Caring for a dog that’s battling a chronic condition requires feeding them their prescribed medicine. But that can be difficult if they don’t like its taste or smell. Here are some simple pet care strategies to make it easier to give your dog the medicine they need.

How to Get Your Dog to Take Their Medicine

1. Use the Reward System

Dogs learn to repeat good behaviors when rewarded with treats after doing something right. Every time your dog successfully takes their medicine, give them a treat. Soon, they’ll look forward to taking medicine, knowing they’ll get a treat afterward.

2. Buy Compounded Medication

Some medications come in compounded versions mixed with flavors like peanut butter, poultry, or bacon to make them more palatable for dogs. While effective, compounded medication is more expensive.

3. Hide the Medicine

By hiding the medicine in dog food, your pet might eat it without even realizing. Dogs are smart, though, and they might eat all of their food but leave the medicine in the bowl.

If that happens, try putting it in dog-friendly human food. Deli meats, breads, and xylitol-free peanut butter are all safe and delicious options that will mask the medication’s taste.

4. Bait-and-Switch Method

Pill pocket treats are available at most pet care supply stores, and they allow you to hide medicine inside of them. Place the pill in one of the treats, then grab two more. Give your dog one of the empty treats. Follow that with the one that contains the medicine, and end it with one more non-medicated treat.

5. “Accidentally” Drop the Medicine

Many dogs will hover around your feet when you’re preparing food or feeding a small child, hoping they’ll be rewarded with fallen food scraps. If yours does this, place the medicine inside a treat or human food. When your dog comes searching for scraps, drop the medicine without paying it any attention. Your dog might snatch it up and eat it quickly without realizing there’s medicine inside.

If your dog has a chronic condition, visit Mililani Town Center Pet Clinic for treatment options. This full-service veterinary clinic has served the Mililani area for almost 30 years. Schedule a pet exam by calling (808) 625-6744, or visit them online for more information about their services.