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Medicines
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The medicine cabinet
is another major repository of doggie-killing substances. Over the counter
analgesics/NSAIDS are responsible for many poisonings, and are not safe
for dogs, except in very narrowly defined amounts. Poisoning usually occurs mostly as a
result of a dog being given any of these to relieve pain. The most common of these are Aspirin
and Paracetamol. It is
advisable never to give a dog your own medicine, as this may result in over
dosing which can be fatal. The better way to prevent your dog from being poisoned
would be to ensure, all medicines are out of reach, and return any out of
date/ unused medicines to your veterinary or pharmacist.
Human medicines
including... Aspirin,
Paracetomol,
Ibuprofen,
Laxatives,
Anything containing Acetaminophen,
Sleeping pills,
Rubbing alcohol,
Phenol (also called Carbolic),
Voltarin (a drug used in Rheumatiod Arthritis)
Clinical signs:
Lack of appetite, Depression, Abdominal cramp, Vomiting (maybe with blood),
incoordination
Things to do:
- Induce Vomiting with baking
soda; this also counteracts the poisoning effect of Aspirin/Paracetamol.
- Give no other medicines.
- Contact your veterinarian
for further advice telling him what product you used.
The following are presented to make the point that commonly available
over-the-counter drugs often given to dogs by their owners are potentially
dangerous at some level of ingestion. The most common cases were ibuprofen,
acetaminophen, aspirin and indomethacin.
Aspirin (salicylic acid)
Toxic doses disrupt the acid/base balance and may result in metabolic
acidosis (low blood pH) or compensated respiratory alkalosis (high blood
pH).
Symptoms
Restlessness, hyperventilation, deafness, tachycardia (rapid pulse),
nausea, vomiting, hyperthermia (high temperature), dehydration, pulmonary
edema (abnormally large amounts of fluid in intercellular tissue spaces),
acute renal (kidney) failure, hypokalaemia (less alkaline than normal), hypoglycaemia
(abnormally low blood glucose levels), hypothrombinaemia (deficiency of
thrombin in blood—leads to abnormal bleeding). Stupour and coma are indications
of severe poisoning. Pepto- Bismol®, commonly used to combat upset stomach
and diarrhea, also contains salicylates (aspirin), and must be evaluated
for use with all of its active ingredients in mind.
NSAIDS
These are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with narrow safety
ranges.
Symptoms
Acute poisoning may produce symptoms of nausea, vomiting, epigastric
pain, deafness, dizziness, and oliguria (diminished urine output relative
to fluids intake). Apnea (cessation of breathing) and near coma, hepatic
(liver) and renal (kidney) failure are possible. Mefenamic acid preparations
(Ponstel®) are prescription NSAIDS used to treat moderate pain and dysmenorrhea
and may cause convulsions in overdose quantities.
Note: acetaminophen is found in many over-the-counter products with
antihistamines and decongestants (Co-Tylenol®, Nyquil®, etc.).
With the advent of widespread drug abuse, it is not uncommon to find
dogs getting into "the stash" with the result that dogs, too, overdose.
Opiates remain the ultimate drug of choice for abusers, however cocaine
and barbiturates and steroids are also commonly abused. Respiratory depression
is the most important toxic effect of the opiod analgesics, and death is
common from respiratory arrest. Symptoms include drowsiness ("on the nod"),
coma, shallow respiration or apnea, miosis (excessive contraction of the
pupils), hypotension (lowered blood pressure) and hypothermia (low body temperature).
Medicines:
Erin Harty, Staff Writer - VetCentric.com
The 18th century Venetian adventurer,
romancer, and alchemist Giovanni Casanova reportedly said, "In the hands of
the wise, poison is medicine. In the hands of a fool, medicine is poison."
And in the hands of a pet owner who isn’t careful, the wrong kind of medicine
can have disastrous consequences.
Advancements in medicine over the last several decades have given us a cornucopia
of drugs that can help cure or alleviate many ills, both in humans and in
animals. But what’s good for the goose is definitely not always good for the
German shepherd. A medication that works for you may not work for your dog,
and what works for your dog may not work for your cat, rabbit, or ferret.
"People think that cats are like little dogs, and they’re all like little
people. They don’t think about it, and they don’t read the [medication’s]
label," said Dr. Petra Volmer, assistant professor of toxicology at the University
of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. "Someone thinks, ‘I use naproxen
and it works great for my back. My dog has a sore leg, so let’s give him some
naproxen.’"
