| |  |
Pet Article
HAPPY PETS
Have you ever thought about whats in your medicine cabinet at home? Most medicine cabinets
will contain various over the counter drugs like painkillers, antihistamines and various
vitamins. Are you a pet owner? Have you thought that the medicines which are safe for you
to take and not necessarily safe for our pets? Most human medication has the potential to
cause severe problems for our dogs and cats.
Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin are common anti-inflammatory drugs which
are also stored in most medicine cabinets. These can cause disease in dogs and cats even
in small doses. Cats are especially sensitive to these medications. Their physiology is unique,
and it is hard for them to clear certain drugs from their system. These pain medications can
cause stomach ulcers and kidney damage in dogs and cats, and acetaminophen can also harm the
liver.
Antihistamines and decongestants may contain pseudoephedrine, a drug that is poorly
tolerated by dogs and cats. Even one pill can be a toxic dose. Some antihistamines are
routinely prescribed by veterinarians to treat allergies in cats and dogs, but other
antihistamines, even those with very similar names, can contain pseudoephedrine or other
dangerous ingredients.
Dogs are notorious for chewing open bottles of medications and popping pills. If your
pet ingests any human medication, call your veterinarian immediately. Your dog or cat
may appear normal, but many of the toxic effects cannot be seen externally. Exposures
at high enough doses can cause internal bleeding, stomach ulceration, and liver or
kidney injury. Should you dog or cat ingest any human medication they may start vomiting
and their behavior may change. These signs may not appear until a few hours after the
exposure, but some damage may already have be done. If you think your cat or dog has ingested
any form of human medication it is critical to get these animals to the veterinarian for
treatment as soon as possible in order to prevent damage. Drug therapy, fluids, activated
charcoal, and gastrointestinal protectants may be needed. Supportive care and monitoring are
very important.
Before calling your veterinarian, gather quickly the relevant facts he will need to assess
what treatment is necessary. Write down the exact name of the product your dog or cat ate
and the active ingredients it contains. Your veterinarian will need to know how much was
ingested, try to estimate this number by thinking how full the bottle was, how many pills
it contained when full, and how many are missing now.
Your veterinarian will start to assess the dose that your pet may have taken by calculating
in milligrams of drug to the kilogram of body weight. In addition the veterinarian will
take into account your pet's overall health status and how long the drug may have been in
the animal's system. These are all factors which will influence the course of treatment
needed. To avoid an emergency situation, make sure all your over the counter drugs are kept
out of reach. Cats are able to climb onto high shelves and dogs may run into them during play,
knocking bottles to the floor. Never leave medication on your countertops.
Mark Woodcock
1 Flea Control
| | |
