf it down. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/30 "2005-07-19T10:15:22Z")
Butter! Easier to mould round a pill then cheese, yet ever so slippery. I have yet to meet a dog that didn’t think butter was an awfully good treat. ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/31 "2005-07-19T12:12:50Z")
I have a boxer, and we just shove the pills down his throat - it helps that he has a large mouth… it’d be a bitch trying our method out on a little dog 🙂 Seriously, if your dog will let you, stuff your hand as far into its mouth as you can, drop the pill, then withdraw your hand and immediately clamp the mouth shut for a few seconds. Works every time. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/32 "2005-07-19T14:26:21Z")
Cream cheese also works well if your dog won’t eat regular cheese or peanut butter. Banana also worked well for us. Of course your dog has to like banana, which ours did; all you had to do was crack one open and she would come running and stand there drooling until she got some. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/33 "2005-07-19T15:02:52Z")
> [@hillbilly queen](#): > > That’s probably a good thing. He’s been pooping twice as much as usual. You have obviously never smelled a Rusty-ate-cheese fart. I think I could detect one of those if I was on the moon and he let loose. Gag. No cheese for him! ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/34 "2005-07-19T15:32:05Z")
I do the “Open mouth wide, toss pill at back of throat, close mouth and rub throat” technique with all my dogs. If they are being totally uncooperative, then I tend to use cheese, or cheap lunchmeat, or soy butter to wrap the pill(s) n’ let them inhale that. I swear, dogs don’t chew their treats. They inhale them. Or at least they don’t taste anything. Yeesh! ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/35 "2005-07-19T19:33:36Z")
Why has no one mentioned cheese? CHEESE, People! It’s the obvious method. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/36 "2005-07-19T20:25:32Z")
> [@C3](#): > > I always bury the pill in a huge spoonful of peanut butter, which I let my dog lick right off the spoon. Works for my Bichon, too. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/37 "2005-07-19T20:31:06Z")
With my dogs, you could wrap a pill in bacon, stuff it in a chicken, stuff the chicken in a pork chop and they’d wolf the whole thing down in 2 seconds, and then spit the pill on the floor. Only way to do it is to open his mouth, and throw the pill as far down his throat as I can. I can just about reach his stomach that way. If I don’t get it far enough down, he can force it back out with his tongue. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047/38 "2005-07-19T22:50:26Z")
Since nobody has mntioned it yet, cheese. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dog-to-take-these-pills/313047.md?page=1)