What to Do If a Pet Ingests Harmful Medication

Pet ingestion of human medications poses serious problems that require immediate attention. Sometimes pets find medications left out, and other times animals chew through medication bottles. In any case, remain calm as you gather evidence and seek veterinary help.

  1. Significance

    • The top three human medications ingested by dogs and cats include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antidepressants and acetaminophen. NSAIDs cause kidney damage in cats and gastrointestinal ulcers in both cats and dogs. Antidepressants bring on vomiting, tremors and seizures, and acetaminophen causes liver damage in dogs and red blood cell damage in cats.

    Assessment

    • Determine how many pills are missing, and save the pill bottle to bring with you to the vet's office or animal E.R. If the medication is a prescription, as opposed to a familiar over-the-counter product, bring the pharmacy insert as well.

    Call and Go

    • Call your vet's office and explain what your pet has eaten and tell them you're on your way. Immediate action can help save your pet from long-term organ damage and keep your future veterinary bills down.

    Caution

    • Never induce vomiting or give your pet milk or other home remedies. Doing any of these things can complicate the poisoning and make things worse. Only your veterinarian should begin the process of detoxifying an animal that has ingested human medications.