How do I get pills and supplements into my pet?
For some owners, providing medication to their pets is a nightmare no matter how many times we tell them that we’re giving it because we love them, they just don’t listen. Also, some medications taste so bad that even pets that understand how much you love them and want to take it can’t get it down. Here are some tips on how to get pills and supplements into your beloved furry friends:
GENERAL TIPS:
· Wash your hands - Many pills have a very strong flavor. When you touch the pill, you transfer the bad flavor to the thing you’re wrapping the pill in.
1) Remove the pill from the bottle
2) Set the pill down
3) Wash your hands
4) Get the treat or product you’ll be putting the pill in (some options include Solutions DOGh soft cheese, Visionary, Bark Bistro, Lord Jameson, Kure butter, Coconut Oil)
5) Use a spoon, tweezers, or other utensil to place the treat in the substance, or pick up the treat with one hand and the pill with the other hand
6) If molding the treat around the pill DO NOT USE the hand that touched the pill
· If you’re using a capsule, you can twist the capsule open and pour it into a food or treat that covers the taste rather than trying to force a pill down.
· If you have a powder that tastes too bad for your pet to eat, you can encapsulate it. You can purchase a pill maker and OO or OOO sized empty caps.
· DO NOT crush pill medication without reading the product insert first. Some medications are time-released. Crushing these increases absorption of the substance and may be life threatening.
· Herbal Blends can be longer lasting and easier to use. Solutions Chill Out is our favorite longer-lasting and can be given as a powder or tea. Animal Essentials Tranquility Blend is a less potent liquid tincture.
· Pheromone Diffusers and Essential Oils – If your pet has generalized anxiety that is aggravated by medication time, you can use a Pheromone Diffuser or Essential Oil for calming first. Essential Oils should NOT be used on cats unless they are properly diluted, as their livers cannot metabolize aromatase. AnimalEO, Vetiver, or Merlin’s Magic by Frogworks are our favorites for dogs. Dogs generally do not like Lavender at all so we suggest Vetiver for calming. We also carry locally made Daisy Paw Collar Diffusers for regular treatments.
· Another type of calming supplement is Hemp. Hemp contains cannab inoids and, if well sourced, other cannabinoids which notoriously decrease pain, stress, inflammation, anxiety, stomach upset, and much more. At Hero’s, we carry C B D products (very easy to give), honey, and cookie treats. We like Anderson's (liquid), C B D Dog Health (liquid and treats), and Suzie's (treats)
· Usually, when we’re trying to get a supplement or medication into a pet, it’s because they are sick. Consider giving your pet Animals Apawthecary Daily Digestion (previously called Ginger/Mint) or Solutions Regulator before trying anything else. Calming an upset tummy may be enough to entice them to try anything.
· Use two treats at once. Give your pet one treat that has a pill inside of it while holding an enticing treat in front of their face. They are often so interested in getting the second treat in that they swallow the first treat (with the sneaky pill inside) as fast as they can.
TREATS
· K9 Naturals Lamb or Beef Green Tripe- This product is from New Zealand. It is grass-fed, humanely raised lamb. Green Tripe is the digestive lining; therefore, it is very stinky and covers up supplements and pills very, very well. Additionally, digestive lining contains natural digestive enzymes and, therefore, Green Tripe can assist with digestion and entice picky or sick eaters to eat better.
· Kure Butter – KETO FRIENDLY. Butter is soft and easy to get pills into. Butter is also naturally high in Vitamin K, which helps optimize calcium metabolism, improve neurological health, and protect the heart and kidneys from damage caused by some hormone imbalances.
· Coconut Oil – KETO FRIENDLY. Similar to Butter, Coconut Oil is malleable and easy to use. Cocotherapy and Green Pasture are higher-quality brands than most. Coconut Oil is anti-parasitic, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and all around awesome. Most pets love the taste, and the consistency (<70 degrees) is thick and easy to blend pills or powders into
· Freeze Dried and Soft Treats – The consistency of freeze-dried treats is such that they are often easy to push a pill inside of. In the case of a large pill, if you add a couple of drops of water to the treat, you may mold the meat around the pill easily. We carry numerous brands that are soft enough to push a pill into. Additionally, whole chicken or duck hearts allow you to push a pill into the aorta for a sneaky, delicious snack/
· Visionary Ghee & Bark Bistro Peanut Butter – KETO FRIENDLY. Creamy consistencies work best for some pets. Smaller pills, powders, and liquid tinctures can be blended into them and wiped on the top of the mouth or in the gums so they can't be spit out. Alternatively, you can coat a pill with the "butter" and give it as a treat ball.
MEATBALLS / VEGGIE BALLS
· Solutions Pet Products – KETO FRIENDLY. Solutions brand of raw meat is drier than many of the other brands and therefore holds its shape best when pills are pushed into it. Other raw foods that might work for you (must be modified to be keto-friendly) are made by Raw Bistro, Small Batch, and Anderson’s Natural.
