I have the best results with hiding it in food also. But, my guys a smarty pants and tends to smell it a mile off. also, he's not like a normal dog who just gulps everything up, he has to "chew" his food (if you don't mind
What I do is hide it in the smallest possible amount of food i can, and something he really likes but doesn't have to chew on (hard cheese wouldn't work). A small piece of chicken works well. I start off by giving him chicken without anything in it and once he's excited about it, give him the "trick" one, lol, with another one ready to go ... so he's already looking at the second one coming.
Just one more suggestion to add to yur list! That's a lot of pills a day ... poor guy, hope he's on the mend soon.