Giving medications to pets isn’t always a walk in the park—especially when they seem to have a sixth sense for detecting pills.
One sniff, one suspicious glance, and suddenly your dog’s turned into a food critic or your cat has vanished under the bed.
But with the right tricks (and a bit of creativity), giving meds doesn’t have to be a daily struggle.
We asked our Lilydale Vet Centre team to share their personal strategies—and between years of experience, lots of love, and a few laugh-out-loud moments, they’ve delivered.
Clinical Manager and Vet Nurse Kalinda Korkman doesn’t currently have pets—but she’s helped hundreds of pet parents tackle medication troubles. Her favourite tip?
“Pretend like you didn’t mean to drop it on the floor!”
Some dogs are natural scavengers. If you act like you’ve dropped something “accidentally,” they’ll race to grab it—especially if it smells tasty or if they’ve already been offered a similar treat.
No fuss, no chase—just clever misdirection!
Vet Nurse Emily Hogan knows what it’s like juggling meds with a house full of pets. Her dogs Bam and Bam, and cat Molly, all get monthly parasite preventives.
And Emily was also used to medicating bunny bestie, Captain Feather Sword, twice a day with pain relief.
Her top tip?
“Use something very smelly and nice, like roast chicken or cheese, or anything your pet is obsessed with!”
For her rabbit, she got creative: grinding up smelly pellets to make a custom medicated treat. Emily also emphasises speed and distraction when giving tablets or spot-ons:
“Make things go fast so they don’t overthink. Distraction is always a great trick.”
Client care superstar Maddy cares for her 17-year-old Husky, Nukka, who takes daily anti-inflammatory medication for arthritis. Over the years, she’s tried it all—and found what really works:
“A small amount of cheese heated in the microwave works great to wrap tablets—especially the flavoured ones.”
“Yogurt—my girl loves yogurt!”
“Peanut butter works too—but only for non-flavoured tablets.”
“Throw blueberries in the air for her to catch. One has a tablet hidden inside—works every time!”
It’s all about knowing what excites your pet, and building those little rituals they love.
We know that medication routines aren’t always easy. But they’re essential—whether it’s a daily anti-inflammatory or monthly worming.
That’s why we created Furever Medications—a program that slashes the cost of the meds your pet needs, while keeping the trusted care of your local vet team.
Oh, and on that note—did you know that your dog’s monthly flea, tick and heartworm is now available as an annual injection? The options are endless!
If your pet relies on regular medication, we’ve seen it all before. Ask us how we can help.
