help and advice needed

[daydreams]

Happy New Year to you all on COL

can you wise folk help out?
Bracken has been prescribed vivitonin, a she was beginning to struggle with just 'getting old' I think,
she also has metacam for her arthritis, and we started her on tramadol

she has always been a    when taking tabs, I can manage the metcam and the tramadol, as I can crush the latter and  mix with the metacam and squirt this in to her mouth after food, although she does have to be held, as she just squirms and I am sure grows another 10 legs!

the problem is the vivitonin , trying to get this into her is causing her and me some anxiety and last night she cried out as I was trying to get her to take it, I try putting it into her mouth but she  just squirms and spits it out, if I hold her she cries out

I am at a loss,  any advice welcome

thx

[Murphys Law]

Assuming vivitonin is a tablet, have you tried cutting it into smaller pieces and hiding it in the middle of a peace of sausage. It has always worked for me as the sausage is swallowed whole by my greedy lot, so no chance of the tablet being spat out.

[Finvarra]

I always hid tablets in a piece of cheese, Milo,loved cheese. Not crumbly cheese, but the more 'rubbery' kind will hold tablets nicely. If you have to give liquid, I would use a syringe and slide it between the cheek and gums and squirt it in slowly. Too quickly and it will come out again.

Good luck with your golden oldie

Lesley and Dylan

[Markr64]

With one of my past dogs we used cheese as the thing to hide medication in. It has a strong smell and can be formed into a coat for any pill.

[aliceandlouis]

Another 'cheese coater' here 

If Bracken doesn't like cheese then any food she does like that can be wrapped around the tablet can be used.  I was taught the 'three piece' trick and it never fails - it goes like this:
1.  Make three identical lumps of cheese (or other much-liked coating)
2.  Feed first lump to dog
3.  Very quickly feed second lump - this is the one containing the tablet
4.  When dog has just started to eat second lump, show them the third lump and swiftly let them take it - in order not to 'miss out' on the third lump the second lump is swallowed speedily - job done!

Not sure how to overcome the issue if it is a liquid medication other than mixing it with her food?

Good luck to you and Bracken 

[Pearly]

The miracle that is squeeze cheese in a tube - works wonders for medication and grooming (when smeared on a surface takes ages to lick off  )

[daydreams]

thank you so much for your replies

Bracken is a very clever old lady, I have tried the vivitonin hidden in her favourite treat liver cake, and also a bit of steak and hidden it in her food, everything is eaten except the piece of meat with the tablet in,  I have watched her she takes the piece of meat into her mouth, out it comes, this is repeated several times until said tablet is revealed, she then leaves tablet and eats said piece of meat

I have tried trying to fool her with first  a good piece etc,  but she just looks at me as if to say,  ' I know what your up to'
and swallows the good and leaves the 'doctored ' piece

I truly am at a loss as to what else to try,  I have tried crushing the vivtonin, and mixing it with water to syringe into her mouth but again she becomes distressed as the tablet seems to have a coating and gets stuck in syringe and any delay and she panics

love her to bits, I hate to see her upset, 

thx

hiding in the food is something I have tried but she smells it out and seems to know
sorry, any other ideas?

just seen your post pearly on cream cheese, I will try that, but I have a funny feeling she will lick around it and leave me with the tablet, but I will give it a go

[elaine.e]

My first Cocker was on Vivitonin when he was an old boy. We called it his go faster tablet!

He could be crafty with tablets and would take one in his mouth and then go behind the sofa or under a table and spit it out so I had to be equally crafty. I varied the treats that I hid tablets in, things like bits of cheese, cooked cocktail sausage, squeezy cheese, peanut butter etc. and also fed him one or two of the treats at random times of the day so that he never knew for sure when there might be a tablet hidden inside it.

[daydreams]

thank you all for your replies

I will try the cream cheese, also vary her treats, thank you elaine

she is such a crafty little 
but  at least it shows that she still has life in her, and lives up to her other name as scally

thx

[Joules]

I always find a bit of cheddar or corned beef does the trick as you can mould it round the tablet to disguise it.  As has been said, give a plain bit first - it even works with next door's cat and she is a proper  when taking her pills 

[PennyB]

can it be crushed at all - I know some tablets can't

[daydreams]

hi all
yes I do crush the vivitonin, I will try the corned beef  and a really strong cheese, see if this helps



thanks for all your replies

[Ben's mum]

I have problems with Harry taking tablets and it's awful seeing them upset isn't it. I find peanut butter does the trick because it's so sticky and once the tablet is in the mouth almost impossible to spit back out  Hope you manage ok

[vixen]

Whenever my girls need to take tablets, I purchase a tub of reduced fat pate.  Smear a little on my fingers which is quickly licked off.  Then get a lump of pate and hide the tablet in it and its also promptly licked off.  Offer another lump of pate as a reward.  Job done 
A tub of pate costs less than a £1 and lasts ages 

[daydreams]

thank you so much for your replies
on shopping list is squeezy cheese, pate and peanut butter,  I feel more confident now that one of these will offer the solution

I just want to do my best for my lovely girl

thanks for all your help