If your dog is anything like ours, getting them to take a pill is very difficult. We have tried wrapping pills in cheese, only to have our dog eat the cheese and spit out the pill.
We have even tried to explain to our dog that they need to take the pill for their health and well-being and to feel better, but of course, they don’t care what we have to say.
We decided to try MilkBone Pill Pouches to see if it will help make it easier for our dog to take any necessary pills.
What Are MilkBone Pill Pouches?
MilkBone Pill Pouches are soft treats with a hole in the middle of them which you can put a pill into. You then mold the treat around the pill to effectively hide it.
The idea is to hide the pill inside the treat so your dog will be excited to have the treat and not realize they are actually taking a pill.
The Bag
MilkBone Pill Pouches come in your choice of chicken or hickory smoked bacon flavors.
The resealable bag is 8 oz. and contains 25 pill pouches that measure approximately 1 inch squared.
Each pill pouch is designed to hold most capsules and tablets.
The bag is easy to open and reseal without difficulty.
The Pill Pouches
The treats were a decent size and seemed able to accommodate the size of the pill our dog needed to take.
The pouches were soft in consistency and easily “moldable”.
The Directions
According to the package, the directions state to keep the pill taste and smell away from the outside of the treat.
Next, hold the pill pouch with your thumb and forefinger and insert the medicine with your other hand.
Then, pinch both sides closed using only one hand.
Give to your dog.
The Experience
We opted to get the chicken flavored pill pouches.
As mentioned above, the pouches were of a good size and able to accommodate our dog’s medicine.
The hardest part was holding the pill and the pouch and trying not to get the pill to touch the outside of the treat.
The size of the pill our dog needed to take was a little large compared to the size of the opening of the treat, so it was a little difficult to fit the medicine.
Once you get the pill inside the treat, you need to close it with the one hand you used to hold the treat. We found this to be the most annoying part of using the pill pouches. We understand the reasoning (the smell of the pill can turn your dog off to taking the treat), but it is still a bit of a pain and can see this being difficult for someone with arthritis or other condition affecting the hands. Honestly, we ended up using both hands to get the treat to fully cover our dog’s pill.
Once we had the pill in the pouch we very easily gave it to our dog and she ate it right up, pill and all.
She seemed to really like the chicken flavor and even asked for another one.
Pros
- Pouches are able to fit most capsules and tablets.
- Treats are soft so they should be easy to chew, particularly for older dogs.
- Easy to use (if you use two hands). Just insert the pill and seal it up.
- Our dog really liked the chicken flavor.
- Pill pouches can also be used as treats for your dog.
Cons
- It may be difficult to use if your dog needs to take a large sized pill, as the pouch will not be able to fully wrap around it, increasing the chance of the pill falling out of it.
- Each pouch can only accommodate one pill, so if your dog takes multiple pills each day, you will have to use one pouch per pill. This can be time consuming, not to mention not cost effective since you will go through the bag very quickly, and your dog is only able to have a certain number of pouches per day depending on your dog’s size.
- If you have arthritis or a medical condition affecting your hands, it may be difficult to insert the pill and wrap the treat around it.
- There are only two flavors.
Verdict
Overall, we love these Milkbone Pill Pouches and our dog loves them too! We are now able to give her the medicine she needs without her spitting out the pills. She loves the chicken flavor and comes running whenever she hears us get the bag, not to mention the drool when we open it.
It is a bit of a pain to get the pouch around the pill due to the size of the pill she needs to take, but it is worth it to not have to try several times to get her to take her medicine after spitting it out several times.
If you have trouble getting your dog to take their medicine and cheese just isn’t working, these are definitely worth a try.
Just note that these will not be good if your dog needs to take a large number of pills or if the pill they need to take is of a large size.
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Please check out our other posts on Health, Indoor, Outdoor, and Travel accessories for your dog, as well as Reviews of various products and travel destinations.