Paracetamol is a handy human painkiller just like Aspirin and Ibuprofen. And usually, dog owners use this medicine to treat their pets with severe pain. “Can I give paracetamol to my dogs?” That’s a question that many dog owners have, and the answer isn’t quite as clear-cut as you might think.
Many vets also get lots of queries from dog parents regarding administering Paracetamol, Panadol, or Calpol to their puppies. It’s quite common to ask when someone’s pet dog is under weather.
Since you are reading this post, it must be your question as well. If so, you are at the right place to seek the answer to it. This post is dedicated to clearing your doubts on this subject.
Here, we have shared our inputs after discussing the subjects with prominent vets. Also, we have done thorough research to come up with something useful for our readers. So, without further ado, let’s discuss whether it is safe to give paracetamol to dogs to relieve their pain.
Is it Safe to Give Dogs Paracetamol?
When a dog owner thinks of emergency pain relief treatment for dogs, his brain usually points at Paracetamol. It’s because it is quite a common human painkiller that effectively helps.
Is it a good idea to do so? Well, loosely answered, No! Human painkillers are not meant to relieve pain in dogs. Yes, it is true that vets recommend paracetamol for dogs but it is only after examining their real health situation.
Human pain relief medications like Paracetamol can turn out to be “dangerous” or “fatal” if not administered correctly. What that means is giving your pet the wrong dose of this drug could lead to severe consequences.
One needs to consult a certified vet to know the real cause of pain in dogs. Once the exact reason for the pain is out after a complete diagnosis, a vet will recommend the right dosage of paracetamol or another suitable drug for dogs.
Why are Dog Owners Administring Paracetamol to their Pets?
Well, it is commonly noticed that dog owners consider using Paracetamol or other human painkillers for their pets. And its intensity has increased during the lockdown.
Many vets have shared the major reason behind this treatment of dog owners toward their pets. And they point out the rising cost of living behind it. Dog parents now think of cheap and homely medical treatments to cure their dogs of their pain.
It’s an alarming situation and something not good for pet animals. Lots of people worry about taking care of their pets due to the lack of sufficient funds. Their inability to subject their pets to the right medical help makes them do so.
How Much Paracetamol Can You Give Your Dog?
To start with, this was the common query of dog owners during the lockdown. Since vets weren’t entertaining dogs at their physical clinics, dog owners looked for the answer online. Sadly, some novice pet owners ended up worsening their dogs’ health by administering them the wrong medicines.
As a pet parent, you must understand that the paracetamol you have at your home is suitable for humans only. Offering this drug as a measure to combat pain in dogs could lead to overdosing.
And if that happens, it would result in severe side effects in dogs. Some of them are liver damage, pal gums, vomiting, abdominal pain, seizures, ulcers in the stomach or the digestive tract, etc.
So, it is your duty to administer this painkiller to your dog only after veterinary consultation. A dog must be given paracetamol only after a proper examination and diagnosis by a verified vet.
Depending on the weight and other parameters, the dosage of paracetamol for dogs varies. And the decision to recommend a suitable dosage for dogs entirely depends on a pet’s examination by a veterinary expert.
Sometimes, it may so happen that no suitable or licensed medicine is available to treat dogs. In such a case, vets use the guidance on the use of Cascade to administer some restricted or human medication to dogs. You must note that this decision completely rests on a vet’s understanding of a dog’s health condition.
Conclusion
At last, we will say that administering paracetamol to dogs without consulting a veterinary expert isn’t recommended. Doing so could make your dog severely ill and it could even cost you his life.
There are certain directions and a proper diagnosis that a veterinary surgeon performs. After that, he will assign certain medications for your dog.
You must understand that an expert would suggest some dog-specific medicines to treat pain or other ailments. There are plenty of medicines that are specifically designed to treat dogs.
If these medicines fail to work, your veterinary expert would choose to recommend paracetamol after weighing its risks and benefits. So, you should only rely on vet-prescribed paracetamol for dogs. And you are not supposed to make your own decisions on this very topic.
