How to Give a Dog a Pill: Vetstreet’s Top 8 Pill Pouches
by D.K. Levey
Published on May 13, 2025
Giving dogs pills can require some savvy hiding skills, depending on how eager your dog is for food to ignore their daily medication. We’ve been sneaking our dog’s medication to him in a teaspoon to a tablespoon of peanut butter. It’s one way pet parents probably tried at times, but if you want to learn how to give a dog a pill that is a lower-calorie, controlled option, you might use pill pouches for dogs.
Giving pills to dogs in food is a common way to administer medicine, but it can be stressful for both the pet parent and the pet. Finding the right pill-hiding treat matters when your dog needs to get medicine in the correct amounts, at the right time of day, and you can’t risk guessing if they ate half, spit it out, or hid it somewhere.
“Pill [pouches] can make it much easier to give medication,” Jess Ennis, DVM, CVA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Primary Care, Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine at Rowan University in New Jersey. “Some pets even enjoy getting their medication because they see it as a treat. It can also be helpful for medications that have a bad taste. It can lower the stress on you and your pet by giving medication in a fun way and creating a positive experience associated with the action of receiving medication.”
That’s why we’re reviewing the top pill pouches to explore the options for dogs to get their medications in a tasty delivery mechanism. In addition to hands-on testing, we looked at ingredients, effectiveness, palatability, ease of use, cost, value, and availability.
All featured products are chosen at the discretion of the Vetstreet editorial team and do not reflect a direct endorsement by the author. However, Vetstreet may make a small affiliate commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Pill Pouches for Dogs: Vetstreet’s Top 8 Picks
- Favorite Pill Pocket for Dogs: Greenies Pill Pockets
- Best Oral Paste Pill Wrap for Dogs: Vetoquinol Pill Wrap
- Best Probiotic Pill Pouch for Dogs: VetriScience Pinchers
- Best Budget-Friendly Pill Pouch for Dogs: Milk Bone Pill Pouches for Dogs
- Best Hypoallergenic Pill Pouch: Maddie’s American Easy Pill Ultra Pill Wrap
- Best Pill Pouch for Large Dogs: Zesty Paws Pill Wrap Probiotic Paste
- Best Pill Pouch for Small Dogs: Tomlyn Pill Masker for Dogs and Cats
- Best Natural Pill Pouches: Earthly Pill Buddy Naturals Pill Pouches for Dogs
Vetstreet’s 8 Top Pill Pouches
Pill pouches come in various forms. Dr. Ennis says some are preformed “bowls” that can be folded over the medications. They come in large and small sizes, depending on the size of the medication that you are giving. Other pill pockets for dogs come in a form that includes a tub of moldable treat material — sometimes referred to as a paste — that can be used in any amount and shaped in any way, which makes it very customizable. In terms of ingredients, there are many different formulations.
Keep reading to discover some of the best pill pouches for dogs on the market and what to look for when shopping.
Favorite Pill Pocket for Dogs
Our Pick: Greenies Pill Pockets
You probably heard of Greenies as a dental dog treat, but did you know they make pill pockets, too? My dog, who needs daily medication, readily enjoyed the Greenies pill pockets during testing. When prompted, our dog enjoyed the peanut butter flavor more than the chicken flavor, as he consumed it quickly and easily. Greenies Pill Pockets are easy to manipulate around a hard pill and disguise the sight and taste of dog medication.
Highlights
- Available in capsule or tablet size.
- Several flavors are available, including chicken, peanut butter, hickory smoke, and duck and pea formula, ideal for dogs with allergies.
- Commonly used and recommended in vet clinics.
- Good value, about $10 for 30 Greenies pill pockets.
- Soft, moldable texture.
Things To Consider
- The pouch needs to be sealed tightly to maintain freshness.
- Count the Greenies calories as part of your dog’s daily intake.
Best Oral Paste Pill Wrap for Dogs
Our Pick: Vetoquinol Pill Wrap
Just as texture is important to humans, dogs need to agree with food texture to find it appealing. This paste is a tasty alternative to a pliable dog pill pocket because the oral paste doesn’t dry out and can be manipulated to suit any pill size.
Highlights
- A fresh way to deliver medication if your dog frequently spits out dog pill pouches
- Shapeable paste works for all pill sizes
- Supports a small, family-owned business in the US
- Bacon flavor
Things To Consider
- You can only get it from veterinarians or online retailers, so you’ll likely need to wait a day or so to receive the product.
- Made with wheat, so dogs with those allergies or sensitivities should skip it.
- Because it is a paste, it can be messy.
Best Probiotic Pill Pouch for Dogs
Our Pick: VetriScience Pinchers
Vetriscience has a nice variety of pill pouches for dogs, depending on their size and various needs. Since some medications can damage a dog’s digestive system, consider a pill pouch that contains probiotics like those found in this pill-hiding treat.
Highlights
- It’s good for digestive health.
- Contains artificial flavors and ingredients
- Non-greasy medication delivery
- Low calorie
- Two flavors, chicken and organic peanut butter, and two sizes are available
Things To Consider
- It is not available at all retailers, but it is available online.
Best Budget-Friendly Pill Pouch for Dogs
Our Pick: Milk Bone Pill Pouches for Dogs
Sometimes, the deciding factor when purchasing a pill pouch for your pup is price. We get it – dog medications can be costly! If savings is your main parameter, check out this budget-friendly option from Milk Bone.
