Let’s face it, pets are curious, sneaky and learn with their mouths. And given the beautiful shiny surface, sweet taste of the sugary coating and great crunchy texture of pill packets…it’s often too much to resist.
Here are some of the most common human medications we see ingested by pets.
Painkillers
We’re talking the full gamut here, from Panadol, Neurofen, and Aspirin to Endone, and everything in between. Human-strength anti-inflammatory medications like Panadol, Aspirin, and Nurofen are highly toxic to dogs and cats in standard human doses. These medications can cause a variety of concerns including gastrointestinal upset and ulceration, kidney and liver damage, and damage to red blood cells in dogs. Although aspirin and paracetamol may be prescribed to your pet, it is prescribed at a much lower dose rate that needs to be prescribed and managed by your veterinarian.
Cold and flu tablets
These may contain painkillers, as listed above, and they can also contain pseudoephedrine which can cause your pet’s heart to race and blood pressure to rise, often resulting in seizures. Some of these medications also contain antihistamines and codeine which can cause sedation in pets.
Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication
While these antidepressant medications are occasionally prescribed to pets, overdoses can lead to serious neurological problems such as incoordination, tremors, sedation, and seizures. Some antidepressants can also cause the development of a dangerously elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.
Blood pressure medication
Even a small amount of these medications can be toxic to pets, with varied effects seen in pets after ingestion. Some medications such as ACE inhibitors cause low blood pressure, leading to incoordination and weakness; while life-threatening reductions in blood pressure and heart rate occur with the ingestion of medications such as beta-blockers.
