With Big Girl being diagnosed with a thyroid condition, she now gets a daily dose of hormones. Add to that challenge, in a recent visit to the Vet, Little Man was diagnosed with allergies and so now he also gets a daily pill. I’ve done the whole ‘down the hatchet’, i.e.: shove the pill down their throat; but, the concept of doing that daily for the rest of their cute little lives was just not in my bucket list of things to do. The pet supply store carries a ‘Pill Pocket’ that you can buy, but holy cow are they expensive, especially if they are needed EVERY, SINGLE, DAY.

Being a little on the thrifty side, I came up with a couple of alternatives that my dogs absolutely go bonkers for. Both incorporate the concept shown above. I tried many alternatives and this is the best one I’ve found so far, and really its’ just so inexpensive, (and the kids love it) that I am going with what works.

One option is to take a cheese stick, (no need to get all fancy here) any brand/price point is fine. Take a knife and cut a small cylinder off, and gently insert the pill. As you can see, this works for both a capsule and standard pill quite nicely. You may adjust the size of the wad to fit the pill but really try to keep it as small as possible. You want your furry friends to gulp it down without much, if any, chewing. (Little Man doesn’t even taste it, I swear) Also, I would only recommend cheese once a day. Dairy is not the best for dogs (cats however are a whole ‘nother story!) and so if your pet needs twice or more a day medication, choose the next option.

Spam. Yes, that ham in a can. It is like crack for dogs. (Hey, what can I say, I like it too!) I simply cut a rectangular block that is larger than the pill, (this is a little more delicate and it can break apart, so you might need a slightly larger piece for it to hold together) and then stuff away. If the Spam starts to break apart, no need to worry. Spam is kinda malleable, and simply gently press it together, just enough to cover the pill and get it to the animals mouth. I personally alternate, depending upon what I happen to have on hand or in my pantry. (Yes, I am a Spam horder. It’s the one thing I get every time I shop Costco. Yum, Spam and eggs in the morning…) Spam is a little bit more expensive than the cheese stick, but one can will go a LONG way. I have cut the loaf in half and frozen it, so that it doesn’t go bad before I get to the second half of the can.

So save yourself more than a few dollars and trips to the pet store. If your four legged companion is on medication, give this a whirl. And while your at it, make them do some tricks to earn their treat. Trust me, they’ll be jumping through hoops!