You often hear about children and toddlers overdosing from adult medications, over the counter or prescription, but pets are also in danger of accidentally ingesting medications not meant for them. Medications that are fairly harmless and common to humans can be extremely dangerous for pets. Pets are similar to toddlers and infants, they don’t understand what medication is and if it looks or tastes yummy, they will not hesitate to gobble it up. Pets are often overdosing unintentionally on their own medications which are usually flavored and easy to swallow so that they will take it when it is needed. If the medications are kept in an easily accessible spot, they will quite often over consume, causing many health problems. It is important to keep their medications locked up out of reach.
Another problem is when pet owners try to treat their pets without a veterinarian’s guidance, or when they decide to treat their pets with human medications. Pets do not have the natural enzymes that humans do for detoxifying and eliminating drugs from their systems, so even relatively harmless drugs like Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen can cause poisoning to pets. Do not treat your pets’ pain with human pain killers!
Pets can also get into our stash of medications while left alone. It might be hard to tell what is wrong with the pet if they have managed to take some human medication without leaving any evidence. Here are some symptoms to watch for if you think your pet might have accidentally ingested your medications: vomiting, lethargy, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, excess salivation, lack of coordination. Take your pet to the veterinarian right away if you suspect an accidental poisoning. There are things that the veterinarian can do that could save your pets life.
There are several common medications that many people have around their homes that can cause big problems for your pets. They include antihistamines, sleeping pills, diet pills, heart pills, blood pressure pills, Ibuprofen, and Acetaminophen to name a few. Pain medications and cold medicines are particularly dangerous. ADHD medications do the opposite to pets and can make them hyperactive. Remember, child proof bottles are not necessarily pet proof, so it is always a good idea to keep medications locked and out of reach of any pets.