I received an e-mail yesterday from "Joyce" who said I had printed the wrong dosage for Imodium and dogs in this article about doggie diarrhea.
Panicked, I rushed to double-check right away, and found that I had NOT listed the wrong dosage... Whew!
Her confusion lies in the fact that I mentioned the dosage for liquid medications in milliliters (ml), whereas others (including a site I actually linked to in that article) sometimes mention the dosage for solid medications (i.e. pills) in milligrams (mg).
For some reason, my dogs have always been more receptive to liquid forms of medicine, rather than pills. No matter what I try to "hide" the pill in, they find it and spit it right out. Whereas with liquid meds, I just mix it in cottage cheese (which they rarely get, so they think it's a special treat ...or sometimes I even mix it in their own dog food gravy), and they never even know it's there!
Which brings to light the fact that it's imperative that you closely double-check dosing information before dispensing any human medications to your pets.
While there rarely is a difference in the effectiveness of liquid vs solid medications, there is a huge difference in dosages if you happened to mistake mg's (milligrams) for ml's (milliliters).
The following chart of acceptable household medications for pets came directly from my veterinarian.
This list has been a lifesaver for me. It has saved me lots of unnecessary trips to the vet, when I could simply provide some pet-friendly doses of over-the-counter medications that we already had on hand.
The "human medicine" we use most frequently with our dog is Benadryl.
UPDATE: Please see this footnote regarding the dosages listed in the charts below.
The form I got from my vet in the Summer of 2004...
The form I got from my vet in December of 2007...
The most notable changes from 2004 to 2007 are: the clarification of dosages for liquid vs caplet forms, the addition of canned pumpkin to relieve constipation, the clarification that Ibuprofin is not an acceptable medication for dogs or cats, and the addition of Robitussin DM to relieve a hacking cough.
Better Safe Than Sorry
Why?
Three reasons:
1. So your dog's health chart always stays up-to-date with all major and minor ailments through the years.
2. To make sure that the meds are still A-OK according to the latest findings (and dosages) regarding animal health and human medications.
3. For the peace of mind. Almost always, the veterinarian will assure you that your dog will be just fine, and they'll also give you signs of what to watch for if the "problem" persists. (Usually, anything lasting more than 24 hours requires a trip to the vet for a physical exam.)
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you may want to put tums as one of the meds my dog [yorkie] just had puppies and i found giving her one tum a day gives her calcium. p.s thanks for your web site i like to always find out about things i can give my dogs to save me money thank you again
Thank you so much. Just this morning I was talking to hubby about taking his golden to the vet for diarrhea (on and off again), so now we are going to try the pepto (we have that here). I also have a dog that has congested heart failure and is on three different very expensive medications, one being a Lasix. My vet told me that I could get that cheaper if he called it into Walmart, as it is the same medication that humans use...isn't that weird...again, thanks for the information, hopefully her tummy will feel better soon.
Thank you so much for the info. My little Boston Terrier has a case of the runs. Who knows what he decided to eat outside while roaming the backyard.
One important thing to remember on both those charts is to give ascriptin, and not any other buffered aspirin. Acriptin contains a coating the protects the lining of the stomach which isn't found on any other buffered aspirin. Humans can take aspirin over a long period with no damage. Damage can happen in dogs in a matter of one or two doses without protection for it's lining. I know that's hard to believe with all the other things that they eat, but my vet told me that this morning.
Hope that helps someone.
If anyone knows the oral dosage of penicillin for felines PLEASE contact me! I am only finding dosages for subcutaneous. This is so important for me!!!!
ambeolin910@aol.com
Famotidine, the active ingredient in Pepcid AC, is what my vet recommended for upset stomaches, vomiting and bloating. The tablets are small and easy to conceal in a small piece of cheese or meat.
I walked in the house yesterday and my apartment was a disaster. My dog opened the garbage and ate everything in it... since then he has had a bad case of diarrhea. So thank you so much for the note on Pepto. Its worked pretty good.