September serves as Animal Pain Awareness Month. Animals can indeed feel pain, which needs to be managed appropriately with a regimen prescribed by your veterinarian. Our dogs and cats are not miniature furry humans; therefore, the same pain medications that may work for us may not work for our pets and can actually cause great harm. THE MEOWING VET EXPLAINS which medications can be toxic to our pets and how to tell if your pet is in pain. So before reaching for that bottle of your household pain med, read our article below and consult with your vet.
Learn more below… 💊🐶🐱
Signs that your pet may be in pain include reduced appetite, decreased activity, hiding behavior, grumpiness or aggression, stiffness, lameness, and vocalizing (crying, whining, or barking/meowing). If you think your pet is in pain, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to discuss appropriate pain medications (analgesics) rather than attempting to dose your pet yourself. Dogs and cats metabolize medications very differently from humans and from each other, and many over-the-counter (OTC) medications or the inappropriate dosing of pet meds can be harmful and even deadly to pets.
(infographic from International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management)
To keep your pet safe and prevent accidental poisoning, avoid making the following mistakes:
Acetaminophen
(examples: Tylenol, Paracetamol, Excedrin)
- Do NOT give to your pets unless specifically prescribed by your vet for your dog! NEVER for use in cats!
- Extremely toxic to cats, causing liver damage, respiratory distress, and hemoglobin disruption in the bloodstream (meaning red blood cells cannot carry oxygen effectively to the body’s tissues and organs); can also cause kidney failure in cats at high doses
- Can cause liver failure in dogs, especially at high doses, so should only be used in dogs in certain circumstances when used under the direct supervision of your vet
- Overdose can be fatal; cats can die within 12-36 hours without treatment
Aspirin
Aspirin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (or NSAID).- Aspirin is often prescribed at low and safe doses by veterinarians to aid dogs with diseases that cause blood clots (such as hyperadrenocorticism, a.k.a. Cushing’s disease) or cats with heart disease.
- While low-dose aspirin is good at preventing blood clots, even at high doses, it is not very good at managing pain in dogs and cats. To manage your pet’s pain, ask your veterinarian for a better alternative.
- High doses can also irritate your pet’s gastrointestinal tract, causing ulcers and GI upset.
- Aspirin (at high doses) and especially other NSAIDs can also be extremely dangerous to cats, causing kidney failure.
Other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
(examples: ibuprofen: Advil, Motrin; naproxen: Aleve; meloxicam)
- Most human NSAIDs are very dangerous to dogs and cats, causing liver and GI damage as well as acute kidney failure, which can be deadly. Especially toxic to cats!
- Meloxicam and other vet-approved NSAIDs (ex. carprofen and deracoxib for dogs; Onsior for cats) should not be given in excess to your pets either to avoid these same issues.
- NSAIDs are great at reducing pain and inflammation and are the mainstays of chronic arthritis management, but they must be used cautiously exactly as your vet prescribed.
Opioids
(examples: tramadol, hydrocodone, buprenorphine, fentanyl)
- Overdose of these heavy-hitting pain medications can cause respiratory failure, coma, and death. Use only as prescribed by your veterinarian.
Giving one pet a medication that was originally prescribed to another
Especially harmful if you give a cat a medication that was intended for your dog since cats are much more sensitive to the side effects of many drugs.- Giving a small dog a dose that was measured for a large dog is also risky, as the small dog may be overdosed.
- Even if your pets are the same species and size, avoid offering one a medication intended for another due to potential adverse interactions between other meds your pet may be taking. For instance, high doses of prednisone should not be combined with a NSAID to avoid gastrointestinal ulceration and bleeding as well as potential kidney and liver damage.
Administering more of a medication to your pet than your vet recommended
Giving more of a veterinary prescription medication to your dog or cat at any given time or else more frequently than your veterinarian directed can be dangerous to your pet. Follow the label on the medication bottle as your vet prescribed to avoid overdose.
Before giving any supplement or medication (pain med or otherwise) to your pet, consult with your veterinarian to avoid accidental drug toxicity in your dog or kitty and to discuss alternative and supplementary ways of managing your pet’s pain. Bottom line: avoid human products for your pups and purr-makers. 🐕🐈
– Maranda Elswick, DVM
If you suspect that your dog or cat has ingested a toxic substance, including these discussed medications, please consult your local veterinarian or call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) at (888) 426-4435.
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This article originally appeared as two posts on The Meowing Vet’s Instagram profile, @themeowingvet (September 27, 2017).
