Vomit, poop, and dead rats taste better. 🤷♂️
this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2025
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Most of my dogs agree.
I wouldn't disagree- I've not eaten vomit, poop or dead rats; but, eh, I have had medicine and it never tastes good.
also, I'd be rather more worried if the rat was still alive.
also, I'd be rather more worried if the rat was still alive.
Ha, it was a dead rat she found, not one she killed, which makes it a little more gross in my book, but the title was long enough already
Am I the only one who just pushes the medicine down the dogs throat?
A vet tech showed me when I asked. I've seen it done at the vet a few dozen times.
That was the only way for my dog, he's like a fucking coin sorter - no matter what I mix the pill in with, he eats it, and out spits a clean pill. It's gotta taste much worse than swallowing it.
So now I jam my entire fist in his mouth to get that fucker past the heave point.
I used to have a dog who, when finding a pill in her food would daintily pluck it out of her bowl and drop it on the ground beside it. I'd go over, point at the pill and say "get it" and she'd eat it. Eventually she'd eat them on her own, but only after getting it out of her bowl and eating all her food.
What I do is pretend I'm preparing some tasty food on a cutting board (sometimes I give mine tiny bits of apple). But then, when I share, it's the pill. Works like a charm.
Carrot tips are the ones doggos around get. (They all know. the tips are theirs.)
I’ve resigned myself to pill pockets. They can get pricey, but if it’s not a pill that’s flavored for dogs, my dogs won’t take them. Or they’ll pretend to and I’ll find the pill hours later that they spat out
I've never had a positive experience with the pill pockets. What's worked for me is folding a slice of American cheese over the pill, then it disappears almost instantly lol
Minus the pill issue, we've found that our medium size dog (21 pounds, Dachsund/Beagle mix breed we think) doesn't seem to have much appetite, unless we mix in a bit of shredded cheese (not all that much, just like a single 3 finger pinch), and a bit of water if it's dry kibble..
Edit: It might help to add something the pup likes to try to cover up the smell or taste of the pill...
I never thought about the cheese. The vet said to take the pill out of the packaging and let it sit out a bit so the smell dissipates but she still knows it's there. I'll give the cheese a shot. But it can't be Colby Jack because for some reason she won't eat that either.
Our pup seems to like cheddar cheese. Again, not all that much, you don't want your dog constipated of course, but it just might change the smell or taste enough that the pup might not notice the medicine as much, if at all.
If not cheese, maybe whatever treats your dog prefers..
you can try to crush it and mix it into some cat wet food
Wet cat food is a bonkers treat for dogs. You might as well have brought home a fresh kill.
I mixed up her food and the crushed pill, then I opened a can of the cat's food and just let the juice fall into her bowl. She chowed it down like she hadn't eaten in days.
glad it helped 🖖 🐶
Good call, she'll take any chance she gets to get at our cat's food.
Thankfully she hasn't realized how pet doors work. She must think it's some special cat portal because she watches the cat come in and out of it, but has never tried to go through it herself. But the second that door gets left open she is in there looking for the cat's bowls.
If your dog doesn’t already get wet food, you could try the small packs of wet dog food. I make 3 little “meatballs” out of the wet food, one of which has his pill. He scarfs down all 3 and thinks he’s getting a treat.
But it can't be Colby Jack because for some reason she won't eat that either.
Man, I thought my chipoo was picky. I have yet to find something he will eat, but only/excepting a specific flavor of. 🤣
I swear I have the pickiest animals. We buy the variety box of wet cat food, but have to make sure it doesn't have the turkey one because our cat won't eat it.
I crush the pills into powder, and mix it with soft cheese, ensuring that the surface of the cheese has no pill bits. It's a pain in the ass, but she ends up eating most of the medicine.
Would veggie capsules help? That's what I use for a powdered antibiotic at my vet's recommendation. I press them into a little ball of canned dog food right in front of my dog's face and she swallows it whole, then the rest of the can goes back in the fridge. She has no complaints after first experiencing the alternative of me mixing this horribly bitter yellow shit directly into her food.
They're not available in my country, as far as I'm aware.