The dangers of human painkillers in pets
The use of human painkillers in pets can be deadly.
If your pet has injured or hurt himself, it can be very tempting to help them feel better by giving them some human medication that you have close to hand at home, such as Panadol. Advil or Aspirin. However, never give these medications to your furry or feathered friends because human painkillers can be poisonous and even deadly to your pets!
Human painkillers have been developed to work well, and safely, in people. People’s bodies work differently to those of our pets, and the way our bodies process medication is different to how our pet’s bodies do it. For instance, drugs such as paracetamol are safely processed in the human liver but the same drug when given to a cat can cause liver failure and even death because the cat’s liver cannot cope with the drug at all. Other drugs such as ibuprofen and aspirin can cause severe stomach ulceration, intestinal bleeding and kidney failure in pets. Always assume all human medications are poisonous to your pet unless instructed otherwise by the veterinarian.
If your pet has eaten human painkillers you must contact your vet immediately and provide the following information:
- Name of medication (e.g. Panadol)
- Strength of the active ingredient (e.g. paracetemol 250 mg)
- Amount ingested (e.g. 2 tablets)
- Approximate weight of the pet (e.g. 30kg dog)
Once the pet is presented at the veterinary clinic, your vet may need to do one or more of the following: Induce vomiting; feed activated charcoal which binds the toxins; run a blood test to check for organ damage; place the pet on a drip to flush out the toxins and support the cardiovascular system and kidneys; administer gastric protectants to protect the stomach and intestines from ulceration.
Always consult your vet before giving your pet any form of medication, and always keep human medications away from your pets.