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Do you have a doggo that takes medicine once or twice a day? If yes, then you understand the “hiding the pills” struggle. These homemade pill pockets for dogs will help you with the struggle. In addition, your pocketbook will feel some relief.
Firstly, I want to share our story on why we had to find a “pill pockets for dogs” solution. We almost lost my sweet fur baby, Bella, a couple of years ago to congestive heart failure. She was also being overmedicated.
Our previous veterinarian ran several x-rays and tests, because Bella had put on weight and struggled to breathe. His diagnosis was congestive heart failure.
He put her on seven different medications! :-\
My gut questioned that it was a little overboard, but I wanted to do right by my fur baby. So we gave medication as the veterinarian directed. Bella continued to gain weight and her breathing worsened.
A Change Had To Happen
One night as she struggled to breath and laid on the floor lethargically, I couldn’t take it anymore. So, I made the decision to take her to a different veterinarian for a second opinion.
To say the least, the new veterinarian was flabbergasted at the amount of medicine she was on. The first thing Dr. Johnson did was take her off of everything.
A week later, she put her back on two ½ tablet prescriptions twice a day. Then, she added a ¼ tablet of benadryl twice a day.
Within two weeks, our fur baby was back to being herself. She lost the weight she had gained and was breathing with ease.
I asked Dr. Johnson, how long Bella would need to be on this medicine.
Her reply was, “For the rest of her life.”
Next, I wanted to know if she could give me a life expectancy for my little Bella.
“Maybe a few months. Maybe a year. But I’ve seen some dogs live a long life on their medication,” she said.
A Dog on Medication Gets Expensive
Wow, though! Medication twice a day hits the pocket book.
Then, trying to figure out a way to give her the medication became frustrating. I looked into the store-bought pill pockets for dogs and was shocked at the cost.
We found some store-bought soft treats and were able to hide them. These treats were still expensive. And, occasionally we would get a dried out bag making it impossible to push the pills into.
We needed a cheaper option!
I am so excited to share this recipe with you because it is super fast and easy. You will be asking yourself why you waited so long to try this alternative. I did!
The main ingredient in these pill pockets for dogs is peanut butter. In addition to the recipe, I want to tell you a little about this ingredient.
Peanut Butter Benefits, But…
Peanut Butter is a favorite treat for doggos! You can look at the packages at the pet store to see how many companies use it in their treats.
Above all, peanut butter is a good source of protein. In addition, it contains heart healthy fats, vitamin B, niacin, and vitamin E.
When making dog treats, stick to an all-natural peanut butter without added salt or sugar.
However, there is a “but” when it comes to peanut butter. Make absolutely sure that you’re not using sugar-free or “lite” peanut butter. These tend to have artificial sweeteners, such as xylitol. Xylitol can be incredibly toxic to dogs.
We recently discovered that Bella is allergic to peanut butter. So, the next batch of pill pockets I make will be with almond butter.
Making Pupper Pill Pockets
Ingredients For These Pill Pockets For Dogs
- milk
- creamy peanut butter
- all purpose flour
This recipe makes a small portion of dough. You don’t want to make too much dough at one time because of the milk product. The dough will last as long as the expiration of your milk.
You will also notice I used Jif brand peanut butter, because it is what I had on hand. I did my research, and found it to be safe. However, the next time I will use an all-natural peanut butter without added salt or sugar.
Let’s Get to Making
Mix all 3 ingredients together in a small container. Use your hands to knead it all together.
I was able to pre-make 28 little pockets, because Bella’s pills are small.
Next, I used a straw to poke a hole through the ball. Then, I pinched the peanut butter out of the end of the straw and flattened back on one of the ends.
Now, there are definitely less time consuming ways to add the hole, but a straw is what I had on hand.
A couple of ideas to use instead of a straw:
- blunt end of a chopstick
- the tip of a meat thermometer
Store them in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
Take out one when it is time to give your fur baby medication. Drop the pills in the hole and pinch the ends together.
Give to your fur baby. Bella was suspicious at first, but she ate every bite including the pills.
We know Bella is on borrowed time, so a lot of spoiling is in store for this little, sweet girl.
In Conclusion
On a side note, I asked my veterinarian about 90-day prescriptions versus 30-day prescriptions. It was an option. This has saved me almost half of what I was paying.
We also hope these homemade pill pockets for dogs will help your pocket book like it has ours.
Is your fur baby on medication? Tell us your story in the comments below.
Do you have a “hide the pill” solution? Tell us all about it in the comments below.
Snoot & Toebeans has other dog treat recipes in our Dog Chef section. Here are a few your doggo will woof for:
- Healthy Homemade Dog Treats With Coconut Oil
- Homemade Banana Dog Treats – Dogs Go Bananas
- Pupcakes For Dogs – Yummy Banana and Apple
If you want to save this post with the recipe to your Pinterest account, you can use one of the following images to pin.
Pupper Pill Pockets
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter without xylitol
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the milk, peanut butter, and flour. Mix until completely combined.
- Knead to complete the process.
- Form the dough into little balls, depending on the size of the pills and how many.
- Poke holes in the ball using the end of a meat thermometer or the end of a chopstick.
- Store them in an airtight container, in the refrigerator.
- They will keep until the expiration date of your milk.
Does anyone happen to know if I use water instead of milk for the pill pockets will they last longer in the fridge than a week?
Hi Teia,
Try the water for a few to see if they hold together. If they do, then they definitely will last longer in the refrigerator.
Tell your dog, I said, “hi!”
Jeana
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