Some caregivers have the bad habit of going to their own medicine cabinet every time their dog shows symptoms that resemble a human ailment, such as a cold or vomiting. Thus, they medicate their dogs with common drugs for human use, such as ibuprofen, paracetamol or aspirin, without being aware that they are putting their dogs in danger
Therefore, in this article on our site we are going to focus on explaining if dogs can take paracetamol and what happens if we medicate our dogs on our own. Find out below!
Medicate the dogs
Although it should go without saying, Only veterinary professionals can prescribe medication for pets. It is not correct to assume that what works in humans will also work in dogs.
It is true that there are drugs whose active ingredient is useful for both humans and dogs, but always, we insist, it will be the veterinarian who prescribes them. Even drugs as commonly used and apparently as harmless as paracetamol, have different effects depending on the species, since they are going to be metabolized and eliminated, or no, differently.
Furthermore, even though we might share certain drugs with our dogs, the dosedoesn't have to be the same, precisely because we have explained that its metabolism is different. When asked if dogs can take paracetamol, the answer is yes, but always under strict veterinary control, as we will see in the next section.
Paracetamol
Paracetamol is a very common drug in all household medicine cabinets. It can be bought without a prescription, it does not usually have side effects, it is used as a pain reliever to relieve mild or moderate pain and as a antipyretic to reduce fever.
Perhaps this ease of acquisition and use makes us forget that it is a drug and, as such, it will present a series of side effects that, in dogs, will be more serious than in humans. In addition, as we have mentioned, it is not metabolized in the same way in all species, and in the dog it can damage the liver, causing the clinical picture that we will see in the next section.
So can dogs take paracetamol? Yes, but never without consulting our veterinarian, since the dose and administration time must be prescribed by him. In any case, we currently have alternatives with better results in dogs and less risk to their he alth.
Paracetamol poisoning in dogs
Therefore, we must insist, the veterinarian will be the only professional responsible for prescribing our dog's medication. As we have said, only he will decide if our dogs can take paracetamol. If we medicate our dog with paracetamol on our own, we run the risk of poisoning him, which could even have fatal consequences. The symptoms that can be observed in a dog intoxicated by paracetamol are the following:
- Vomiting
- Weakness
- Abdominal pain
- Salivation
- Anorexy
- Depression
- Respiratory distress
If we observe these symptoms and we have given our dog paracetamol or we think that he may have ingested it accidentally, we must go to the veterinarian, informing him of what has been taken. The biggest problem with acetaminophen in dogs is liver damage. hemolysis may also occur, a process that consists of the accelerated breakdown of red blood cells. The bile and hemoglobin that originate from this break accumulate in the body, causing a yellowish color in the mucous membranes (jaundice) and the excretion of brown urine by its hemoglobin content.
Depending on the circumstances, the veterinarian will decide on the most appropriate treatment, which may consist of inducing vomiting, administering fluid therapy or even performing a blood transfusion. In the most serious cases, the dog can die. This should make us reflect on the importance of never medicating our dog on our own.
Precautions with medications
We have seen that dogs can take paracetamol only under veterinary control, so, to avoid accidents that can have fatal consequences, it is advisable to observe the following precautions:
- Never medicate our dog if it is not under veterinary prescription.
- Always keep medicines out of the reach of our dogs.
- When we have to medicate them, we must always do so by scrupulously following the instructions of our veterinarian, in terms of dose and duration of treatment.
- If we suspect that our dog may have ingested a large amount of paracetamol or we have given it to him, we must take him to the vet immediately.
