How to Give a Dog a Pill: What Actually Worked for Us (After She Outsmarted the First 5 Tricks)

Giving a dog a pill sounds incredibly easy until you’re standing in the kitchen watching your dog happily swallow the delicious treat you carefully wrapped around her medication, then spit the completely clean pill onto the floor. I’ve become far more experienced at this than I ever wanted to be since Freya started taking heart medication. At first, hiding her pills in something tasty worked. Then she’d figure out what I was doing, so we’d move on to something better. She’d figure that out, too. Eventually, we stopped trying to outsmart her and started giving her pills manually. Surprisingly, that’s turned out to be easier for everyone. If your dog needs medication, though, there’s no reason to start there. Here are several ways to give a dog a pill, beginning with the easiest tricks and working our way up to the method we ultimately use with Freya. Important: Always follow the instructions that came with your dog’s medication. Some medications need to be given with food, while others may have different requirements. Never crush, split, or open a medication unless your veterinarian or pharmacist confirms that it’s safe to do so. The FDA specifically recommends against cutting, crus...