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Basic Advice
Jan. 25th, 2011 08:07 amSo I know that most of y'all reading this aren't veterinarians - but I'm going to fill you in on Basic Veterinary Medicine 101: Dogs and cats are not humans. I'll even go so far as to teach you the secrets of Veterinary Medicine 201 - Dogs and cats are not interchangeable, either.
If you have a pet, and you decide that you want to give it some sort of human medication, ASK YOUR VET FIRST. Because dogs and cats are not humans. I don't care if you take it every day and it's perfectly safe for you. I don't care if your grandmother gave it to her dog for a year and it seemed fine. I don't care if you googled it and the internets said it was okay. I don't care if your cousin's roommate said it would be safe, unless your cousin's roommate is also your veterinarian. I don't care if your dog took it so now you want to give it to your cat - dogs and cats are not interchangeable, and what's safe for one can kill the other.
Seriously. If you can be bothered to give the medicine, you can take the time to pick up your phone and call your vet and ask if it's okay to give your puppy a percocet, or give your cat benadryl, or whatever else tickles your fancy. We won't get mad at you for asking, I promise. And we will happily tell you that yes, that's perfectly safe and here's the dose, or no, please don't, that would be fatal.
And that's the other reason to ask - because (say it with me) dogs and cats are not humans, even if the medicine is safe, the dose may not be what you expect. Sometimes the safe and effective dose is much lower than you would think; sometimes it's much higher. We go to school for this stuff. Let us help you, please.
And if, by some chance, you ignore this and go ahead and give your pet your medicine, TELL US. This has come up half a dozen times in the past week, but the appropriate response to possible toxin ingestion is not "let's wait and see if they start acting sick."
Poison in real life doesn't work like it does on TV. They don't clutch their throats, gag, fall down, and then have a safe window where you can research the antidote. For most toxic substances, by the time symptoms show up (which can be anywhere from an hour to a month later), it's too late to do anything but support the patient and try to do damage control. It's a lot easier to prevent damage than to repair damage, and in order to do that we need to see them as soon as possible after the ingestion.
I know it's weird. With most illnesses and health problems, we're used to having to wait until the signs show up to treat it. But with toxins, we actually have the chance to prevent damage. If we get at the patient soon enough, we can figure out the best way to get the bad stuff out of their system - sometimes that involves making them throw up, sometimes it involves giving them antidotes or binders that will keep the toxin from being absorbed, sometimes it just means flushing their system with fluids, but we can usually do SOMETHING.
So. Don't give your pet human medicine. And if you do, tell us. And if you tell us, tell us sooner rather than later. Please. I will thank you, your vet will thank you, your pet will be alive to thank you.
(Oh. And if you have a pet, keep this number around: 888-426-4435. That's Animal Poison Control. Call your vet first, if they're open, because there's a $65 consultation fee for calling APC. But if your vet's not open, or in a serious emergency, these guys save lives.)
If you have a pet, and you decide that you want to give it some sort of human medication, ASK YOUR VET FIRST. Because dogs and cats are not humans. I don't care if you take it every day and it's perfectly safe for you. I don't care if your grandmother gave it to her dog for a year and it seemed fine. I don't care if you googled it and the internets said it was okay. I don't care if your cousin's roommate said it would be safe, unless your cousin's roommate is also your veterinarian. I don't care if your dog took it so now you want to give it to your cat - dogs and cats are not interchangeable, and what's safe for one can kill the other.
Seriously. If you can be bothered to give the medicine, you can take the time to pick up your phone and call your vet and ask if it's okay to give your puppy a percocet, or give your cat benadryl, or whatever else tickles your fancy. We won't get mad at you for asking, I promise. And we will happily tell you that yes, that's perfectly safe and here's the dose, or no, please don't, that would be fatal.
And that's the other reason to ask - because (say it with me) dogs and cats are not humans, even if the medicine is safe, the dose may not be what you expect. Sometimes the safe and effective dose is much lower than you would think; sometimes it's much higher. We go to school for this stuff. Let us help you, please.
And if, by some chance, you ignore this and go ahead and give your pet your medicine, TELL US. This has come up half a dozen times in the past week, but the appropriate response to possible toxin ingestion is not "let's wait and see if they start acting sick."
Poison in real life doesn't work like it does on TV. They don't clutch their throats, gag, fall down, and then have a safe window where you can research the antidote. For most toxic substances, by the time symptoms show up (which can be anywhere from an hour to a month later), it's too late to do anything but support the patient and try to do damage control. It's a lot easier to prevent damage than to repair damage, and in order to do that we need to see them as soon as possible after the ingestion.
I know it's weird. With most illnesses and health problems, we're used to having to wait until the signs show up to treat it. But with toxins, we actually have the chance to prevent damage. If we get at the patient soon enough, we can figure out the best way to get the bad stuff out of their system - sometimes that involves making them throw up, sometimes it involves giving them antidotes or binders that will keep the toxin from being absorbed, sometimes it just means flushing their system with fluids, but we can usually do SOMETHING.
So. Don't give your pet human medicine. And if you do, tell us. And if you tell us, tell us sooner rather than later. Please. I will thank you, your vet will thank you, your pet will be alive to thank you.
(Oh. And if you have a pet, keep this number around: 888-426-4435. That's Animal Poison Control. Call your vet first, if they're open, because there's a $65 consultation fee for calling APC. But if your vet's not open, or in a serious emergency, these guys save lives.)
