Can I give my dog ​​paracetamol?

Paracetamol is a drug that in many countries can be bought without a prescription, and in others it is very easy for the doctor to include it in this, so it is very common in homes. It is an analgesic and antipyretic, this means that it serves to reduce mild pain and fever.

If you ask yourself “can I give my dog ​​paracetamol if he has a fever?” or to relieve pain, as we have advanced before, You should NOT give your dog paracetamol on your ownYou can only give it under the prescription of the veterinarian.

So, in case the vet Prescribe it will tell you the dose indicated for your furry, how many hours to give it and for how long. If this is the case, it is vital that you follow the exact instructions of the specialist, otherwise your dog may suffer liver damage and poisoning.

The generic dose established as the therapeutic dose of paracetamol for dogs is 15 mg / kg (and in cats it is four times less) and, in addition, the dose established as lethal dose of paracetamol for dogs is 150 mg / kg (and in cats 50 mg / kg), although this is very generic and in each case, depending on the weight of the dog and its general health, these doses may be higher or lower.

This medicine in format for human consumption is in paracetamol tablets of 500 mg, 650 mg, 750 mg and 1 g, so if we look at the previous data, it is easy for us to go over the dose if we medicate on our own with the product for humans.

But what happens if a dog takes paracetamol without a veterinary prescription? In no time they will begin to appear symptoms of paracetamol poisoning in the dog, as the following:

• Salivation
• Sickness
• Vomiting
• Soft spot
• Lack of appetite and anorexia
• Apathy
• Depression
• Pain in the abdomen
• Trouble breathing
• Damage to the liver, which will be seen in blood tests or even externally as a lump in the abdomen due to severe inflammation of this organ.

If we have given this medicine to our furry, even in the dose that the veterinarian has said, or we suspect that he has been able to ingest it on his own and one or more of these symptoms appears, it is necessary to go to veterinary emergencies.

This drug in the wrong doses in dogs begins to produce severe liver damage, then hemolysis or destruction of red blood cells or red blood cells occurs, causing residues of this destruction, such as hemoglobin and other substances such as bile, to accumulate in the body in a way that produces jaundice or yellowish mucous membranes and skin. In addition, there are also blood in the urine due to the hemoglobin released when red blood cells are destroyed.

The specialist will decide in each case how best to proceed, being able to induce vomiting, provide an antidote that reduces the aforementioned damage, give fluid therapy and oxygen therapy so that the body can eliminate this product faster or even perform a blood transfusion, if the case is serious. If you do not act in time, the dog can die.

Knowing this about paracetamol, it is normal for you to ask yourself “What can I give my dog ​​for pain?“. The truth is that there are various pain relievers suitable for dogs, but none of them can be given to your dog without advice from the vet. Thus, all of them always must be prescribed by a vet, indicating the doses, frequency and duration of their use in each case, and we must never medicate on our own, even if they are over-the-counter drugs. These are some dog-friendly pain relievers that the vet can prescribe:

• Alpha-agonists: They are powerful pain relievers and some examples of this type are detomidine, xylazine, medetomidine, and romifidine.
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs: They are anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and some even antipyretic. Among them are paracetamol, meloxicam, acetylsalicylic acid (well known by the name of Aspirin), ketoprofen and sodium dipyrone or metamizole.
• Opiates: they are considered the pain relievers that work best on dogs. Some examples are butorphanol, morphine, and hydromorphine.

The first advice regarding the prevention of paracetamol poisoning in dogs is that you do not give it on your own, even if you follow the instructions that the veterinarian has given you other times because this time, depending on what happens to your dog , the dose or frequency is different and the risks exist the same. Thus, there are some precautions to Preventing Drug Poisoning in Dogs and What to Do If It Happens:

• Only give medications exactly how and when the vet directs and never what seems to us. Follow the indications for dosage, frequency and duration of treatment.
• Store all medicines out of the reach of our pets, in high and very well closed cabinets.
• If you think that your furry has ingested medications that had not been prescribed, especially if it is a significant amount, it is vital to take him to the veterinary emergency.
• You can also help him vomit, especially if he just took the medicine recently.

In addition, you may be interested in knowing everything about giving dogs another common drug in humans: ibuprofen. In this other article we answer the question about “Can I give my dog ​​ibuprofen?” in full detail.

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