e-Vet ALERT: Beware Ibuprofen in Dogs

January 17th, 2013 | Author: OnlineStaff

Topic: Beware Ibuprofen in Dogs

by D.E.L.T.A. Rescue Veterinarian, Dr. Gaylord Brown

Ibuprofen is a common non-steroidal ant-inflammatory used in humans for analgesia. Its relative safety in people have led some well meaning pet owners to consider its use in dogs to alleviate discomfort from arthritis. unfortunately, such action may lead to death due to perforations in the stomach or upper intestine.

Acute toxicosis due to ingestion of large numbers of ibuprofen tablets has long been recognized in veterinary medicine. This typically occurs when a pet gets a hold of an entire bottle of medication and consumes a large number of tablets. Signs of this include vomiting, diarrhea, and death due to renal failure.

However, well meaning dog owners have unwittingly caused severe damage to their pet’s gastrointestinal tract by giving small doses in an attempt to alleviate signs of limping or pain. Sensitivity to such ingestion varies from pet to pet. Some dogs can develop perforations in the intestine with a single dose of medication. The longer the dog consumes the ibuprofen the more likely a perforation will occur.

Unfortunately, the death rate from such perforations is quite high. Even if the dog has surgery, the bowel may be so friable the lesion cannot be successfully repaired. The simple message from the alert is do not give ibuprofen to your pet!

View e-VET ALERT Archive:

Potentially dangerous situations surrounding your pets and the Holidays.
Read bulletin now
Are you over-vaccinating your pet? Read bulletin now.

If you find this information helpful please share it. D.E.L.T.A. Rescue receives no help from the government and relies solely on donor contributions.

We are a certified 501 (c) (3) non profit organization

Tax ID #: 95-3759277. To donate by phone, please call us at
1-661-269-4010 or Email: contact@deltarescue.org

To donate by mail, please send a check or money order to:
D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, P.O. Box 9, Glendale, CA 91209

D.E.L.T.A Rescue is the largest “No Kill, Care-for-Life,” Sanctuary of its kind in the world. Our goal is to prolong life in a meaningful way. We keep our animals comfortable at all times. Medical conditions such as heart disease, cancer, kidney disease and other chronic illness are treated here without a ceiling on costs. Whatever our animals need, they get.

The SuperSanctuary has a total of two state-of-the-art hospitals that include dog and cat intensive care units, digital radiographs, disgnostic utrasound, physical therapy and rehabilitation, deep-tissue ultrasound, electrostimulation, treadmill and hydrotherapy.