It is not safe to crush a tablet or open a capsule without first checking with a healthcare professional such as a Pharmacist or your Doctor. Guidelines state that a recommendation to manipulate a solid dose medication is only to be made as a very last resort.
When taking a prescription drug, you should never crush a tablet, open a capsule or chew either without first asking the prescribing health care provider or dispensing pharmacist whether it is safe to do so.
Capsules are usually easy to open. You can then mix the powder in a small amount of a very tasty canned pet food or human food (see list below) that your pet normally goes crazy over. Just make sure that your pet eats all the food, or they won't get all their medicine, so don't use a large amount of food.
Open the capsule up, place your dog's foul-tasting pill inside and press the to halves back together. You now have a pill-in-a-pill that your dog won't be able to taste – the bad flavor is locked inside.
Place the medication in a small amount of wet food, if they like it. Use a bit of peanut butter or cream cheese to disguise the pill. Plain yogurt is another good food that can mask medication. A piece of cheese, hot dog or liverwurst can conceal the pill.
Because most dogs find HEARTGARD Chewables palatable, the product can be offered to the dog by hand. Alternatively, it may be added to a small amount of dog food. The chewable should be administered in a manner that encourages the dog to chew, rather than to swallow without chewing.
Activated charcoal is a medication often used in dogs to treat intoxication. The goal of activated charcoal is to absorb the toxin that the dog has ingested to lessen its adverse effects. Activated charcoal is a commonly used treatment and is often the first line of treatment for certain intoxications.
You can hide the taste with gel caps that you can find at your local pharmacy. This might help your dog finally be able to take the pills with food, or your dog might just be willing to take the pill on its own because it doesn't have any flavor at all.
Peanut butter: Hide a pill inside a sticky, fragrant dab of peanut butter (on a spoon) and let your pet lick it off. Or roll peanut butter into a small ball, insert the pill, and offer it to your pet as a treat. Make sure the peanut butter isn't made with xylitol, an artificial sweetener, which is toxic to dogs.
Getting the dosages right. “In the appropriate doses, curcumin and boswellia are both very safe for dogs,” says Trish, “but in larger amounts, unwanted side effects of either include gastrointestinal upsets, such as nausea and diarrhoea. To avoid these, it's important to stick to the recommended doses for dogs.”
Slippery elm is given by mouth in the form of a tablet, capsule, powder, or liquid. Measure liquid forms carefully. The powder is typically mixed with water prior to administration. It may be given with or without food; however, if stomach upset occurs after dosing on an empty stomach, give future doses with food.
Iron is another supplement that can be fatal to pets if given at the wrong dosage. Iron can cause vomiting, stomach ulcers and liver failure. It is most commonly found in OTC prenatal or women's formula vitamins. The amounts will also vary depending on the supplement.
To make a slurry, place the pill in a small amount of water and dissolve. Once dissolved, you'd be able to administer it like a liquid.
Hide the Pills If you've ever spent time digging pills out of your dog's regular food because he won't eat, then it's time to tempt. Cottage cheese, cream cheese, liverwurst, peanut butter, and American cheese may all work for hiding the pills.
Most pills or capsules can be hidden in a small meatball of canned food or a hot dog. Other options that work well to sneak a pill past our furry companion include peanut butter, cream cheese, cheese whiz, bread or even lunchmeat and sliced cheese.
How to use a "pill popper"