fov Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 I just picked up a 90-day supply of probiotics for my dog that cost $1 per pill. They're capsules but the vet said I can open them and sprinkle the powder directly on her food. It's a good thing, because there's no way I'd get this capsule down her throat! I feel like I should get something more for my money and thought the capsules could make good mini shampoo bottles. They're white, one end is about 5/8" long and the other end is about 3/8" long. The problem is, when I rinsed them out to make sure all the powder was out of the inside, they got soft and lost their shape. It makes sense since they're supposed to break down in the body, I just didn't think about it. Has anyone used these for minis before? What could I do to prevent the capsules from breaking down? I'm not too worried about powder residue on the inside, but I want to protect them. I thought about coating in glue or varnish but water-based products might have the same effect as water. (Not sure yet, I can't experiment until after she gets her next dose tomorrow...) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 I saw a tutorial somewhere that used the capsules for shampoo and boudoir bottles. They were filled with resin and let cure. But you can’t rinse them. They are made of gelatin. You might be able to clear them with a Qtip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 A DRY Qtip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 2 minutes ago, havanaholly said: A DRY Qtip. LOL, yes, that’s what I meant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Found it! She used different colors of hot wax to fill them because it will cool quickly, and she used playdoh to hold the capsules in position. Here is a Pinterest link to the YouTube. Weird, but it should get you there. https://pin.it/1044Wvz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 I always wanted to try this tutorial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Why not fill the capsule with sand and use the playdoh to make a mold, and cast your bottles in resin or something that won't turn gummy or melt when the humidity is high (says she who grew up in FL and other damp environments). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted March 20, 2021 Author Share Posted March 20, 2021 12 hours ago, havanaholly said: Why not fill the capsule with sand and use the playdoh to make a mold, and cast your bottles in resin or something that won't turn gummy or melt when the humidity is high (says she who grew up in FL and other damp environments). Because I'm going to have 178 of these things and want to put them to good use. :) Debora, thanks for the link to the tutorial! My searches weren't finding anything useful. The capsules I have are white so I won't be able to make colored bottles out of them, but wax should still work. I wonder if painting the outside with nail polish would help keep the glycerin from melting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Possibly. I've just gotten some supplies of UV resin for some effects I want to try. In the next day or so I'll try that on a capsule and see what the result is and let you know. As Holly is pointing out, if they are in a humid environment, the gelatin will degrade. Polish, or resin might be sufficient to seal it, but if it’s not sealed, moisture will be the enemy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 If you roll the capsule in peanut butter I bet your dog will gulp that little rascal down PDQ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FurMama Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 My Carly cat is taking probiotics as well. I saved the ones I couldn't get in her mouth but they have shape shifted sitting out waiting on me to do something with them. Good luck with yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 Put them in a baggie in the fridge until you're ready to use them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted March 21, 2021 Author Share Posted March 21, 2021 My dog just started an elimination diet due to IBD, so no peanut butter for her! Luckily she's fine eating the probiotic if I sprinkle it on her food. She's also taking another medication that comes in a capsule (also for the IBD) but it has a bitter flavor so the vet doesn't recommend sprinkling it. For that one I got creative -- I ground up her prescription kibble, added water, and then rolled the "dough" into little meatballs and baked them so they're a little crispy on the outside but still soft inside. So far I've been able to hide the capsule in one of those and she eats it without noticing. We also have some wet food on order that we should be able to hide pills in. Sorry, off-topic, but I'm very proud of my homemade pill pockets! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 17 minutes ago, fov said: My dog just started an elimination diet due to IBD, so no peanut butter for her! Luckily she's fine eating the probiotic if I sprinkle it on her food. She's also taking another medication that comes in a capsule (also for the IBD) but it has a bitter flavor so the vet doesn't recommend sprinkling it. For that one I got creative -- I ground up her prescription kibble, added water, and then rolled the "dough" into little meatballs and baked them so they're a little crispy on the outside but still soft inside. So far I've been able to hide the capsule in one of those and she eats it without noticing. We also have some wet food on order that we should be able to hide pills in. Sorry, off-topic, but I'm very proud of my homemade pill pockets! I’m impressed! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FurMama Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, fov said: I ground up her prescription kibble, added water, and then rolled the "dough" into little meatballs and baked them so they're a little crispy on the outside but still soft inside. So far I've been able to hide the capsule in one of those and she eats it without noticing. Sorry, off-topic, but I'm very proud of my homemade pill pockets! So glad you shared! Thank you. All my furkids are seniors and on some kind of med or supplement. This will be so helpful. Edited March 21, 2021 by FurMama punctuation 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 (edited) Any reason you can't poke ALL of her capsules in the little pockets? Edited March 21, 2021 by havanaholly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 I’ve purchased floral foam rectangles from Dollar Tree, used a dowel the same width as the pill capsules to make impressions and used this to hold the pill capsule halves for filling. I fill them with epoxy that I carefully add with a toothpick so it doesn’t spill over the sides and let harden over night. Once the epoxy cures you can remove and add a bead cap. The gelatin will no longer dissolve. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Wouldn't resin work just like the epoxy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted March 23, 2021 Author Share Posted March 23, 2021 Thanks @Test, that's a good tip about the floral foam. I have some casting resin from Michael's that I'll try it with. On 3/21/2021 at 3:07 PM, havanaholly said: Any reason you can't poke ALL of her capsules in the little pockets? The probiotic capsules are too big to serve that way, but luckily she seems fine with eating the powder sprinkled on her food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muriel Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 On 3/23/2021 at 3:08 AM, Test said: The gelatin will no longer dissolve. Does filling with the epoxy also preserve the outside then? I'd still be worried the moisture in the environment would slowly dissolve the outside (over months/years rather than days) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 On 3/22/2021 at 11:08 PM, Test said: Once the epoxy cures you can remove and add a bead cap. The gelatin will no longer dissolve. 1 hour ago, Muriel said: Does filling with the epoxy also preserve the outside then? I'd still be worried the moisture in the environment would slowly dissolve the outside (over months/years rather than days) Once the epoxy hardens, could you soak in water to dissolve the capsule itself? Then no issue with decomposing later on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted May 4, 2021 Author Share Posted May 4, 2021 I now have 45 days worth of these capsules in a container, so I'll be doing some experiments soon! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 Can’t wait to see what you come up with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.