Step 1
Crush pill or pour out capsule contents.
Unless the pill’s package instructions or your vet specifically say not to, in most cases you can crush a solid pill into power form or pour out the contents of a capsule and mix the powder or granules with the dog’s food. As long as your dog gets the complete dose and takes it all at once, he is still getting the medicine.
For crushing solid pills, you can use a mortar and pestle or, if you don’t have one of those, you can put the pill into a Ziploc-type plastic sandwich bag. Seal the bag, squeezing out the air first, and wrap a thin towel or cloth around the bag and pill. Put the bag on a sturdy flat surface and pound it with a hammer until the pill is crushed.

If you feed your dog dry kibble, this method won’t work. You have to disguise the medicine so your dog doesn’t know it’s there. Mix dry kibble with some warm water to make it soft or use soft canned food. Stir the powdered medicine or capsule contents in with the food and mix thoroughly. Use only a small amount of food and feed the doctored food to the dog when he is very hungry, to make sure he will eat it all and get the full dose of medicine. After he finishes the food with medicine, feed him the rest of what he is due to eat at his feeding.

Step 2
Pill treats--Use pill treats.
There are many types of pill treats on the market now. These are dog treats designed specifically for a pill to be inserted inside them so your dog will swallow the pill when he eats the treat. Greenies Pill Pockets are one example of these types of treats. You can find these pill treats at any good pet supply store or you can ask your local veterinarian for them.

Step 3
American cheese slice--Cheese.
Dogs love cheese, and though it is not a good idea to feed them cheese in large amounts, if you have a particularly clever dog that is very crafty at getting out of taking his medicine, cheese can be the ace up your sleeve.

Choose a soft, easily moldable type of cheese, like a slice of American cheese. Break off a very small piece (like a 1/2-inch square), just large enough to cover the size of the pill. Push the pill into the cheese and mold the cheese around the pill into a little ball. The warmth of your fingers will help soften the cheese into the desired shape.

Put the tiny cheese ball down in front of your dog. The dog will generally scarf it down and won’t even know he has just swallowed a pill. However, if your dog is still being stubborn about eating the cheese, and if your dog is not aggressive, sometimes it can help to reach for the cheese. If the dog thinks you are going to take it away, he will stop hesitating and will grab the treat and swallow it quickly… which is exactly the point. He will think he’s gotten a delicious treat and won’t even know he has taken a pill!

http://www.ehow.com/how_5500037_dog-medicine-pill-form.html

I ahve always used American cheese slices. I take about 1/4 of a slice and pinch it around the med or pill. They never have a clue!!!

Thankfully I haven't had to give Jr pills or medication for anything, he's a healthy pooch. However sometimes I do need him to drink something he doesn't like (for instance apple cider vinegar) and I have to mask it with wet food.lol.

oOh this is great info! I had to give mine some pills before and I would try to bury it in his food but he always left it last and wouldnt eat it. Covering it in peanut butter helped, lol.

schnauzkyLVR wrote:

oOh this is great info! I had to give mine some pills before and I would try to bury it in his food but he always left it last and wouldnt eat it. Covering it in peanut butter helped, lol.

If I ever tried something like that with Junior I'm sure he would do the same. He has the very special ability to spit out what he doesn't want....for instance if I give him a piece of my sandwhich, he'll usually chew it and drop the lettuce.lol.

There's something else, you should force him to open his mouth and drop the pill in his month and get a cup of water and pour it inside his mouth.

Eduardo wrote:

There's something else, you should force him to open his mouth and drop the pill in his month and get a cup of water and pour it inside his mouth.

That might not be the best thing to do. He could choke. Its much better to wrap the pill in something.

I have also used a peice of a cooked hot dog ... No dog can resist a peice of HOTDOG!!!

Yeah, or get ham and wrap the ham around the pill. No dog can resist HAM!

Ham works very well...especially with my dog. I don't personally think that the forcing is the best idea, might get yourself or the dog hurt in the process. The point is always to find ways to make a dog do what you want by making him WANT to do what you want.....hehehe hope that makes sense.

Wait, how do you feed him the hot dog? Wouldn't he chew the pill? I just noticed that after I posted.

I cook the hotdog and then put it in the refridgerator to cool. When I need to give a pill, I cut a small peice of the hotdog off (About 1 inch long) and push the pill into the middle. They usually dont chew it b/c it is small enough to swallow hole.

hehe.....pills! and my Zak! the two just didnt go together! hehe

he was a master at sussing out that there was a pill hidden in his food! i would always find it at the bottom of the dish. he got to the stage that he had to have anti inflammatories twice a day for his arthritis but he was no fool.... we tried everything...ham, cheese, soft cheese, sausages, peanut butter, ordinary butter, crisps, anything we could think of to disguise the flippin things but he always knew they were there and always managed to separate them from his "treat"...

then hubby came up with an idea! Zak used to love a game of catch! so one day, out of pure frustration more than anything else, hubby just got a pill - showed it to Zak - put it in his hand - waved it about a bit to let him know he was about to be thrown something - then the 1.2.3 Catch command and .................GULP_! pill straight down in one! didnt even touch the sides! no probs from then on!

lucysnewmum wrote:

hehe.....pills! and my Zak! the two just didnt go together! hehe

he was a master at sussing out that there was a pill hidden in his food! i would always find it at the bottom of the dish. he got to the stage that he had to have anti inflammatories twice a day for his arthritis but he was no fool.... we tried everything...ham, cheese, soft cheese, sausages, peanut butter, ordinary butter, crisps, anything we could think of to disguise the flippin things but he always knew they were there and always managed to separate them from his "treat"...

then hubby came up with an idea! Zak used to love a game of catch! so one day, out of pure frustration more than anything else, hubby just got a pill - showed it to Zak - put it in his hand - waved it about a bit to let him know he was about to be thrown something - then the 1.2.3 Catch command and .................GULP_! pill straight down in one! didnt even touch the sides! no probs from then on!

Wow that really IS innovative! Junior knows how to pick out things he likes from things he doesn't like too. But when its REALLY high value, such as ham, he'll thankfullly eat everything without thinking about it twice.lol.

Necessity is the mother of all inventions Steven! i NEEDED to get those pills into my poor old lad who's back legs gave out to arthritis long before he was ready to quit!

lucysnewmum wrote:

Necessity is the mother of all inventions Steven! i NEEDED to get those pills into my poor old lad who's back legs gave out to arthritis long before he was ready to quit!

Well its good you guys found a way! In vet asst. class they taught us how to get a dog to swallow them even if they don't want to but I'd rather have the dog do it rather than forcing them too... Easier on the both of us

I use the peanut butter trick. My dog just loves the stuff.