A Little Bit of Peanut Butter Makes the Medicine Go Down

Rudy is taking Cyclosporine twice each day. For a while we were wrapping the capsules in American cheese but lately Rudy has gotten good at eating the cheese from around the capsule and spitting out the medicine. So we came up with another way to get him to take his medicine. He will swallow the pill if it is wrapped up in white bread spread with peanut butter. And of course, if Rudy is getting peanut butter, Emme gets some too.

When it is time for the Cyclosporine, we take a half piece of white bread and spread it lightly with peanut butter. Then we cut the half slice of bread into four pieces. We wrap two of the pieces around two of the capsules and give them one at a time to Rudy. He eats so delicately out of our hand. Then he gets the third piece of bread naked, without a pill. Next, it is time for Emme to get some "sympathy peanut butter bread." We take the last piece, actually one eighth piece of bread, and break it into three pieces. Each piece is about the size of an aspirin. Emme gets two of these pieces, one at a time. Then Rudy gets the last little piece. I can't believe how gently both dogs take these tiny treats from our fingers. Emme has a mouth full of good sized teeth and Rudy's mouth and teeth look huge. They each look like they could chew a finger off if they wanted, but instead they gently take the small pieces of peanut butter bread from our fingers. What polite dogs!