Ibuprofen (which you may be familiar with by the brand names Advil, Midol, Motrin, Caldolor and NeoProfen), is a widely available non-steroidal, over the counter drug that helps people deal with and relieve pain and inflammation, as well as lower fever levels.
When you feel pain somewhere in your body, the first two medications you would probably think about are Ibuprofen and Aspirin.
Ibuprofen, which we will be the subject matter of this article, helps us humans relieve many kinds of pains.
But what about dogs?
Dogs also go through many similar body pains like we humans do, and we dog owners can’t stand for one second to see our beloved canines in pain and agony.
But is Ibuprofen safe for dogs to take to help with their body pains?
Can I Give My Dog Ibuprofen? Is Ibuprofen For Dogs Safe?
Even though Ibuprofen is safe for people, unfortunately it can be very toxic to dogs (even a killer) and hence the answer is NO.
You should never give your dog Ibuprofen for no reason whatsoever, because if you do you will be putting your dog’s life on the line, big time.
Ibuprofen toxicity is seen a lot of times in animal emergency centers, which usually happens when a dog owner (who means well of course) gives their dog some Ibuprofen without doing any research beforehand.
But, because even the slightest amount of Ibuprofen is poisonous to dogs, it’s too late by then.
If you ask around or even look at some websites out there (which have articles written by people who obviously have done very poor research), you could come across some wrong advice that says that Ibuprofen is acceptable in certain dosages and if you give only a little bit of it to your dog they will be fine.
This is plain out WRONG, so do yourself and your dog a favor by keeping them as far away from Ibuprofen as possible.
So, if your dog is in pain, you have two options to go with:
- Least Preferable: Give your dog a low dose of baby aspirin
- Most Preferable: Let your veterinarian perform a check up on your dog so they can tell you what the problem exactly is and what your dog should take to recover from it
So, always remember to check the label on any medication before you give it to your dog and make sure that it doesn’t contain any Ibuprofen.
Symptoms Of Ibuprofen Poisoning In Dogs
Ibuprofen toxicity occurs in all dogs alike, regardless of age, gender, weight, etc ..
Dogs which suffer from pre-existing medical conditions, such as heart disease, liver disease and kidney disease have to be extra careful because they can get poisoned easier than dogs which don’t have these pre-existing conditions.
Unfortunately, sometimes (and this especially happens if you leave a bottle of Ibuprofen somewhere your dog can easily reach) dogs like to search around and consume things they aren’t supposed to, one of which being Ibuprofen.
So, if this happens, here are some of the most commonly seen signs of Ibuprofen toxicity in dogs:
- Decreased consumption of food and refusal to eat
- Drastic weight loss
- Nausea
- Vomiting, sometimes with blood
- Black colored stool
- Stool with blood
- Diarrhea
- Stomach pain
- Dehydration
- Depression
- Weakness and lethargy
- Drowsiness
- Loss of balance
- Excessive drinking and urination (and this becomes more aggravated and apparent if your had has pre-existing kidney disease)
- Unusual decrease of urination
- Pale gums
- Seizures
- Coma
- If too late to react and left for a long period of time, death
The symptoms your dog will show will vary depending on the severity of Ibuprofen intoxication your dog is suffering from.
What To Do If My Dog Takes Ibuprofen?
If you know for a fact or have the least bit of suspicion that your dog has taken Ibuprofen, you have to instantly tell your veterinarian about the situation or take your dog to the nearest pet emergency care center available.
Your veterinarian will perform some blood and urine tests on your dog to assess the degree of ibuprofen poisoning they have.
The best chances of recovery are during less than 3 hours from the time your dog ingested Ibuprofen, so you have to act very fast.
The more time you take to act after the 3 hours window, the more complicated and the slimmer the chances of your dog’s recovery will be.
On a final note, always remember to keep all medications in your house tightly sealed and as far away as possible from your dog’s reach.
The last thing you want is for your dog to find its way to some Ibuprofen, where nothing but terrible things can happen from there on.
