Credits: Social Media
Vet nurse shares clever tip to help your dog or cat swallow pills with ease
Does your dog or cat refuse to swallow tablets? Getting your furry friend to consume antibiotics, or their monthly worming treatment, can be a chore – but there’s a solution.
Forget wrapping the pill in ham or smothering it with peanut butter, a veterinary nurse has gone viral on TikTok after sharing a life-changing product you probably didn’t even know existed.
Tip to help your pet swallow pills
“Random tip from a veterinary nurse. If you have to give your dog or cat tablets, these are little treats called Pill Assists,” Eve Moorhouse explained.
She showed off the clever product, which is a treat with a hole in the middle that perfectly fits around one-half of the pill. You then put another Pill Assist on the other side of the tablet and mould the treats together, completely hiding the medication.
The product is made by French dog and cat food manufacturer Royal Canin, who describe it as a “highly palatable” solution which contains and seals tablets tightly to help “disguise the appearance and smell of the medication”.�
There are ones designed for both cats and dogs, and they can be more effective than hiding pills in cheese or meats. Often, owners find their pets will eat the food and spit out the pill, but the Pill Assist completely masks the smell and texture of the tablet.
“You can just use any normal food but these pill assists already have the hole in and they mould really well around tablets!” the veterinary nurse added. “Just something to consider if you are struggling to tablet your dog or cat and you are looking for something else to try.”
The dog version comes in two sizes, one for Small Dogs which contains 10 calories, and another for Medium/Large Dogs which contains 26. For cats, there is only one size, which contains three calories.
Royal Canin says it’s important not to touch the Pill Assist with the same hand that came into contact with the medication, and this will alert them that the tablet is in there. Dogs have a very strong sense of smell and taste and may easily recognise the residue on the treat.
For best results, it’s a good idea to give your pet one of the treats on their own without the medication first, to get them used to the product.
More dog medication tips
If you have an extra fussy dog, Dog’s Trust recommends hiding the tablet in some food, or a Pill Assist, and turning it into a game. Throw a treat out for your dog to chase and eat, and keep repeating. Then, throw the one with the pill inside and they may not suspect a thing.
Asking your dog to do tricks they would normally do for a treat, like “sit” or “paw” can also work well. You could try pretending to accidentally drop a piece of food with a tablet hidden inside too, and your pooch will think they’ve got lucky.
Crushing tablets into a powder to mix into their normal food can also work well, but it’s important to check if the medication can be split first. Some other foods to hide pills in include sausage,�cold meats, cubed cheese, squeezy cheese, apple cubes and carrot slices.
If your pet still refuses to swallow pills, you should speak to a vet who will be able to offer advice. They change your dog’s medication to a liquid form to make it easier to consume.
