How to Get a Pot-Bellied Pig to Take Antibiotics

When a pig is sick and needs medication, coaxing the animal to ingest a pill can be a struggle. Fortunately, experienced pig owners have learned a few tricks to help ease the medication down a stubborn pig's throat.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Crush the pill and hide it in a tasty sandwich of jam, peanut butter, mayonnaise or ketchup so the pig can't taste the medicine.

2. Mask the smell. If the antibiotic your pig has to take smells bad, use canned cat food to mask the odor.

3. Pass the taste test. If your pig always taste tests her food before digging in to eat, give her one bite of canned dog food. Once that passes the test, follow it with a bite of the same food with the pill hidden inside. Have a third bite ready at her mouth so your pig can hastily swallow the pill bite in anticipation of the next yummy morsel.

4. Resort to dessert. If none of the other tricks have worked, almost no pig refuses a pill wrapped in sugar cookie dough. Keep frozen dough on hand.

Tips & Warnings

• If your pig refuses to take an antibiotic pill, try crushing it, dissolving it in liquid and squirting it in a syringe down his throat.
• As the ultimate last resort, you can get antibiotic shots for your pig.