How we keep the cost down on this great product
I would echo what many others have said about the Greenies being heaven-sent. Our two chihuahuas get a mix of bitter-tasting herbs/supplements, and the Pill Pockets have proven to be the easist, most effective (and most fun!) way to get them to take their daily dose (powders/tinctures which I mix up with a little coconut oil, divide into pea-sized "pills" and freeze). Our dogs like the Pill Pockets so much we use them as training treats! They're kind of pricey, but I use them in a way that not only works better for our small dogs, it's much less expensive! :o) When I first tried to give the pills in whole Pill Pockets, they were just too big for our 11-14 pound dogs to swallow without chewing (and discovering that there was yucky-tasting stuff inside, and spitting them out), so I needed to make them smaller and more "trustworthy". So in addition to reducing the size (and cost!) as I'll describe next, I also got them hooked on the treats by only giving small pieces of empty Pill Pocket a few times, until their suspicion abated. Now what I do is divide each (large) Pill Pocket into 4 quarters, and flatten a piece out into a concave oval on my palm with my thumb (they're about the consistency of play-doh or clay, and very maleable). Then I fold/smoosh/seal it around the pill, being careful not to get the scent/taste of the pill onto the outside of the Greenie. Before offering the Pill Pocket, I divide one of the other quarters into pea-sized treats. After a big build-up ("Who... would like... a... SPECIAL TREAT!!"),I give them each one of the little pill-less treats (after a simple command like "sit" or "stay"--giving it as part of a training situation, followed by lots of praise, seems to get them even more enthusiastic about getting the treat)that they won't stop to inspect or even chew it). Then I give them the treat with the pill inside, and they're so excited, they don't stop to inspect or even chew it. They wolf it down so fast they obviously have no idea it has their nasty-tasting supplements in it (MSM, Dogzymes Ultimate and Verm-X for immune system enhancement and parasite prevention). I follow up with some other less expensive, but well-liked treats. If you have larger pills, or larger dogs, you might only be able to cut the PillPocket into 2-3 pieces, but then you're still cutting the cost by 2-3 times as well (and possibly making it easier for your dog to swallow without finding the pill). One note that may or may not be relevent to your situation--I wanted to save time, so made up a batch of the Greenie-wrapped pills to keep in the frige. Unfortunately, the flavor/scent of the herbs/supplements apparently leeched into the Greenie layer, and the dogs didn't want anything to do with them. So now I just make them on the spot--it only takes a few moments, and I use the time to call the dogs and tell them about how tasty it's going to be, etc., and it's just become part of the treat ritual. :o) Additional FYI use for anxious dogs/cats: I also use pill pockets with L-Theanine L-Theanine 180C as a substitute for Composure for Medium and Large Dogs, 60 Soft Chews as a natural calming aid for the dogs when they will be alone all day, having company, going to the vet, etc. L-Theanine is only one of the 3 active ingredients in Composure, but it seems to do the trick and "take the edge off" for our excitable chihuahuas. I just squish the contents of the capsule into a flattened pill pocket, work it with my fingers until it's completely blended, then divide it into individual doses, which I store in the frige. I strongly recommend that you do your own research about dosage--Composure's manufacturer, Vetri-Science, has detailed weight/dosage instructions on their website, from which I derived the dosage that I use. L-theanine is almost tasteless, it just needs a "dosing vehicle" because it's a powder, and the capsules for humans have way too much in them for my dogs (and I don't want to put it in their food because one might eat it all, or the cats might get it, etc.) I've only used the chicken flavor (our dogs loved it so why mess with success?), and this is my first time ordering directly from Amazon. I've bought them at the pet store (much more expensive) and an Amazon marketplace vendor (much, MUCH more expensive, as it turned out--I thought I was getting six 9.6 oz packages for 26.59 including shipping, but received six 1.6 oz packages, totaling 9.6 oz, instead--I'm awaiting a refund, and ordering these directly from Amazon at a great price instead!). Read more
