I was very fortunate that for many months George would wolf down his meds in some wet dog food without any hesitation.
I think he knew they were in there, he just didn't care.
Then something suddenly changed. I think he accidentally chewed it one day which won't have tasted pleasant.
He's become more cautious and picky with food generally. I miss the days when he would hoover up anything without question but I guess it is an improvement from a safety perspective 😆
Now it is a battle and a drama every morning. He's generally not hungry in the morning anymore which adds to the challenge. He is currently taking 5-6 pills in the morning, with an extra if allergies.
We cycle through wet dog food, tinned chicken, fresh boiled chicken, tuna, possyum, peanut butter (Xylitol free)...
He eats the chicken, tuna or possyum but very carefully, and somehow manages to eject the tiny pill. I have to inspect the floor or blanket very carefully to make sure it didn't come out.
Peanut butter works well due to the consistency covering the pill...but only if he feels like it. The one I normally buy have changed the ingredients slightly and he is not at all interested. I need to find another one that he likes.
Chicken might work for the first two then he loses interest.
It can be stressful - I don't have heaps of time on the days I need to be in the office and I'm aware that it can be harmful to decrease the dose suddenly. I try not to get stressed and to make it fun and light-hearted although I did get frustrated the other morning when it took us half an hour. I felt bad. We are currently getting up half an hour earlier at 5:30am.
If all else fails, I go with grated cheese and smush it into a ball which is working for now. With up to 6 pills plus the decoy (I have a cheese ball with no pill ready to go so that he can see it - the idea being he is so keen to get to the second ball, he wolfs down the first), that's 12 balls of cheese!
I make them as small as possible but that's still more cheese than I would like him to have on a daily basis, hence trying the other options first.
I block his view so he can't see me putting it in there and use one hand to handle the pill, the other hand to offer the treat. I read that they can smell the pill on your hands after handling it.
I have ordered some Kong squeezy fillers (one liver-flavoured and one peanut butter) which I hope will work. If he likes them.
I could crush the tablets and mix them with his food but he is not eating in the morning at the moment.
I'm very reluctant to do a firmer approach for a fearful dog. With all the work we are doing on handling and cooperative care, I think that would be a major setback.
The evening meds are easier. He has 3 pills which usually go down with wet dog food without any issues.
The anti-inflammatory (Loxicom) is a liquid which I mix with his wet dog food and kibble.
Our next challenge is Sileo medication - it's an applicator which goes between the lip and the gum. I had the idea of smearing peanut butter or wet dog food on the applicator as desensitisation but he's not too interested in food at the moment. It will likely be a bit of trial and error.
Hopefully I can find the magic fool-proof technique...which isn't too unhealthy!