DIY PILL POCKETS FOR DOGS || MAKE GIVING YOUR DOG PILLS QUICK AND EASY

Making diy pill pockets is a must have skill for dog owners. They take all of the stress and hassle out of administering medication to your much loved canine friend.

My treasured and faithful friend, Riley the bulldogge, gave me a real run for my money when it came to taking meds before I started making these helpful little ‘treats’.

I do everything I am able to naturally for my sweet pooch, as I do for myself and my family. But still, there are times when medication is necessary.

Riley has had two surgeries and currently we are navigating our way through a bout of atopic dermatitis that won’t quit. Each of these times, he has proven to be very difficult to give his meds. Administering them turns into an exercise in stress management for the whole house.

BUT … pill pockets are doing the trick quite nicely. I highly recommend them.

If you struggle with getting your sweet canine to take their meds they are worth a try for sure. And they’re so easy to make that you probably want to put some together next time you need to give meds to your pooch that doesn’t hassle you about taking them. It will make their med time tastier, promise.

How DIY Pill Pockets Work

DIY pill pockets are really nothing more than a dog treat that is pliable enough to wrap around a pill.

You can make them in small batches. It takes just minutes to do. And you’ll have enough pockets to last you anywhere from 3 days to a week, depending on the frequency of medication administration required for the meds your dog is taking.

Then simply slip the pill into the ‘pocket’ you’ve created in the treat, mold the treat around the pill so it can’t be seen or smelled, and give it to your pooch without looking guilty enough that he notices.

Save Money By Making Your Own DIY Pill Pockets

The first time I ever used pill pockets for my sweet Riley, I bought them at a big box pet store. They cost me about $15 for just 60 of them.

I suppose that if you’re purchasing them as a one time shot that isn’t really that bad. But Riley had just had his first surgery and I needed A LOT of pill pockets. It was going to be quite expensive to buy them that way for sure.

Not to mention, that running out to the store is something I avoid as much as I can. As I’m working more and more toward full self-sustainability big box store stops are lower and lower on my to-do list.

So, I started making my own diy pill pockets and it’s saved me quite a bit of cash for sure.

One batch of diy pill pockets will get you about a dozen pockets and the cost is so minimal it’s hard to figure it out. I’m estimating at less than .30 cents a batch.

That’s just $1.50 or so for the same quantity as that $15 bag. Make your own diy pill pockets. Save yourself some cash.

Ingredients For This Recipe

There are just 3 ingredients needed to make these handy little med administering helpers; milk, peanut butter, and oat flour.

These are ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen, no need to run out to the store. I love that!

Substitutions For This Recipe

If your canine companion is unable to tolerate milk, you can easily substitute water in this recipe. Or any other canine safe liquid as well.

Peanut butter is a bit of a must have as it makes the pockets pliable. Most dogs can have peanut butter. Although, it is my understanding that there is the occasional case of a peanut allergy in canines.

Also, BE CERTAIN that the peanut butter you use does not contain xylitol. It is being used in many peanut butters today. And it is HIGHLY TOXIC to dogs, even the smallest amount can cause a reaction. In some cases it is fatal.

I use all natural peanut butter. The ingredients are peanuts. Maybe some salt. Perfect.

All-purpose flour or wheat flour can be used if that’s all you have in the house. But keep in mind that it’s not really the best choice for your dog as it provides no nutritional value to them.

Any gluten-free, pet-friendly flour will work in this recipe. Coconut, spelt, barley, and garbanzo bean are all great choices.

I chose oat flour because it is so easily made in your own kitchen. Just toss a few whole rolled oats in a food processor and process them until they are the consistency of flour. Voila … oat flour is born!

How To Make DIY Pill Pockets

The ‘secret’ formula to making a diy pill pocket recipe work is 2:1:1; two parts flour, one part peanut butter, and one part liquid.

If you blend ingredients in these proportions together you will then be able to roll them into little balls. From there, it is simple enough to make a pocket in the balls. You can use a chopstick, the end of a meat thermometer, or a bbq skewer to do this.

Really anything that you can manipulate the treat with, to work a hole part way through in the center, will work.

How To Store DIY Pill Pockets

DIY pill pockets will last, in an airtight bag, in the refrigerator for about a week or so. They can be made in larger batches, than I’ve provided a recipe for, by simply following the 2:1:1 ingredient ratio I shared above.

I rarely make mine in larger batches, as I find that a batch is most often enough for my needs.

Through researching other pill pocket recipes I see that some people are suggesting making them ahead and freezing them. I can’t speak to whether or not this works.

They are so easy to make that I just whip a batch up when I need one.

As always, I’d love to meet in the comments and chat with you about how you liked this recipe. So, drop in there and let me know if you made a batch of pill pockets for your pooch. And how they worked out for you as well.

AND … if you’re interested in making an easy all-natural treat for your pooch to enjoy on the regular, you can find a great recipe for sweet potato treats on the blog as well.

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