Pilling problems

[Sheenar]

I tried Kirsten's trick of straddling the dog and tilting his head up to my chest --poked the pill back and held his mouth while waving one of his treats (a whole cookie! Not just a piece!) He swallowed the pill right away and then got to enjoy his cookie.

[louie]

Gidget was an expert pill expeller. I could wrap up a pill in the tastiest treat and she would unwrap it inside her mouth, swallow the treat, and spit out the pill. Pill pockets didn't work, chicken didn't work....so.... I'd tease her with some meat until she was really salivating, then I'd open her mouth with one hand and shove the pill down with the other. I'd have a the tasty treat tucked in the hand that I pushed the pill in with and as soon as the pill was in her throat I'd release the treat and she'd gulp down pill and treat. Now it's a nightly ritual. She actually sits and tilts her head up so that I can jam the pill down and then she gulps the treat. It's totally non-traumatic now that it's a habit and a few times I've tried to just give her the pill (it's a fish pill, you'd think she would like it) but without the ritual of pill-jamming followed by treat she won't take it.

[arrianya]

Sheenar- another suggestion for you as far as forceful expulsion of antibiotics (My Sadie was horrible about pills til she learned the feeling of Rumadil and the fact she actually COULD play like a puppy again) Take and dissolve the antibiotic in a little water and then syringe it down.  I had to do that with Sadie a few times though the brat will suck down a syringe of banana smelling wormer like there is no tomorrow.

**** FOR THE ONES WITH BRAINS NOT IN THE RIGHT GEAR****
Sadie literally takes the syringe from the vet and sucks at it until she has all the wormer out.  But only the one that smells like bananas.... She hated the new one they got thats a light green color and smells like chalk and road tar (easiest way to explain the smell of it)