Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

My dog won't take pills. Can I crush them or what's the best way?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Cocker Spaniel | Male | 39.5 lbs

my dog is going in for the TECA Surgery for one of his ears that has a tumor growing out of his ear and down the canal on the 28th and he has 3 pills to take 2 are pain pills he dose not take pills well can I crush them and desolve them in some kind of fluid and put it on his food they are Carprofen 75mg, Gabapentin 100mg,and Cephalexin 500mg. I've crushed and opened them and mixed with his wet food but he isn't eating all the food can you help me with this question?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

Veterinary Technician

Published on August 14th, 2019

It would probably be easiest just to pill Buddy directly so you don't have to deal with breaking down the pill or hiding it in food, especially so you ensure he gets the correct dosage (some pills such as capsules should never be broken apart anyway.). You can get a syringe and fill it with water, and then place the pill as far back in Buddy's throat as you can, then immediately squire the water into his mouth. This will help him to swallow and make the pill go down easier.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 5th, 2018

    I would say that I would not let the pills sit longer than 8 hours crushed and sitting in food. If it has been that long I would get rid of the medications and make up new ones for him to take. American cheese is a great way to get pills into a dog and another trick is to not actually touch the pills with your fingers. I would shake the pill onto a hard surface and then drop a piece of cheese right over the top. Doing this will prevent your fingers coming in contact with the pills and he will not taste any residue on the outside of the cheese with this method. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Is it okay to crush doxycycline capsules into my dogs food ? Or to dissolve it and feed it in a syringe? She’s taking 1/2 of 100 mg pills to prevent her from getting too excited but she accidentally chewed the pill once and now she refuses to take it
You can try either of these but Coco may be on to you now. Remember that Coco's nose is very sensitive and she may smell the medication. Not to mention it tastes bad if the capsule/pill is broken open. You may try pill pockets (give her a few normal ones at first and act excited). Give her a few small ones first, then give her one containing the pill, then have another waiting for her. Allow Coco to see that you still have treats. This may make her excited and want to eat faster so that she can get the next treat. I hope that makes sense. You can also manually give her the pill: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-give-your-dog-a-pill/ If you cannot get her to take the medication, call your veterinarian to ask about alternatives. I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My puggy is sick and is been suggested to be given some tablets by the vet. She is not willing to have it even if it is mixed with her regular food or with milk. How can I give it to her? Can I mix it with honey n give her?
If she is not on dietary restricitons you can try hiding the pill in some soft cheese or peanut butter. Sometimes canned dog food works. . Some dogs just won't eat medications on food. If that is the case you may have to actually put the pill in the back of her mouth and get her to swallow. Here's a website with good instructions. https://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/outreach/Pet-Health-Topics/categories/procedures/dogs/giving-oral-medications-to-your-dog
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has to take the antibiotic tablet Amoxyclav 200g (half a tablet twice daily). Will crushing the tablet into powder form and then mixing it into warm food diminish its effectiveness?
It will not, however it will make the food taste terrible and make it much more likely that your dog will not eat the food and you will have wasted a pill. I would suggest getting a product called Pill Pockets. They are great and you can wrap the pill them and your dog will eat them right up! Cream cheese also works wonders! :)
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, my wife & I have to give our dog denosyl, proin & apoquel to our 15 year old female dog daily. She's already a picky eater & we've tried everything. We essentially have to force feed her with peanut butter. Can these be dissolved in water & then
Medicating pets can be very frustrating - particularly since Mattie is so picky! I never recommend dissolving medications in water to give via a syringe because in most cases, the medication falls out of the mouth so there is no way of knowing how much was actually ingested. Personally, my favorite way to medicate animals is simply to push the pills down the back of the throat, provided that Mattie is agreeable and unlikely to bite you. As you mention, hiding pills in peanut butter is often successful, but if you choose to continue using this, make sure your peanut butter does not contain xylitol, as it is highly toxic to dogs. I don't know if they are available in the UK, but Greenies makes a product called pill pockets which are basically highly palatable, doughy, pliable treats in which you can hide medications for pets.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
my vet recommended buffered aspirin for my dog but he won't take it whole, can i crush it first?
Buffered aspirin is often enteric coated, meaning it has a special coating that helps prevent damage to the stomach lining. For this reason I think it would be best to give the tablet whole. You can try wrapping the tablet in something like a Pill Pocket, or use a small piece of deli meat or cheese if Junebug doesn't have any dietary restrictions. You may also need to open his mouth, put the pill back as far as you can, then hold his mouth shut until he swallows. Talk to your vet about other options if you're still struggling to give the medication.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog was diagnose with this and tx with prednisone what is a good way to give the pill
Hide it in a small piece of cheese or in a piece of hot dog. You can also purchase PIll Pockets from your veterinarian or at your local Petco. These are small treats with a pocket used for hiding medication.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
can i crush vetmedin and mix it with a small amount of food
Hi there and thank you for using Boop by Petco! Vetmedin, most of the time, is taken well by most pets. However, if you are finding it difficult to administer in it's tablet form, you can crush the tablet and give with food. The only downside to this method is that your pet may not eat all of the food and there is no guarantee your pet is getting the full dose. You can try pill pockets, peanut butter or liver wurst to see if you can get your pet to take the Vetmedin in it's tablet form as well. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Need tips administering a pill to a distemper survivor. She can't open her mouth wide. I use a pill popper and it is a struggle. The pill comes out before it is "popped" and she spits it out. It takes 5 times to get it swallowed. Same struggle if
Unfortunately, if you cannot get medications in to her then you need to ask your vet if there is an injectable, transdermal or melt-away equivalent. Many drugs these days can be compounded into these formulations. Talk to your vet about this- RoadRunner and Wedgewood Pharmacies are the best at making alternative medication dosing systems.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My 2 year old sheperd husky mix has kennel cough and was prescribed antibiotic capsules for 7 days. However, I cant seem to hide them in any food. She always finds them. The only thing that works is opening the capsule and dumping the contents into h
As long as she is getting the full dose, there is no cause for concern. If breaking them open and pouring out the contents works, then so be it. You are not doing anything wrong. You can try Pill Pockets, which can be found in the local Petco or you can hide the capsule in a piece of hot dog.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello I take care of street dog and have named him Einstein due the fact that he is over smart to take medicines from us He has got fever and also has an enlarge spleen and also has tape worms but when ever we try to give a med he shouts and run
It is very nice of you to care for homeless dogs. Under the pet info, it indicates "cat" but I am going to assume it meant dog based on what you wrote. Usually the best way to administer medications to dogs is by sneaking them into some food or a treat. This can be done with both liquid meds as well as capsules and tablets. Do not try to stick pills into Pillu's mouth, as he may have an unknown vaccination history and you would be at risk for a contracting a disease.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored