The Best Dog Pill Shooter in 2022
Just like some humans, many dogs hate taking their medication. Even the nicest of pets might get incredibly aggressive when someone tries to drop pills, syrups, and tablets down their throat. In many instances, pet parents themselves can get hurt or experience uncomfortable bits and cuts. Luckily, with the help of a dog pill gun, also known as a pill shooter, giving your pup the required medication will be much easier and quicker as this ingenious device comes built with a plunger that shoots the pill down to the back of your dog's throat. In this article, we talk about some of the best dog pill shooters currently on the market, plus we offer a comprehensive buying guide that can hopefully help you make the best purchasing decision.
The Best Dog Pill Shooter
1. Kruuse Buster Dog Pill Shooter
Let’s introduce the Kruuse Buster Tablet Syringe for all your animal medication needs. This is a classic pill shooter that allows you to administer pills and all forms of medication without causing damage to the mouth of your dog. This tablet shooter offers a lesser risk of injury for both you and your pet, with ergonomic finger rings that enhance your comfort during application. The Kruuse pill shooter also allows you to draw water to aid in swallowing, plus comes with a green plunger, as well as a transparent barrel, a piston with rubber plunger and a reinforced tablet holder. What’s more, the barrel is designed to be the perfect length for the quick administering of medication to both cats and dogs.
Even better is the fact that the Kruuse pill shooter and tablet syringe are very user-friendly. To give your pet its medication, all you need to do is fill the syringe with water; however, do ensure that the pill is well secured before opening your dog’s mouth. After this, pull the shooter back and release its trigger. This will shoot the tablet from your syringe into the back of your dog’s mouth, with the water allowing for an effortless swallow.
Now you can reduce the fuss associated with ingesting animal medication and save yourself from potential injury. All over the world, customers of the Kruuse tablet shooter are impressed with its function, and we have to say that we are too. It’s affordable, user-friendly, and allows for the supply of water for easy ingestion – what’s not to love? Join the Kruuse family now, and enjoy the very best service.
For more options, check out our detailed review of Dog Water Fountains.
2. DanDiao Dog Pill Gun
Meet the Pet Pill Tablets Dispenser; another super-handy pill shooter we love. Over the years, this Handy Pet Pill shooter has served many households, allowing for easy administration of much-needed medication to both dogs and cats. It is a highly effective and versatile unit that comes with a sleek and straightforward design for your viewing pleasure. Case in point -the external design of the unit is elegantly slender but broad too to accommodate pills and tablets of all shapes and sizes. And to help you keep your fingers intact, it comes with a plunger feature that is responsible for sending your pill safely down the throat of your canines.
As a bonus, the Pet Pill Gun does more than to act as a pill shooter. On a regular day, it can be used to feed baby dogs who haven’t learned to eat on their own. What’s more, it is a very safe unit to employ, with a competitive level of durability and features that are sustainable. And if you ever want to invest in an environmentally-friendly group, the Pet Pill dispenser for dogs should be the first product on your list.
It should be noted that after each use, the plunger needs to be rinsed with water and allowed to air dry. This process should be followed by pulling out of the plunger. All in all, use this pill shooter for cats and dogs alike, and dispense all the drugs needed to bring your little canine back to health.
3. Butler Sales Dog Pill Shooter
Key Features
Durable semi-hard plastic
Can administer multiple pills at once
Suitable for larger pills but not ideal for very small ones
Dog and cat owners alike have fallen in love with the Butler Sales Pill Gun, a bullseye pill popper created for easy dispensing of pills and tablets. No doubt, there are many kinds of pill guns in the market today, but one of the best ones is the Butler Sales pill gun, a state of the art drug dispensing machine. As a pill shooter, it is built with curved fingers such that the pills being shot don’t hurt the back of your pet’s throat. And with a single push of the plunger, you can shoot multiple pills to the end of your pet’s throat.
What’s more, the Butler Sales Pet Pill Popper features a patented design that protects your fingers from injury, usually associated with giving animals drugs. Even better is the fact that the safety of this unit is offered to both the pets and their owners. You can administer even the most robust pills like Drontal to your pet with ease, without the stress of forcing your hand down its throat.
The level of convenience offered by the Butler Sales pill popper is remarkable, with its durability being its biggest strength. Another benefit that users admire is the fact that this pill gun is reusable which helps every pet parent to save their money for other important things such as food and medication for better canine health. All in all, a great product that comes in a single pack, but it is designed for repetitive use.
4. Four Paws Quick and Easy Dog Pill Dispenser
Four Paws has launched their latest product: a pill gun that has changed how drugs are given to cats and dogs. The Four Paws Quick & Easy Pill Dispenser is a fantastic unit built with durable materials for extended and repetitive use. The company aims to address issues pertaining to animal health, so this pill dispenser allows for easy and safe administration of oral medication to pets and is recommended by all veterinarians. We are confident that the Four Paws Pet Pill dispenser will ensure the proper dosage of medication to pets while maximizing control exerted during such an application.
Still, it’s important to be careful – when using the dispenser, be sure to load your pills and tablets securely and keep your dog’s mouth firmly open. Also, ensure that the unit safely shoots into the back of your dog’s throat, not mouth, so that it can travel directly to its stomach.
5. Jorgensen Dog Pill Shooter
No matter the size of your pet, we are confident that the Jorgensen Pill Gun would be the right pill shooter for you. A single look at this product is all it takes for pet parents to trust in its efficiency. The Jorgensen pill gun is a user-friendly, gentle, and easy to clean pill shooter, with a functional design even for smaller pets. It works with both tabs and pills, with a soft tuber tip for the secure positioning of the medication in the gun’s plastic shaft. This tuber is what makes the unit more uniform as well, and is what prevents the medication from slipping during the application process.
Importantly, the Jorgensen dog pill gun has been manufactured and distributed in the USA by skilled scientists so safety is guaranteed. Moreover, the unit is very easy to use and it comes at an affordable price.
6. Mikki Dog Pill Shooter
Mikki is known as a pet-loving company. Their skilled personnel has a great love for animals and their passion can be seen in their various products, with each part designed intricately for durable usage. The Mikki Gun is the ideal image of a dog pill shooter that has been built for safety and durability; thus, it comes with plastic and rubber parts. Even more beneficial is the fact that to keep your fingers away from your canine’s teeth, the plunger can be adjusted to different lengths. This also makes the pill gun suitable for dogs of all breeds and sizes.
In fact, the Mikki Gun works wonderfully on cats too! Save those extra coins for other pressing needs, and rely on the Mikki Gun for the overall health of your favorite animals. We trust that the sleek and slender design of this pet pill gun will go a long way to make medication administration extremely simple.
7. Yeebline Pet Pill Dispenser
Key Features
Good value two syringe pack
Dual tips for pills or liquid
Ideal for tablets or liquid medicine
Can also be used for milk or water
Easy grip handle and smooth plunge design
Available in a good value two-pack, Pet Piller have come up with an easy to use pill shooter for use on cats, dogs and other small animals. Made from 100% food-grade material, with a soft silicone tip, each shooter is non-toxic and washable, ready to be re-used. It can be used with small pills; simply ensure you have the right tip to administer the tablet smoothly into your dog’ mouth. Or swap it out for the liquid tip to use with medicine. The liquid tip can also be used for feeding milk or formula to baby pets as well as administering water or other liquid food if your pooch is unwell.
Although the tips are not adjustable, operating the pill shooter is easy to do, thanks to the thumb plunger and two finger grip handle. Position the tip inside your pet’s open mouth, aiming at the back of their throat and gently squeeze down, for quick and fuss-free administration.
Best Dog Pill Shooter Buying Guide & FAQ
What to Look For When Buying a Dog Pill Shooter
The pill shooter is a highly effective, easy to use a device that makes the challenge of giving dogs their pills manageable. There are varying models of the pill shooter on the market though, making the selection process quite difficult for pet parents. To make thins a little easier for you, we've outlined some of the most important factors you should consider before making a purchase.
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- Material
To ensure your pill shooter lasts an eternity, choose a material that is sturdy and durable. For example, hardy plastic and rubber are great choices. By choosing strong materials, you'll also ensure the tablets don't fall out before they’re popped into your pet’s mouth.
- Dog size
Pill shooters with broader barrels and longer reaches are the ideal models for large-sized dogs, mainly because they have bigger mouths. Any pill shooter you choose for your pet must be of the right size to make your pill-shooting process faster and easier for both parties.
- Number of Pills & Capsules
There are shooters with broader bases that accommodate more than one pill. These units are ideal for dogs that need to consume a number of medicines of different sizes. Generally speaking, if your pup needs several different drugs every day, it is better to stick to bigger models than smaller ones as they tend to be better at accommodating different sizes of tabs and pills.
- Liquids
Can your pill shooter hold liquids? This is a question you should consider before making any purchase. This is important because some dogs need a mixture of tablets and liquid medications. Choosing one that can do both is a great idea because, with the right kind of pill shooter in hand, you can say goodbye to syringes and other tools.
Check out our guides on Dog Vitamins and Dog Dewormer for more info.
Advantages of Using Dog Pill Gun
- The pill shooter for dogs and cats reduces the stress of medication administration both for yourr canine companion and yourself.
- Another advantage is that it keeps your hands away from the sharp teeth of your pet, saving you from any potential trip to the emergency room.
- Pill shooters ensure that your pet receives all its medication and that none of the pills are spat out.
- Using the pill shooter is more effective than giving them drugs by hand.
- The final advantage of the pill shooter is that it can be used to give cats their pill too.
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Our Top Pick
The Kruuse dog pill shooter is our favorite product from the lot for numerous reasons. We love that it is user-friendly, that it allows for the intake of liquids, and that it comes with a classic tip. All these features come together to ensure that your dog receives their medication stress-free. It is well suited for dogs of all breeds and sizes, and can even be used for cats.
FAQ
Q: What is a dog pill shooter?
To put it simply, a dog pill shooter is a device with which you put pills into your dog's mouth. As the name suggests, the unit shoots the medicine straight into your dog's throat, preventing chewing, coughing and vomiting. The device is well suited for domestic purposes and is recommended for pets that don't like taking medication, those who get aggressive when taking pills, and pets who easily become stressed.
Q: Is a pet pill dispenser safe to use?
While some pet parents believe that using a pill dispenser can cause choking or discomfort, the fact of the matter is, most pill dispensers are perfectly safe. Choking is extremely rare for dogs because unlike us, they swallow reflexively, as soon as the pill lands at the back of their mouth. Every pill shot into your dog’s throat with a pill shooter is pretty much guaranteed to make its way into their stomach.
Q: How do I properly use a dog pill shooter on my dog?
Using a dog pill shooter is easy, but pet parents must pay attention to proper usage to prevent any accidents. It's all pretty straightforward: first, you make sure your dog is in the right position, then you load the shooter. To place the pill in your canine's mouth, grip the back of their muzzle and tip the dogs head backward such that their jaw opens. Use your other hand to insert the pill shooter into your dog's mouth, depressing the plunger as soon as it's positioned at the back. Done!
Q: What kind of pills can I use with a pill pusher for dogs?
You can use a pill shooter to give your dog any type of medicine - large or small, with a proper dispenser, it doesn't matter. That said, empty gelatine capsules are the best ways to deal with pills that are too small for your shooter to grip as they increase the medicine's size.
You can split very large pills into quarters or halves, or even grind them before placing them inside the empty gelatin capsule for shooting. Gelatine capsules can help with all your sizing issues while masking any unpleasant smell your dog's medication might have. This can be particularly important for dogs with extremely sensitive noses.