· QUICK NOTE ON RAW MEAT AND DEHYDRATED MEATBALLS – This is the single most effective method that we are aware of. If you are STILL having an issue with getting your pet to agree with this, consider cooking the meat before adding the supplement or pill, which increases the aroma of the meat and further covers the smell of the supplement OR freezing a meatball (see above) or after adding the supplement or pill decreases the odor of not only the meat but also the supplement or pill
MEAT-FREE BALLS
· Solutions Pet Products DOGh soft cheese – Cheese from grass-fed and finished pasture-raised goats. Solutions DOGh soft cheeses come with four different added supplement options: Yucca (for inflammation), and Cranberry & Dandelion Root (for urinary health), Zucchini & Diatomaceous Earth (for parasites and coprophagia), and Chamomile (for calming). The cheeses are easy to slice and hiding pills inside, AND you’ll be giving your pet probiotics and herbal supplementation along with their medicine!
· Nuggets Healthy Eats probiotic frozen yogurt and Bone Broth Butter (banana-based supplement) – This is like ice cream for your pet and easy to hide things in.
· Fresh fruit – whole, fresh berries are great for hiding pills
· Canned or Powdered (rehydrated) Pumpkin – Most dogs love pumpkin enough to eat anything mixed into it.
· Fresh Smoothie from Green Juju – Many dogs love fruits and veggies. Blending them together into a smoothie with your powdered supplements makes a nice blend that can be put inside of an emptied Marrow Bone or an enticement-filled toy such as Soda Pup or Woof Pupsicle Treat Ball
· Raw Milk – Raw Goat Milk is an excellent and easy way to mix things up. It’s rare that pets won’t eat anything mixed into Raw Milk. Like breastfeeding an infant, raw milk is a complete diet that can improve body composition, stabilize hormones, promote calm, and provide vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
Solutions Pet Products makes 4 fermented raw goat milk products with a high probiotic content, longer shelf life once thawed, and herbs to support health.
Fermented Raw Goat MIlk with fermented turmeric & fermented ginger (for inflammation and liver support),
GOATnog with fermented duck eggs + cinnamon + honey (for puppies, seniors, and highly active pets),
Better Butter Tea with creamed butter + detox herbs (for urinary health and detoxification), and
Tummy Butter Kefir Tea + creamed butter + digestive herbs (for digestive health, yeast, and a superboost of probiotics)
Green Juju has raw milk "straight out of the goat." It has a lower probiotic content (and shorter shelflife once thawed), which may be better for ultra-sensitive pets.
Solutions Pet Products Sheep Milk - cultured, high probiotic, longer shelf life, and a smooth flavor for super picky pets.
- Gelatin Jiggles – Solutions Pet Products makes 4 varieties of gelatin bone broth "Jiggles" with fermented ingredients.
Solutions Fish Jiggles has more health benefits than we can count and smells like doggie heaven… contains fermented whole sardines + fish bone broth + fermented cod liver oil + cranberry. This blend is ideal for thyroid support, skin & coat, immune health, and liver support.
Solutions Beef Jiggles + fermented beet juice is a great methyl donor and great for picky pets
Solutions Chicken Jiggles + fermented ginger root juice is excellent for soothing digestive upset
Solutions Pork Jiggles + fermented cabbage juice is a great methyl donor and excellent for skin and connective tissue health
· Honey – Honey, in general, is great for flavoring anything. As stated above, our Colorado Hemp Honey, Bee Shepherd, and Woof not only covers icky tastes but also has the added benefit of calming and healthy herbal supplements.
· Raw Marrow Bones – When raw marrow bones are thawed completely the marrow itself gets soft enough that pills can be pushed inside the marrow. Obviously, you don’t want your pet slowly licking that out or you might waste a whole bone. Instead, thaw your bone, spoon a chunk of marrow out; put the treat inside the marrow that’s in the spoon, feeding the marrow that you spooned out as a treat.
DOWN THE HATCH – how to put a pill straight down the hatch
QUICK NOTE: Sometimes it works to baby-talk and soothe your animal with reassurance. However, if your pet is “freaking out” despite your talk, they are probably trying to get you to feel sorry for them. Try, instead, being verbally firm. Making a sound like “AHH” or “SHHH” often puts them in the mindset of a pack, where the pack leader is saying with a certain growl, “chill out, I got this.”… this actually decreases stress dramatically and can alter their behavior for the better immediately.
Small dogs and cats:
· OPTIONAL – wrap them in a towel tightly, like a swaddle (see Youtube if necessary)
· Set them on a counter
· Anchor their butt against your body with your elbow
· Using the same hand that is attached to your anchoring elbow, lift their nose back towards your armpit, separating their teeth with your fingers
· Holding the pill in the other hand, quickly push the pill DOWN (not just to) the back of the throat like you’re aiming for their belly
· Quickly follow up with an enticing treat
· Anchor their body against your body with your elbow OR get help from someone else. If someone else is helping, they can hold them with one arm OVER their back with their hand looped under their ribs and the other arm looped UNDER their chin, in front of their chest, and their hand holding their head firmly away from their (and your) face.
· Using the same hand that is attached to your anchoring elbow, lift their nose back towards your armpit, separating their teeth with your fingers
· Holding the pill in the other hand, quickly push the pill DOWN (not just to) the back of the throat like you’re aiming for their belly
· Quickly follow up with an enticing treat
