Our family dog is about 12/13. Pretty old for a chihuahua and it's recently been given these heart tablets. He really struggles to eat them, as we can't find anything to hide it in (food wise). He always seems to smell it out and refuses it. Has anyone got any ideas what we could try? We've tried stuff like tuna etc with no luck.

My Chihuahua is 12 and a half and he's the same. These are the things I try. I buy ham from Tesco's their own brand as it seems to stay together. I place a tablet on a piece and literally roll it up into it. then I fold over the the bottom and top so it makes a little secure parcel. Don't use a whole slice as that's too much to swallow. Then give it to your little one. What I do so he can't spit it out is I give it to him and then cup my hand around his mouth gently and hold his head up a bit so nothing drops out as he's chewing. Because they put their head down as they eat so if you do that it stays in.

Another trick I used to use but stopped because he has hardly any teeth left to chew it is. Buy a pepperami. Cut a bit off long enough to fit the tablet in. With a knife make a slit in it and jam the tablet into it. This used to work a treat.

Another way I've tried is if you are allowed to crush the tablet then mash it into a small amount of food. Buy some good quality ssalmon oil and put a pump of that on and mix it in. They love it.

Does your dog like cheese? We put our dogs tablets in cheese and he can't sniff it out and he eats it. Obviously, it's not a great idea to give your dog a load of cheese everyday though ...

Oh I forgot another one that worked for his epilepsy tablets. I just took the tablet and dipped it in a jar of peanut butter. Made sure it was nice and coated and he ate them no probs. But the ham parcel works best. Sometimes it will take a couple of goes but it does work if you cup your hand around his mouth and hold his head up. then he just chomps on the ham a few times and swallows. Don't buy nice ham from the deli though as that breaks up as you fold it. I just get the cheap ham in the packs already sliced in squares. It stays together as you fold it and makes a good parcel.

What we did is buy some Sardines in spring water from Sainsburys and crush the pill up with the sardines and added it into the dogs normal food at dinner time, it as the only way we could get her to take her medication.

We used cheese slices with our last dog when nothing else worked..

Squidge the tablet into a bit of the cheese slice, then give the dog a normal piece of cheese slice to lull them into a false sense of security. Then offer the bit with the tablet in, closely followed by another normal bit.

Cheese works wonder for my dog when he needs antibiotics and stuff. half a cheese slice for him with the pill roll up in it and the ends squashed down. He just swallows it whole cos he loves cheese.

Our dog was WAY too clever for any of this 'hiding the tablets in her food' malarkey She'd munch the food then spit the tablets out the side of her mouth

Now we just open her jaws, put the tablets in at the back of her tongue, hold her mouth shut then stroke her throat. The swallowing is pretty much just reflex then.

My pup's been on antibiotics. I put the pill in a blob of peanut butter and he loved it!

I've been dogsitting this week and I got my mum's staffie to take her tablets by wrapping them in a piece of ham

We used to give out Border Collie his arthritis tablets pushed into a little bit of milky Way..He wa so excited about the chocolate he'd waff it down before he even had a chance to realise there was anything in it

My parents have a King Charles and he has to take heart medicine..he's very fussy about his food, and doesnt really like treats much...My dad breaks it up small bits and puts them either into tiny blobs of butter, or philidelphia...that seems to do the trick

I push our dog tablets into a rolo, the caramel's stickiness works just fine. I know he shouldn't eat choccy but sometimes needs must.

I had a similar problem with my dog years ago- I used to put the tablet in the middle of a thick piece of bread and close it at all ends. He sussed it out after a few times though (he was a very bright mind you!)
In the end my father used to open his mouth while I put the tablet in, then he's close his mouth and my dad would put his hand around his mouth so he couldn't open it until he'd swallowed it! Sounds harsh but the tablets were important and they helped extend his life for quite a while!

Using chocolate is something you must never do. How stupid for people to advise that. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs. if a dog has to have daily medication and you give them it disguised in chocolate each day that could be really harmfull.

Try crushing it up and put it in a small portion of his normal food, if not the the hard way even though slightly distressing is to open mouth and put it to back of his mouth and get him to swallow by stroking his throat whilst holding his mouth closed.
the first is much preferred to the last resort, hope it helps

Mum always used to hide Ben's tablets in a "chunk" of liver sausage, which he loved. Then she realised he's actually really good and will happily take tablets with no "additives". He now has to have eardrops twice a day, and he actually knows when they're due and goes and sits at the worktop staring at them till Mum realises!

But yeah, liver sausage works As someone above said, never ever give them chocolate, it's very toxic for dogs. Apparently grapes are too, which we only found out recently.

I tend to use bread and butter, the dog we have now thinks everything is a treat and into anything food! bread is a firm favourite of his which is lucky.

Our old lab though she was funny, she would take tablets from me, I used to wrap them again in bread and butter or ham and she would be as sweet as a nut, but if my husband tried she would close her mouth firmly and refuse point blank to take them!

If I did that to my dog I wouldn't have a hand left!!!!!! Luckily he is receptive to the bread and butter method!

Yes ..sorry I realise I left off an important point about my border collie...at the time he was living on borrowed time...and the vet sanctioned the used if a little chocolate to help him swallow the pain killers...normally I would never give a dog chocolate, which was why he was so excited to get some..

I was more advising that my parents used a little butter or soft cheese to give their fussy dog his medication...this was also sanctioned by the vet...as the benefit of the pills far outweighs the harm a tiny bit of butter or cheese could do

But yes..chocolate is poisonous to dogs....and should normally never be given to them (dog chocolate is fine though)

My mam's dog (westie) goes beserk for chopped ham and pork in a tin...PEK... when she knows mam is preparing a little bit (to put her skin tablet in) then she is absolutely beside herself.

Mam pushes the tablet in a nice little piece, gives it to the dog, who is dribbling and beside herself and then when eaten (more like gobbled up, tablet or not) then the gives her two tiny pieces more with her usual dog biscuits. JOB DONE!

I would go for most of the suggestions here. When my dog was on permanent cocktail for pills, I would often make him a sandwich of ham, then quarter, it ensuring every piece was ate before I offered him another. Other tricks were cooked sausages or chicken breasts.

Dunno about dogs, but we crush any tablets up and mix them in with some Shippams Chicken Paste ..... the cats scoff them down then!

Some tablets shouldn't be crushed so check with the vet first.

You're quite right .... and we do!

Forgot about that bit .... thanks for the reminder!

Dip it in Bovril/ Marmite.

Throw it high in the air.

Job done.