Highlights
Available at most retailers, so it’s easy to find when you need to deliver medication in a pill pouch right away.
- Each package contains around 25 dog treats for under $5, sometimes lower with autoship options.
- Available in smoked bacon and hickory chicken.
Things To Consider
- It’s not the lowest-calorie treat on the market.
- Same size, whether you’re giving to a large dog or a small dog, or have a large capsule to disguise.
Best Hypoallergenic Pill Pouch
Our Pick: Maddie’s American Easy Pill Ultra Pill Wrap
This American-made company created a pill-paste treat in a tub that can be molded around any size pill or capsule. It’s made without meat, corn, soy, wheat, artificial flavors, preservatives, or colors.
Highlights
- Great product if your dog has allergies to certain ingredients.
- You control the size of the treat around the pill.
- It is available in three tasty flavors: cheesy dip and bacon, bacon and cheese, and peanut butter and cheese.
- Affordable, and you can use less if you have smaller pills and smaller pets.
Things To Consider
- Measuring out the perfect amount of paste can be challenging.
- You must order online and pay for shipping.
Best Pill Pouch for Large Dogs
Our Pick: Zesty Paws Pill Wrap Probiotic Paste
We like that these pill pouches for dogs contain probiotics and are easy to wrap around any size pill. You can give a large dog over 75 pounds up to three chews without worrying that you’re overfeeding her or him by applying too much (or too little).
Highlights
- Comes with belly-benefiting probiotics for a healthy gut.
- Highly reviewed on retailer websites.
- Good price point, about $17.99 for 60 chews.
- Easy to make sure you’re administering the correct amount for your dog’s size.
Things To Consider
- Only one flavor – bacon.
Best Pill Pouch for Small Dogs
Our Pick: Tomlyn Pill Masker for Dogs and Cats
This pill-hiding product is suitable for small dogs (or cats), so it can be great if you want to limit the amount of products you keep on hand and you have a home with dogs and cats that need meds. Since it’s a paste, you can control the size and ensure you aren’t giving too much of the treat product by simply rolling it around the pill or capsule.
Highlights
- Suitable for small dogs and cats.
- Made with high-quality ingredients from a company that’s been around since the 1970s.
- Great value for small dog pill treat portions, a 4-ounce tub of paste has 50-plus servings (depending on how little product you use).
Things To Consider
- It takes more effort to scoop out the product than to open a pill pouch in the packaging and put in the medication.
- You could accidentally give a dog more than they need if you are not measuring correctly.
- One flavor choice.
Best Natural Pill Pouches
Our Pick: Earthly Pill Buddy Naturals Pill Pouches for Dogs
One of the things we like best about Pill Buddy’s Naturals Pouches is the variety of flavors available. Their Pill Buddy products have chicken and peanut butter flavors, like many others in this list. This brand also offers duck, peanut butter and banana, peanut butter and honey, peanut butter and apple, and more.
Highlights
- Good variety of flavors.
- The company values sustainable, responsible sourcing.
- Made with natural ingredients.
- Individually wrapped with compostable materials.
Things To Consider
- They are on the smaller side, so if you have a larger capsule, you might need to put two together.
Buyer’s Guide: What to Look for in Dog Pill Pouches
Ready to start shopping for dog pill pouches? Keep these factors in mind when shopping for a pouch with a tasty or high-value flavor that comes in a moldable texture that allows medication to be folded into the center of the treat.
Offer advice on what pet parents should consider when shopping for pill pouches, suggests Dr. Ennis.
- Size/shape flexibility for different pill types: Whether your dog gets capsules or tablets might indicate the type of pill pouch size you use. Some brands, like Greenie pill pockets, indicate various sizes on the packaging to ensure you’re getting the correct treat size to mold around the medicine. If you’re shopping in a retail store, you might want to take the pill with you to see which pill pouch might be the best fit.
- Flavor options (especially for picky dogs): Many flavor options we saw involved chicken or peanut butter for the treats, but there were plenty of bacon-flavored picks. If your dog is a picky eater, read the pill pouch reviews to see if other pet parents with picky dogs responded well to the flavors.
- Ingredient transparency and sourcing: Deciphering pet ingredient labels is not always easy. Depending on your dog’s diet and needs, you’ll want to review the ingredients, as oftentimes the flavor doesn’t always mean there isn’t animal protein in the product, says Dr. Ennis. Some pill pouches have options like low-calorie, grain-free, and limited ingredients to help dogs on special diets.
- Feeding suggestions: The packaging will tell you how many pill pouches to give your pet, depending on the dog’s weight. We found that giving a larger dog an empty pouch and then a pouch with a pill inside was an easy solution for an eager dog to get the pill down while hitting the amount suggested on the packaging.
- Ingredients to avoid: As with any oral substance you are administering to your pet, Dr. Ennis advises that you watch out for xylitol-containing products (sugar substitutes) or products made with onion or garlic powder.
How We Made Our Selections
These dog pill pouches were chosen by in-home testing among dogs that had to take medications. They were also considered based on price point, how many pouches you’d get for your money, how easy it is to find them, and their availability at online retailers or brick-and-mortar businesses.
We also read customer reviews, examined a company’s reputation, and connected with a veterinarian about which ingredients to be aware of when selecting pill pouches to give to your dog.
Always consult your veterinarian if you want to ensure that the pill pouches for dogs you’re considering buying are safe.
The author received compensation from PetSmart for their services in writing this article.
