The Vet Practice

Some tablets can be split into halves - or even quarters and if that's the case then this is indicated by a "score" mark on the tablet.

You might have noticed with some tablets, human ones as well as pet ones they have some indented lines on them. This might be a single line running down the middle or 2 intesecting score lines forming a cross like this: +

If that's the case, these tablets can be split along those lines to allow for half or even quarter doses.

This deliberate mark which occurs during the manufacturing process indicates that the "active ingredients" are uniformly distributed throughout the whole tablet. This means that if the tablet is split in half, the dose of the active ingredients are also halved.

On the other hand, if no such score mark is present on a tablet - this tablet is not formulated for splitting under any circumstances.

So - never split an unscored tablet unless specifically advised by a professional.

Apart from the fact that your pet may not be receiving the correct dose of the actual active ingredients, there're other reasons too why it's inappropriate to break an unscored tablet.

1. The tablet may be protected by a special coating to preserve the active ingredients. Some chemicals, when exposed to air or moisture can actually become inactivated or decompose. So by splitting such a tablet you may render the remaining portion ineffective.
2. The ingredients in the tablet can't be adequately bound together to allow a clean break to occur. Not all tablets can be neatly snapped in half. And if you attempt to do so, they'll just crumble between your fingers.
3. The contents of the tablet may just be too horrible to taste so they have to be enclosed by a special palatable coating to avoid having them spat back out at you!

Now - what about the "chewy" tablets?

Manufacturers are always trying to come up with better ways to medicate your pets and so one of these innovations is to create a more yummy "chewy style" tablet.

The benefit of these tastier versions of a tablet is that your pet thinks it's a treat and happily takes it from your hand. (Beats fighting to force a tablet between clenched jaws for sure!)

Many of these e.g wormers come packaged in foil or "blister" packs which keeps the chew nice and moist. Just like your pet wants it.

If these are broken in half, the unused portion quickly loses its moisture and turns into something pretty useless. Once dry it loses its treat appeal so you're stuck with something your pet won't accept freely and it's too large to be swallowed like a tablet.

The only place this piece usually goes is in the bin. So in this case, give the whole chew as indicated by the bodyweight range. e.g a 10kg weight chew is equally fine for a 5kg dog as it is for a 10kg dog.

There are some chewable tablets however which are scored and can be split. They are not dispensed in individual foil packs.

This means moisture content is not essential to the palatability of the chew and they can be split as prescribed by your vet.

Please note: all the information we provide on our site, it is of a general nature and not intended to be a substitute for individual veterinary advice.

Please always consult your vet for advice on medications and other health concerns.