Tips if Your Cat or Dog Won’t Take Pills

By Dr. Monica Tarantino

No matter how healthy our pets are, they will likely need pills or preventative medicine at some point in their life. Pets might need monthly pills, for example to prevent fleas, and supplements for cats and dogs can also come in pill form.

The problem with medications is that getting them into our pets is not always easy. Between organizing pills for multiple pets in the same home, keeping their GI tract feeling well despite pills, and dealing with pill spitters, there can be all sorts of challenges when it comes to medicating pets.

Here are some ways to make things easier in your household when it comes to giving pills to dogs and cats.

How to Hide Pills for Dogs and Cats

Pet owners can struggle with pill time; many dogs and cats won’t take pills easily. You might be hopelessly wondering, ‘How can I get my dog to take a pill?’

Pill hiding is one option! When you are looking for ways to hide a pill for dogs or cats, you want to look for three key things:

• Something that is highly flavorful that can cover up any unfamiliar flavors or medicine scents
• Something that is soft and easy to squeeze around a pill
• Something that is easy on the stomach

Treats are also helpful because they're soft enough to completely hide a pill. Simply sandwich the pill or pills inside and pinch shut. A good old glob of peanut butter with medicine inside can also do the trick. Just make sure the peanut butter does not contain xylitol, which is highly toxic to dogs.

When pets are feeling ill, their appetite is often decreased -—this adds an additional challenge to administering medicine or supplements. Some pill-hiding treats, like PinchersⓇ Pill Hiders, include added probiotics to help support the natural gut flora. This helps support their GI tract, despite the medication that may upset their stomach.

READ MORE: How to Give a Cat or Dog Supplements

Pet Pill Cutters

Giving pills to your pet in a busy household can be made easier if you purchase a pill cutter. Historically, pet parents have used handy but dangerous items like knives to cut pills, but cat or dog pill cutters are easy to use and so much safer. This is especially important for pet parents with small pets who often need meds cut into different sizes.

Pill cutters can be purchased in any drug store or online and are relatively affordable. Cutters can make quick and easy work for pet parents dealing with pills that need to be cut into smaller sections.

Always make sure to check with your veterinarian before cutting, crushing, or otherwise adapting any pills, tablets, or capsules for your pet. Some medications must be given whole for optimal effect.

Bonus Tip: Pill Organizers

Oftentimes in households with multiple pets or older pets, there are a lot of different pills to give. This can be confusing, especially if multiple people are giving pills to different pets throughout the busy week.

Investing in a simple pill organizer (just like for regular human pills or vitamins) with different compartments for pills and pill times can make a world of difference.

Help yourself out by reducing some of the pressure of pill time by having all of your pet’s pills and medications organized at the beginning of the week. This will mean fewer mix-ups, and your much-loved pets will get their medication at the right time

Dr. Monica Tarantino is a Veterinarian with ten years of experience and worked as Chief of Staff for a busy general practice in Charlotte, NC. Dr. Tarantino is a VetriScienceⓇ VetriExpert and a co-founder of the Senior Dog Veterinary Society, focused specifically on enhancing the care of senior and geriatric canine patients. Dr. Tarantino runs a social media platform (@seniordogdoc​) and created the Senior Dog Revolution, which focuses on changing the perception of senior dogs and helping pet parents of aging dogs navigate common challenges. She also co-authored two books for new veterinarians, New Vet Jumpstart Guide: GP Edition and New Vet Jumpstart: ER Edition. She frequently rescues in-need pets and owns four rescue dogs and two rescue cats with the occasional foster animal for good measure.