When approaching your beloved pet to medicate them remember to remain calm. If you approach your pet with stressed, frustrated energy it will only stress your pet more and put them on the defense. Plan to medicate your pet when you have some time to devote to doing so, be patient, and approach them when they are relaxed. Speak calmly and lovingly to your pet, and praise them. Types of crucial medications include those for: pain, inflammation, nausea, seizures, heart disease, and anxiety.

If Pets Are Still Eating (And Can be Fooled):

• Start with the basics: hiding pills in cheese, cream cheese, pill pockets or other soft treats, bits of chicken, or hotdog.
• Crush pills, or dump the contents of capsules or liquid into Gerber baby food, tuna, boiled ground beef or novel pate' canned food, prescription critical care diets, Churu, plain melted ice cream, etc. *Unless this is a time-released formula that specifically states it cannot be altered.

In General (And Especially For End-Of-Life Care):

Try to use a novel food to 'hide' meds in, not a pet's regular food. We want the doctored food to be exciting and we don't want suspicious pets to develop food aversion to their everyday diet.​

If Pets Are Not Still Eating (Or Cannot Be Fooled):

• If there is enough time, ask your veterinarian to compound the meds through a pharmacy. They can turn any medication into a flavored liquid, chewy flavored treat in lots of assorted flavors (most pets will eat those mixed with yummy food even if they will not eat the treat itself), or for cats and small dogs a transdermal cream.
• Crush pills and mix them with a few cc's of warmed baby food, broth, or plain ice cream then administer as a liquid. Do not tilt the pet's head back. Do not crank the mouth open. Just place the tip of the syringe behind the upper canine tooth and steadily dose. If the pet is receptive to something extra special to eat, give them something really yummy right after! * Unless this is a time-released formula that specifically states it can not be altered.

If You Must 'Pill' A Pet:

• Coat the pill with a thin layer of pill pocket, cheese, honey, coconut oil, or even a little butter so that it's slick, it leaves a good taste behind rather than a bitter one, and it's easier on the esophagus.
• Chase it with something: if they are eating, follow up with canned food or baby food. If they are not eating, give a few cc's of chicken broth.
• For multiple pills: get chicken-flavored capsules to place them in so you can pill one time instead of multiple, and follow the steps above.

Talk To Your Veterinarian About Comparable Meds That Taste Better:

For example, metronidazole, gabapentin, fluoxetine, tylosin, amantadine, clopidogrel, and clindamycin are notoriously bitter. Opening up these capsules and dumping them into a food can quickly backfire. The flavor is so bitter that very little can cover up their flavors. Learning how to use a "piller" can be an excellent solution. When used properly, a piller with a rubber tip can be safe, quick and effective.

• Onsior, Clavamox pills, buprenorphine, or Metacam liquid have very little taste to a pleasant taste. Most commercial liquids like Pepcid, Prednisone or Prednisolone, Augmentin, or Amoxicillin taste (in theory) ok to children, but not great to pets.
• Sometimes injections are better tolerated and can be a one and done solution.
• Ask if you or your veterinarian can administer an injectable form of a daily drug or pain medication, in the short term for comfort. Especially for pets who are already getting SQ fluids, you may be able to administer an injectable form of a daily drug with the fluid instead of having one more pill to administer.