Alternative to Milbamax

[Ambler54]

We are going to France in June......I know Rosie will have to eat a worming tablet in front of the French vet but there is nothing on this earth that will persuade Her to eat a tablet.I usually have to mash it into Her tea , not justa normal tea, but something very tasty and even then any sizable bits can be found spat around the bowl. over the last few months I have treid giving the tablet wrapped in Ham, egg, sardine...taking it out with me and trying to pass off as a good girl sweetie all to no avail.Have just tried mashing with egg and adding a little of Her kibble to disguise the lumps ( I am having egg so knew She would do the wheres mine dance) most of the tablet gone but still bits licked clean on the floor. Any alternatives there are acceptable to the french vets.

[Londongirl]

Any chance of physically administering it to her? Henry can pick out a tablet from a mashed bowl of all sorts of differently textured goodies - I’ll find it spat on the floor beside a clean bowl. So now I  give it to him directly - I tip his chin up, open his jaw with one hand and with the other I pop the tablet right to the back of his mouth / top of his throat so he has to swallow. He doesn’t seem to mind this procedure at all, but he does have excellent bite inhibition. My vet gave me this tip when administering a tablet to my cat who is a master at hiding tablets in her cheek to be spat out later in passing - if they lick their nose, they’ve swallowed it.

[bizzylizzy]

Any chance of physically administering it to her? Henry can pick out a tablet from a mashed bowl of all sorts of differently textured goodies - I’ll find it spat on the floor beside a clean bowl. So now I  give it to him directly - I tip his chin up, open his jaw with one hand and with the other I pop the tablet right to the back of his mouth / top of his throat so he has to swallow. He doesn’t seem to mind this procedure at all, but he does have excellent bite inhibition. My vet gave me this tip when administering a tablet to my cat who is a master at hiding tablets in her cheek to be spat out later in passing - if they lick their nose, they’ve swallowed it.

.....and as soon as its at the back of the mouth, rub the neck which will make them automatically swallow! (theoretically  ). Thats how I‘ve always done it too....

[Ambler54]

Have tried that without success, can do on the cat but She is smaller and not so strong.I mash it in Her food normally although She knows it is there and I get ‘the look’ and never eats a whole one as there are always beautifully sucked clean bits on the floor.....and the chewable Milbemax are quite big, might see if there is a smaller pill version.

[Finvarra]

I use Milbemax, Dylan will take it whole, n o problem in France. All my dogs have loved cheese, if you use a,soft sticky cheese so the pills,sticks, preferrable a smelly cheese, would that help? Lots of,choice in France 

Lesley and Dylan

[TirelessTitch]

Waitrose venison and tripe (for dog!) sausages come in packets of 8 small sausages for 1.25. {No doubt other sausages are available} They are quite soft and very smelly, and so it is possible to cut a piece of sausage, make a slit in it and squoosh it back together with anything distasteful hidden inside. This has worked for me with a few dogs who otherwise would be very crafty at avoiding tablets of various different kinds.

They seem to work a bit better than cheese, perhaps because of the strong meaty smell. Have to be able to break tablets up into fairly small pieces.

[Steffie]

I have to get the non-chewable Milbemax for one of my cockers. He won’t touch the chewable version - he even managed to leave all the bits that were mashed up with sardines in tomato sauce! Now I just get the tablet version, cover in squeezy cheese, open his mouth & pop it in. He’ll swallow that without any problems.

[Archie bean]

Can’t help with alternative tablets but you could (if you haven’t already  ) try the following. It really helped me with Archie who was rubbish at taking tablets. Find something that a tablet can be wrapped or hidden in - something that Rosie absolutely loves. Get three pieces ready and wrap the tablet in one of them. Hold all three in your hand so she can see an smell them. Give one empty one and immediately follow it with the tablet one and then IMMEDIATEY follow that with the final empty one. They are usually so obsessed with getting the next treat that they don’t notice the middle one is a stooge. 

[GeoW]

That works with William as well, we call them tasters, testers, and chasers.

[lescef]

We use the three pieces method too. A vet years ago also told us to stick the tablet to the underside of a piece of buttered bread. That also has worked with the three piece method.

[bizzylizzy]

Can’t help with alternative tablets but you could (if you haven’t already  ) try the following. It really helped me with Archie who was rubbish at taking tablets. Find something that a tablet can be wrapped or hidden in - something that Rosie absolutely loves. Get three pieces ready and wrap the tablet in one of them. Hold all three in your hand so she can see an smell them. Give one empty one and immediately follow it with the tablet one and then IMMEDIATEY follow that with the final empty one. They are usually so obsessed with getting the next treat that they don’t notice the middle one is a stooge. 

Is it any wonder that our charges are such conniving little wotsits?    What happened to leading by example??  We‘re all becoming masters of subterfuge !!  .   

[Londongirl]

Can’t fool Henry with the 3-2-1 trick, which is why I’ve perfected the art of ramming tablets down his throat - even the chewable Milebemax!

[David Morgan]

We push tablets into pieces of banana; they wolf them down.

[PennyB]

Lady has her gabapentin push down her throat these days - gently of course but if I don't I find them on the floor somewhere

Another trick is to follow through with either a syringe of water so they swallow or a piece of ham/cheese or whatever (works well with my cat to as I have to give him tablets twic a day and there's only so many fingers I have so even though he knows there's a tablet in the ham/cheese/chicken he has more given him to follow through)