Ibuprofen Overdose in Dogs
Ibuprofen overdoses are a common, but usually accidental occurrence. It often happens when an unsuspecting or absent-minded pet owner leaves his bottle of ibuprofen in an area where his dog can reach it. The owner returns to find a well-chewed plastic bottle and a floor scattered with mutilated pills. Unfortunately, the same coating that makes the pills easier for humans to swallow makes them taste like candy to dogs. Just two small tablets, or 400 mg, are enough to kill.
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Assess Your Pet
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If you suspect your dog has ingested ibuprofen, your first step should be to assess your pet to see if she is showing any signs of illness. Signs of ibuprofen toxicity include increased thirst, bloody stool, depression, staggering, increased frequency of urination and seizures. If your dogs shows any of these symptoms or if you know your dog has ingested some pills, take your pet to an emergency veterinary clinic immediately. Otherwise, see the next section.
Call Your Vet or Poison Control
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If your dog is not showing any symptoms listed above and you are unsure if he has ingested any, you will want to call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center hotline at (888) 426-4435 or the Pet Poison Helpline at (800) 213-6680. (Both centers charge a small fee.) When calling, you will need your dog's breed, age, sex and weight. Have the bottle handy as well as a good estimate on how many pills your dog might have ingested.
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Induce Vomitting
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If ingestion was recent (less than 1 to 2 hours), vomiting may be induced to reduce the amount of medication absorbed. Dogs can be induced to vomit by using hydrogen peroxide. Mix 1 tsp. hydrogen peroxide with 1 tsp. of milk. Hopefully, your dog will drink it. If not, use an eye dropper to force your dog to drink it. If vomiting does not happen within 10 minutes, repeat the dose. This should only be done if advised by your vet or by one of the help lines.
Other Treatments
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Ibuprofen overdoses are usually treated with multiple doses of activated charcoal. The charcoal will absorb the medicine from the system; however, for small overdoses (less than 100 mg), liquid antacids that contain aluminum or magnesium hydroxide may be used. Do not attempt this treatment at home as some antacids contain bismuth subsalicylate or other salicylates (such as Pepto-Bismol and Kaopectate) that can negatively interact with the ibuprofen.
Prognosis
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The prognosis for a dog who has ingested ibuprofen depends on a lot of factors including how fast it was treated, the size of the dog and the amount ingested. However, high doses of ibuprofen can cause renal failure, internal bleeding and/or damaged liver. Additional treatments to address these issues may be prescribed by your vet.
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