Question
My (8 month old) puppy is currently on antibiotics (amoxicillin), specifically 250mg Noroclav twice daily. I've tried:
putting it in her food (she just eats around it);
crushing it into powder and sprinkling it over her food (she refuses to eat altogether); and
popping it in her mouth and holding her muzzle until she swallows (she always manages to keep it from going down and then spits it out once released).
Having had to take amoxicillin in the past myself, I recall that it made even some of my most favourite food taste absolutely vile: so it's hardly any wonder that she's not keen.
How can I get her to take her medication?
Answer
Here are few ways you can get your dog to take pills. We started with the first method and one day tried the second and have been using it ever since. Both are a lot more fun and potentially faster than forcing your dog to take a pill.
Envelope Method
Assuming your dog isn't allergic to peanut butter, most dogs find this to be a super tasty treat. If you put a bunch of peanut butter around the pill, the dog will often eat both the peanut butter and pill without even realizing it. Then you let them lick your fingers for extra reinforcement!
They also make special "pill pocket" treats you can get if you want something different and are made specifically to hold pills, but peanut butter is cheaper.
Make sure they do actually eat the pill though. Even though it's harder to eat just the peanut butter than just food, some dogs are able to manage it.
Chasing Method
This method uses a dog's natural prey drive and patterning skills to get them to be excited about eating a pill. Get a bunch of treats about the same size as the pill and toss them along the floor giving your dog her release cue or "get it" command. After she's done this a few times, toss the pill and tell her to get it. By the time she realizes it wasn't actually another treat, she may have already swallowed it. Keep playing the game afterwards so she doesn't think the game ends when a non-treat appears.
Answered By - jeffaudio