Animals of different species process drugs in widely varying ways. Dogs,
for example, are very sensitive to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
that are common in their humans’ medicine cabinets. This class of drugs includes
pain medications like acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), ibuprofen (Advil and
Nuprin), acetaminophen (Tylenol), phenylbutazone ("bute," a common painkiller
for horses) and naproxen.
According to pet poisoning guidelines issued by the American Veterinary
Medical Association, as little as two tablets of regular strength aspirin
or Tylenol can cause significant tissue damage in dogs, and repeated doses
significantly increase the risk of death.
Cats are even more sensitive to NSAIDs because they have less of the enzyme
that is required to detoxify and utilize the drugs: just two extra-strength
Tylenol can be deadly. NSAID metabolites can impair the function of a cat’s
red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs to all the cells of the
body. If the red blood cells aren’t performing their job properly, a cat can
suffocate from lack of oxygen.
Well-meaning owners often assume that these common, over-the-counter drugs
are safe for their pets in smaller doses. "It has nothing to do with size;
it’s the way they metabolise it. With everything, we assume that cats are
twice as sensitive," said Jill Richardson, DVM, veterinary poison information
specialist at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’
National Animal Poison Control Center.
The problems aren’t limited to human medications—a drug that may be safe
and useful for one animal can be deadly for another. Many of the calls to
the National Animal Poison Control Center are regarding accidental poisonings
from topical flea medications. Products that are designed for dogs often contain
a drug called permethrin, which has a wide safety range when used on Fido.
But just a few drops of the product may cause Fluffy the cat to suffer potentially
fatal seizures.
Rabbits are also extraordinarily sensitive to flea medications intended
for both dogs and cats. The Frontline brand in particular has been blamed
for several rabbit deaths, although the manufacturer has never suggested
that the product be used on rabbits.
"Drugs in rabbits are very different from dogs and cats. Extremely different,
in some cases," said George Flentke, a biochemist in the toxicology department
at the University of Wisconsin. "I always recommend that people contact a
bunny-savvy vet [before using any medication.] They keep up on this stuff."
Although the packaging for any such products will explicitly say that they’re
only for use on the species for which they’re intended, owners sometimes mix
up medications that are meant for other pets. Or they simply won’t read the
label, and will (erroneously) assume that a product can be used on any animal.
"Think about what you’re doing. Animals are different from people, and different
from each other. All different species metabolise things differently," said
Dr. Volmer. "If you’re not sure [if a medication is safe], call your vet or
ask an animal poison control center."
In some cases, pets get themselves into poisoning trouble. Dogs may dig
discarded medication out of the trash, or chew up an entire box of cold medicine,
contents and all. Cats may lick the sugar coating off tablets of Advil that
are left on the side of the sink. A ferret with run of the house might get
into a kitchen cabinet and help itself to some Prozac.
Large breeds of dogs are the most frequent mass-consumers of medications.
"They’re less finicky. They don’t think, they just eat," said Dr. Volmer.
"And they don’t stop at one [tablet]. They have to eat the whole package."
Ferrets also seem prone to overdose accidents because they’re extremely
curious and have the appetites of dogs, according to Dr. Richardson. Cats,
on the other hand, won’t usually eat something unless it tastes good; their
overdoses are most often human-caused.
According to guidelines issued by the National Animal Poison Control Center,
all prescription and over-the-counter drugs should be kept safely out of pets’
reach, preferably in closed cabinets. Painkillers, cold medicines, anti-cancer
drugs, antidepressants, vitamins and diet pills can all be lethal to animals.
Also beware of herbal medications, Dr. Richardson warns. Just because something
is billed as "natural" doesn’t mean it won’t have adverse affects on a pet.
One particular herbal diet aid has caused numerous accidental poisonings.
"It contains mahuang, which is like herbal ephedrine, and guarana, which
is like caffeine. We’ve had so many horrible cases on that," said Dr. Richardson.
She recently treated a miniature pincher who’d eaten 30 to 50 of the pills.
A lethal dose of this drug is 6 milligrams per kilogram of body weight; the
pinscher consumed 7 times that, and eventually died.
In most cases, animals have a good chance of survival if their owners seek
medical attention immediately. A veterinarian can pump the animal’s stomach,
administer activated charcoal and perform dieresis, all of which will help
minimize the dangerous effects of the drug. The sooner a veterinarian sees
a pet, the more likely the case will have a happy ending.
"We do have some ‘miracle cases.’ But not very many of them would have made
it if someone hesitated or waited a day or two," said Dr. Richardson. "I think
in most cases we get here, if we get the information early, the animals are
treated promptly and appropriately."
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