Can I give my dog acetaminophen?

Video: Can I Give My Pet Over the Counter Medication?

Acetaminophen is a pain reliever that comes in many forms. It’s used to reduce fevers and pain in humans, but can this popular medicine be safely given to a dog with the same results?

Toxicity is a real concern. The possibility of permanent damage to internal organs is a reason to be cautious about medicating your dog with human drugs. That’s why consulting with a vet is the best course of action before using Acetaminophen.

If your dog’s condition is bad enough, to cause you that much concern, then please consider visiting a vet. In any case, providing your beloved best buddy with any amount of acetaminophen is a really bad idea.

Can I Give My Dog Acetaminophen? Answer: No

Although it may be hard to see your pet suffer, you’ll be doing them more harm than good by trying to treat their problem with acetaminophen.

Video: Acetaminophen For Dogs

Get a second opinion if the vet prescribes a pain reliever that contains it, and look for other ways to help your dog through this rough patch. If you’re treating them for a problem that has a long-term prognosis you will want to find something more sustainable and not as harmful to them so that they can feel better each day without harmful side effects.

Major Health Concerns

Acetaminophen, or Paracetamol, is not something that you want to play around with in regards to your dog. It’s not as if it only comes with a few mild side effects that could give your dog a temporary stomachache but still relieve their pain or fever.

It actually has the possibility of causing big health problems for your dog in the form of anemia caused by the loss of red blood cells.

It can also cause damage to the liver that your dog will never recover from. Since the liver is such a vital organ this is not something you want to take lightly, as it can seriously diminish your pet’s life expectancy.

Know Your Brands

There are a ton of medications that contain acetaminophen, and some of the most common are Tylenol, DayQuil, and NyQuil. But it’s also sold under the names Fibi, Panamax, Tamen, Atasol, Panado, Paralen, Depon, and Crocin to name but a few. It’s always best to check any medications you get to make sure you know exactly what you’re giving your dog.

Video: Dr. Justine Lee, veterinarian, discusses human medication poisoning in dogs & cats

What to Give for Pain or Fever

Dogs can get a fever just like humans, and of course they can experience pain, so you’ll need to have some method to help them through this if the situation warrants. Just be aware that some conditions we’d treat ourselves for don’t need to be treated in a dog.

Dogs are typically quick healers, and many situations will pass on their own if left to Mother Nature. But if a problem is severe enough, or is happening so often that it’s becoming unbearable for them, you should get them to the vet to determine the problem and the treatment options.

Aspirin has been used to treat fever and pain in dogs, but this does not mean that you’ll want to reach into your medicine cabinet and treat your dog with your own supply. There are specially formulated pain relievers and fever reducers that your vet can prescribe if they feel that the condition warrants it.

Video: Pain Medicine for Dogs

They’ll also be able to give you an accurate dosage because they’ll know the breed, age, and size of your dog, as well as their previous medical history.

Conclusion on Acetaminophen

Many owners treat their dogs as guinea pigs and will give them just about anything and then see what happens. By doing your research first you a proving to be an owner that cares about their dog’s health and that you want to do right by them. It’s better to treat them as their own entity, deserving of the best treatment available and not a second-class being that can be given things that could potentially harm them.

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