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[hirtzenocker]

Thank you, everyone, for your kind thoughts and concern

Comments

[fenchurch1022]

When Zoe was spayed the vet gave us a liquid pain killer in an oral syringe so I could stick in in the back of her throat and squirt it down. Might work for Harvery since it's a lot harder to spit up.

[hirtzenocker]

I wonder...I have a heavy stone mortar and pestle. If I grind the pills to dust (easy), mix with milk, and use a big syringe to squirt it down his throat like cough syrup, maybe that'll work out. Whatddya think?

[fenchurch1022]

That might work. Do you think he might eat it if you just mix the powder with peanut butter or cheese?

[fenchurch1022]

Sorry I just read the rest of the comments. Have you tried cheese or even a wadded up chunk of bread?

[gelf_girl]

My mom just showed me the simplest trick. Put butter, a big hunk o butter, around the pill. Her dog and now my dogs just love it, poof pill butter all gone. They think it's a treat. This was after she laughed watching me sit on my dog, pry her mouth open, put pill way down throat, wear pill.

It works on my Sadie dog who will eat hot dog with pill in and spit out the pill, she is a master at not taking pills. Thai of course thinks they are treats and will eat all pills if you are not careful.

[hirtzenocker]

I'll try that! I tried peanut butter, but Harvey doesn't care about peanut butter, he's so weird and fussy.

[spiceandsugar]

peanut butter didnt work with ruby either - but bacon grease does ;)

[hirtzenocker]

I tried bacon grease, and yogurt, to no avail. Lumps of butter, on the other hand, seem to be working--especially when I shove a treat he does like and has to chew (like dried chicken strips) in his face immediately.

[cordelia_sue]

Ugh, Sam is a master pill avoider too. Have you tried those pill pocket dog treats? They sometimes work for Sam. I have a pack in my freezer if you want to try out a few and see if they work.

[hirtzenocker]

That's worth a try, though Harvey may refuse the treats even without the pills. He's very fussy about treats, doesn't like liver-flavoured anything, which is too bad since the other pills are liver-flavoured chews.

[sixospades]

Very sorry to read about Harvey. Losing a loved one is never easy. I would have ground up the pills & added them to his food, but it seems the butter is already working for you.

[nurse4a2]

Be sure he gets the anti-inflammatory medicine regularly (doggy ibuprofen - usually Remidyl). That works best on bone cancer pain and makes the morphine work better. You can grind up any of the pills that are not time released. If the vet gives you MS Contin (or generic substitute) you can't crush or grind those. But they are tiny and go down pretty easy. I'm a hospice nurse and have also cared for both doggies and kitties at end of life.
Hopefully, you should be able to keep him comfortable for some time if it is early in the disease.

[hirtzenocker]

Good to know!
I've got Remidyl, and right now he's happy to take them stuck in a lump of butter, or in a Pill Pocket (a beefy thing like an empty Rolo). It seems we've found it fairly early, and he seems to respond well to the pills, so that's good.