You have to put the pill way back in his mouth and gently rub his throat until he swallows. Then, after he spits out the pill, try again.
Old trick is to keep feeding him ham until his mouth is watering so much that he’ll even eat the piece with the pill in it.
My Dad used to pop the pill in the dog’s mouth, grab his snout with both hands to close his mouth, and blow on his nose until he swallowed. . . of course that would land him in jail now for cruelty to animals . . . but it worked. :)
Dose when he is good and hungry - before he is fed, not afterwards. Can you crush the meds?
Learn the tricks of the Vet: Hold his snout up and he’ll swallow peacefully.
There is a specific finger position that helps in this. To start, I would take some time to start calling him over to you, then pet his head, and get him used to your hand being under his snout in a loving sorta way. After a few days of this it will be easier and stress-free.
I had to do this with a pug. It’s possible. there is a point on their chin that will make them choke, and a point that will make them not even feel the pill.
Ever watched a vet give pills? They simply use one hand to gently open the mouth, the other they use to stick the pill WAY back in the dog’s throat, then hold the muzzle closed, gently stroking the throat until the dog swallows. It really isn’t hard.
I would crush the pills and mix the powder in something irresistible, like ice cream.
We use them with our dogs and cats, no problem. Trick is to smear some coconut oil on the tip before you shove it into their mouth. They don't fight it as much.
A lab that doesn’t inhale food??? Anyhow put the pill in a favorite food or try a pill pocket...greenie brand jad a good aroma. But have a pill hand and a food hand. A sensitive dog can smell any trace of pill on the surface of the treat.
Have you actually tried the Pill Pockets? They always work for our Corgi. They make them in two sizes - one for tablets, one for capsules. They also make a flavor other than peanut butter. It’s sort of like beef bouillon. If I don’t have pill pockets, I wrap the pill in a glop of cream cheese.
I have a nine-year old Yellow Lab who could spit out a pill an hour after I gave it.
Since putting the pill in a dab of butter on the tip of a butter knife, and placing it behind her top teeth in the front, she hasn’t missed a dose.
YMMV.
Bread and butter has always worked well for us. Roll the pill up in about a third of a slice of bread. Copious amounts of butter on the outside.
Our dog will actually come looking for us when he thinks it’s bread and butter time. Then he will run ahead of us to get to the kitchen.
Be the boss and shove the pill down his throat.
Cream cheese.
Peanut butter...
Put it in meat. Put it in icecream.
Not much Lab in him then....
Bacon wrap...
Looking at replies....
I remember one cat I had. Years ago. I had to snake a feeding tube down her throat for about a week.
Now THAT was no picnic, believe me.
I’ve had to give pills to cats and dogs over the years. Some were easy. Some were hard.
But nothing compared to the feeding tube I had to force into that cat.
(Shudder)
