HELP!!! Dog won't take Atopica pill!!!

Have you tried the whipped cream cheese?  That was suggested to me here awhile ago and it has worked every time for me and Willow is very difficult.

circe221

I don't want to force the pill down her throat.

Stop hiding it. Your dog is smarter than that. Tell her, " This pill will help you stop itching." Show it to her. Put it in a treat. Tell her, "Eat this one quick, it has your pill in it." After she eats the pill, give her a few free treats. If she refuses the treat with the pill, just pill her. She'll learn fast.

When I quit trying to trick my dog, things really changed. 

I've never been able to trick my dogs and cats either.  I put the dog in a sit and have DH pry the mouth open so the dog's head is pointing up.  I drop the pill in as far back as I can, on the back of the tongue (so they don't choke), then quickly release the mouth, rub the dogs throat and offer them treats to get it down.  Because the treat they get is so nice they never really care, don't hold it against me.  I never have trouble doing it over and over, every day.  They don't like it, but it won't scar them. 

Woobie won't take pills either and can eat peanut butter off them and then spit them out.  I just hold his head pointing up, fold his lips over his teeth so he has to open his mouth, make sure my index fingernail is nice and short and shove it into the back of his mouth, past the rise in his tongue.  Once it's swallowed I tell him what a good boy he is and he gets yummy treats.  Quick, over, done.  If it's something your dog really needs, you have to get it into him somehow.  Does it come in a liquid you could squirt in his cheek?  That might make it easier, but It has to be done, the quicker and more matter of factly you make it happen, the less stress for the dog and you.

Good luck! 

You might consider seeing if a compounding pharmacy can put the meds in a good tasting tablet (example here).

If your pet or horse HATES pills, try a great tasting chewable or liquid. Rather than trying to hide a pill, why not give hime his meds in a favorite-flavored treat or yummy oral paste?

Not Atopica - you can't alter how the Atopica pill is formed and you **CAN NOT** use human cyclosporine.  This is the same drug Billy took for IMHA ... and it's tricky.  Actually, there is some danger in just pilling them as well -- because cyclosporine can cause a stricture if it gets caught in the throat.

Nor can she just stop giving it.      

 I will say this before I go further -- there are better things than Atopica.  It can have some really heinous long-term side effects (like kidney problems and liver problems in a big way -- my dog took this stuff for a long time, and I'm well acquainted with it). 

But, you can't "hide" pills -- first off, be real.  A dog's nose is SOOOOO beyond ours it's not funny -- don't ever *ever* think they don't know something's in there!  It only makes your dog NOT trust you!!  Don't lie to the dog!

As Jennie says, show the pill to the dog.  And yeah, say "This IS gonna help and we gotta do this!"  Then, show the dog the stuff you're gonna give it in.  Use the one thing that is truly the ultimate in "yum" factor.  Liverwurst -- particularly Kahns or Oscar Meyer -- is nice and mushy.  So give the dog a piece that's clear ... JUST liverwurst and SAY so "This is your first piece -- good huh??"

Then show the dog you are putting it IN the next piece ... but have a THIRD piece also.  Hold the piece with the pill way up above the dog's nose in your dominant hand and the *other* piece in your other hand.

The nose needs to be way up in the air.  Don't try to shove it in but rather DROP it in the mouth and immediately bring the other hand above the nose while your first hand slides under the chin to keep the nose HIGH (it's harder to spit something out against gravity).

Just as soon as that piece with the pill hits the mouth OFFER THE NEXT.  "GOOD BOY!!!" and let him have the next one.  He'll probably swallow the next piece in his greed.

 Praise him big time -- but *always * give an extra piece of SOMETHING after the Atopica so you know it's gone down the hatch.  But don't give him time to bring it up -- even if you have to have several pieces of yummy stuff there. 

But if you quit hiding it, he'll quit being so adamant that he doesn't want to be fooled.  Wouldn't YOU be?  If someone time after time was trying to treat you stupid -- you'd want to make darned sure they weren't successful.  But if they would just stop the games and SHOW you what they are trying to do, and then reward you for doing it right???

 Truly -- this WILL work.  Make it a good thing, not a bad thing. 

Are you giving milk thistle along with this?  You **must** with Atopica.  Cyclosporine is nasty nasty stuff -- it can have super adverse effects ultimately on the liver and kidneys.  *don't wait* until he tests bad -- by the time the kidneys "test bad" you have permanent damage. 

Janet is always SO awesome with the links, but this is one I have personal experience with after Billy was so sick and depending on the Atopica (it did save his life -- heinous drug, but it DID save his life!) 

janet_rose

You might consider seeing if a compounding pharmacy can put the meds in a good tasting tablet

They can't 'break' the Atopica pill -- somehow Atopica is put in a different type of gelcap than the human cyclosporine is -- it's specifically designed to dissolve in a particular way in the dog's digestive system.  Human cyclosporine, or anything designed for the human stomach somehow doesn't do well at all with this particular drug -- it can cause horrible reactions apparently - it was the one thing I was so strongly cautioned against when Billy was taking it for the IMHA.  I have not a clue why or what the specific problem is.  We also discovered that anything dairy makes the cyclosporine less effective - it causes it not to be absorbed properly in the body.  Billy was devastated -- I've typically used riccotta cheese and yogurt a lot to give meds, and I couldn't with the Atopica.

I agree with Callie in that this isn't a med that can be altered and I doubt a compounding pharmacy would even touch it. I feel for anyone who has a picky dog and has to give this. That pill is large, even by human standards. I've been really lucky that my girl just gulps it down when I mix it with a little of her canned food. She's a lab though, so no surprise there.

It all depends on the mg it is -- the big 100 mg is enormous.  The 50 mg is not terribly huge and the 25 and 10's are downright bitty.  (the scarey thing is that I can still remember which are grey and which are white! *sigh*) 

  I don't have anything to add to what the others suggested for getting your dog to take the pills; I especially love Callie's technique with the liverwurst. I know this isn't why you posted, but have you tried other options besides Atopica? I'm not talking about pred, as it is probably more dangerous long term, but there are other things you may not have tried that can help. Feel free to pm me if you want some suggestions; I have an allergy dog too.

Did you get the pills down?  I'm just wondering.

We occasionally take small treats and toss them in the air for the dogs to catch for fun.  So when it's time for a pill we toss a couple of treats, then  a pill and a few more treats.  We've never had any complaints, occasionally the dogs get too excited and miss the pill and don't pick it up off the floor, that just means they get a few more treats and the pill always goes down and the dogs are happy.  Now giving my cat meds is a nightmare.

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the wonderful replies!

Unfortunately, nothing has worked. I had to have my mother come over the last 3 nights and it took the 2 of us almost a half an hour to get Widget (the JRT) to open her mouth and get the pill down. The first 2 nights we gave up. Last night I was completely determined to get it done.  First she clamped her teeth down and wouldn't open her mouth.  We got the pill in and my mom held her mouth closed while I rubbed her throat. As soon as we let go, that little bugger spit the pill out the side of her mouth. This happened 4 more times!!! Finally, I put the pill in a blob of peanut butter and we did the same thing but I put the blob on the roof of her mouth. This time she swallowed it, but it was such an ordeal!

And now, she is suspicious of any treats, and will only eat Milk-bones. I just feel bad because I wish I didn't have to literally force it down her throat. If the Atopica didn't work so well, I would just say forget it - especially since the pills cost $90 a month!!!

Oh well - for now, I will just keep trying I guess.  Thank you again for all of the replies - it is nice knowing that I am not the only one who has struggled with giving meds.