Need your pet to take their medicine? Try DIY pet pill pockets!
Convincing your pet that their medicine is good for them can be an arduous task, especially if you have a picky eater on your hands. Some dogs can be easily persuaded to take their medicine, while others act like you are trying to kill them with the pills that are actually making them better. Of course, with the way some pills taste, you can't blame them. However, the solution may be with DIY pet pill pockets.
Homemade Pill Pockets For Dogs
Some dogs will take their pills wrapped up in a piece of meat, hot dog, or cheese. While you can sneak it into dog food for others. Pill pockets can be purchased online from Greenies and other brands, but they can get expensive. Also, some people like to have more control over what their fur babies eat. If you tend to be picky about the ingredients your pet ingests, DIY pet pill pockets are the way to go. Essentially they are like dog treat recipes, with a spot to place your pet's all-important medicine to make sure they actually get it in their system and don't spit it out!
1. Dairy-free, Gluten-Free Pill Pocket
If your pup is lactose intolerant and you don't like giving them all-purpose flour, this gluten-free, dairy-free recipe fits the bill. Dogs, of course, absolutely love peanut butter, so where could you go wrong?
To make these simple pockets gather up water, creamy peanut butter, and quick oats. First, check your peanut butter to make sure that it does not contain xylitol. This sweetener is incredibly toxic to your pets.
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
- ?2 tablespoons quick oats
Put the oats into a food processor and blend them up. Next, mix the oats, water, and peanut butter in a small mixing bowl. If you want it a bit creamier, you can use coconut milk instead of water. Make sure all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Take the dough and separate it into small balls. Poke a hole in the ball with a meat thermometer, chopstick, or toothpick depending on the size of your dog's pill, and wah-la! You have a DIY pill pocket! Place your pet's meds inside and close the ends around the pill to hide it. They can be stored in an airtight container for future use.
2. Homemade Chicken-Flavor Pill Pocket Recipe
RELATED: 10 Homemade Dog Treats Your Dog Won't Stop Begging You For
For a chicken twist on the classic pill pocket, try this recipe. First, gather up chicken powder, meat broth, smooth peanut butter, or bacon grease.
2 tablespoons chicken powder
1 tablespoon meat broth
1 tablespoon smooth, natural peanut butter
Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and shape them into pill pockets.
3. Healthy Oat Flour Pill Pockets
Make homemade pill pockets a little more well-rounded with this healthy recipe without any preservatives and plenty of ingredients a dog loves. Not to mention, it makes for a nice chewy treat perfect for a small pill to go into.
3/4 cup oat flour
?1/4 cup gelatin powder
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
Put the oat flour in a bowl. You can also use regular flour, whole wheat, coconut flour, or brown rice. Then add in the coconut oil, peanut butter, gelatin powder, and chicken stock. Mix it all together with a wooden spoon. The total time to mix all the ingredients is under 10 minutes. I know my dog would love these chews, even if they weren't masking her meds.
How do you get your pet to take their meds? Tell us on our Wide Open Pets Facebook page.
