Medicating Dogs

One of my old dogs, Bashful, was recently diagnosed with congestive heart problems and is now on pills for his heart and for water retention. Not wanting to get into the rodeo of shoving pills down his throat twice a day for the rest of his little life, I was looking for an easier way to get him to take the pills. You can buy treats that are designed just for hiding pills, but again, they are a little pricey. I tried hiding them in a small piece of cheese, but regular cheese is just too stiff and we don't usually keep faux cheese (i.e. individually wrapped slices or Velveeta). I don't keep Velveeta in the house because I like it too much and it settles straight to the bottom. I tried wrapping it in a little lunch meat, but it fell out about half the time.

I finally hit on something that works, though, and he gobbles it down, even though he is usually my picky eater. I pinch off a piece of bread, about 1" square, and add just a few drops of water. I knead it a little until it is gooey rather than crumbly and if possible, add a drop or two of meat drippings, gravy, leftover frying oil or even just a drop or two of olive or canola oil. I knead it into a ball, then shove the pills into it and make sure they are covered. So far it has worked perfectly--he slurps it down and nothing falls out. Now he thinks he is getting treats twice a day and we don't have to suffer through pill rodeos.