Take that!

A Welsh inventor has developed a product to help owners medicate their pets after spending hours unsuccessfully trying to persuade his dog to take her tablets.

Robert Curtis has developed a device to help owners medicate their pets after spending hours unsuccessfully trying to persuade his German Shepherd to take her tablets.

The result - which he has now patented and trade marked - is TOOK IT! which he says is nigh on 100 per cent successful and will be launched this week at the 36th International Exhibition of Inventions, New Techniques and Products of Geneva, where Curtis hopes to licence the product for manufacture, marketing and distribution.

TOOK IT! is a small receptacle filled with semi solid food - when the lid is lifted it leaves an indentation in the food where the tablet can be inserted and covered. The small slug of food containing the concealed medication can then be ejected on to the animal’s food bowl and swallowed whole, Curtis said.

'It’s quick and easy to use, the food containing and concealing the tablet is small enough to be ingested whole and doesn’t require chewing while the foodstuff masks the appearance, odour and flavour of the medication,' he added.

Curtis, who lives in Wentloog, near Newport in Wales, also believes the system could be easily adapted for human use - particularly children or the elderly who may dislike or have difficulty taking tablets or capsules.

Curtis acknowledged the support of the Wales Innovators Network which had assisted him with the development of the product.