What to do about a dog that will not take tablets

Some dogs will eat anything. Some will hoover a bowl, walk away, and leave one tablet sitting in the middle of it like an accusation. If you are on the second kind, stop fighting it, because the supplement only works if it is inside the dog.

The order worth trying: crush it into wet food first, because most tablets disappear in anything strong smelling. If that fails, wrap it in something with fat, a small piece of cheese or pate, and give two plain pieces either side so the loaded one is not the suspicious one. Pill pockets work for some dogs and are ignored by others.

If none of that lands, use a powder. Scoop is the same joint formula as Move, one level scoop stirred through dinner, and it sidesteps the argument entirely. With dry food a splash of water stops it sitting at the bottom of the bowl.

What not to do: hide it in a bone or a chew that gets buried, break tablets that are coated for a reason, or double the next dose because yesterday ended up under the sofa.