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The last time my pet was in pain, I was ready to call the pet-ambulance and spend all of my savings to make them feel better.
As pet parents, we tend to act a little bit too hastily when we worry about our pets being injured, sick, or in pain.
If you notice that your dog is suffering, the crazy pet mama bear in you might want to give them all of your over-the-counter (OTC) medications to help their ailments.
After all, what else can you do?
I can assure you that you should take a step back and decide if those medications are the right choice when you realize that your pup is in pain!
Are ‘over-the-counter’ medications even safe for dogs? What can I give my dog for pain? Which medicines should I avoid? All of these questions will come pouring into your mind.
Let’s take a look at some of the more common OTC medications, and whether they might be useful to give your pup some pain relief.
This article should serve as an overview of OTC medications for dogs, but it should not be a substitute for the diagnosis and advice of a veterinarian. If you think your dog is sick or injured contact your vet immediately.
Can You Give a Dog Aspirin?
Photo credit: congerdesign / pixabay
Aspirin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drug, known for decreasing swelling and the irritations associated with it. For humans, aspirin eases the pain of headaches, swollen joints, and fevers.
There’s a lot of conflicting information out there about giving your dog aspirin.
The bottom line is this:
It’s okay to give your dog aspirin for short-term pain relief, provided you’ve okayed it with a veterinarian first.
Long-term use can cause serious side-effects, including internal bleeding. Coated baby aspirin will be easier on your dog’s stomach, and you should always give aspirin to your dog with food.
Dosage: The recommended aspirin dosage for dogs is 5 mg/lb given by mouth twice daily.
Types of Aspirin
To further complicate matters, you can will find several types of aspirin available at your local pharmacy.
It’s important to know the difference between them, because some types can be ineffective at best and harmful at worst.
- Uncoated – Uncoated aspirin should only be used for humans. It will irritate the lining of your dog’s stomach, causing internal bleeding.
- Enteric-coated – The coating is meant to protect the lining of the stomach in humans. Dogs do not fully digest the coating, and won’t receive the full benefit of the medication. We don’t recommend giving enteric-coated aspirin to dogs.
- Buffered – If you must use OTC aspirin to treat your dog, you should use buffered aspirin. It contains ingredients that will balance the aspirin’s acidity, which will help protect the lining of your dog’s stomach.
Caution: NEVER give aspirin to cats. It is considered highly toxic.
Can You Give a Dog Ibuprofen?
No. Ibuprofen is considered toxic for dogs and should never be used as a canine painkiller. Never give your dog Advil, Motrin, Midol or other drugs containing ibuprofen. Even small amounts can be life-threatening.
Symptoms of ibuprofen poisoning include:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Bloody feces
- Blood in vomit
- Nausea
- Lack of appetite
- Weight loss
- Increased thirst
- Increased urination
- Decreased or lack of urine
- Seizures
- Un-coordination
- Coma
- Death
If you think your dog may have ingested ibuprofen, please call your veterinarian immediately. This medicine will give them anything but pain relief.
Can You Give a Dog Tylenol?
Tylenol and other types of acetaminophen are not NSAIDs and do not reduce inflammation.
There are some cases to be aware of:
They can be used to treat pain in certain circumstances, but only under the supervision of a veterinarian, particularly because an incorrect dosage could be highly toxic, resulting in liver, kidney, and tissue damage.
For more information on Tylenol poisoning, please read this article by PetMD. (And note: Cats are even more susceptible to poisoning than dogs, so please keep acetaminophen out of reach of all your pets!)
Other OTC Medications that are Safe for Dogs
- Benadryl – Treats allergies and itching, and is especially useful for bringing down the swelling after insect bites or stings. Benadryl dosage for dogs: ½ to 1 mg per pound of body weight.
- Dramamine – Used to treat motion sickness in dogs, Dramamine can be given before long car rides to make your dog comfortable. Dosage: Please consult your veterinarian.
- Diarrhea Medications – KaoPectate, Immodium AD, and PeptoBismol can all be used to treat your dog’s diarrhea. Dosage: Please consult your veterinarian.
QUICK RECOMMENDATION: One product we’ve used to help minimize stress and has also helped prevent our dog’s from itching their body (because it covers their torso) is the Thundershirt.
The Best Pain Medications for Dogs
So based on all the warnings and cautions in this article, there is no easy solution for treating a dog that is in pain.
Consulting your veterinarian is really the best solution, and based on your dog’s unique situation, your vet will probably prescribe one of several NSAIDs that have been specially formulated to act as a dog pain killer.
These include:
- Carprofen
- Deracoxib
- Etodolac
- Meloxicam
These non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug options are FDA-approved for dogs, which means that they have been shown to be safe and effective when used according to the label.
OTC pain medications for people don’t have the assurances of safety and effectiveness in pets.
But you should know…
These NSAIDs are only available with a prescription, and even these NSAIDs have known side effects, especially if they aren’t used properly.
When treating your dog for pain, you can help reduce the risk of complications by ensuring that you:
- Provide your veterinarian with a complete medical history, including medications or herbal supplements that your dog is taking.
- Follow your veterinarian’s advice regarding the need for laboratory testing before starting them on any pain medication.
- Do not give your dog NSAIDS with any other OTC medication. Follow your veterinarian’s advice concerning dosage and treatment schedule.
- Give your dog NSAIDs with food if possible.
- Be sure your dog drinks plenty of fresh water every day. Dehydration will greatly increase the risk of side effects.
- Call your veterinarian immediately if your dog is vomiting, not eating, has diarrhea, or seems more lethargic than usual.
- If your dog’s discomfort is post-surgical pain, make sure to call your vet and ask them how to treat it. They will know the best answer.
A Note About Arthritis Pain
Make sure that you follow veterinarian advice to treat arthritis related joint pain.
This chronic pain should be handled with long term pain management in mind, so do not use OTC products to treat it unless recommended to do so by a vet.
You have to know:
Arthritis pain is more complex than OTC pain killers can handle, especially for dogs, so you want to treat this type of pain carefully. There are even some natural remedy options that can help ease this chronic pain:
- Boost diet with glucosamine supplements
- Add healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to diet
- Feed a senior dog food with added probiotics
Final Thoughts on OTC Medications for Dogs
Your dog is a treasured member of your family, and you want to do all you can to ensure they live healthy, happy lives by your side. Easing their pain when they suffer is part of your job as a pet owner.
While some OTC medications may be relatively safe to use for dogs in certain circumstances, the dosages on the label are not intended for pet use, and OTC drugs for people have not been tested on animals.
When looking for a course of action to ease your dog’s pain, your best course of action is to:
- bring your dog to a veterinarian
- give your dog pain medications that have been either prescribed or recommended by that veterinarian.
Your dog’s health is important, and the risks of using any OTC medications without the approval of a veterinarian are just not worth it.
Disclaimer: All content on this site is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be nor can it be considered actionable professional advice. It must not be used as an alternative to seeking professional advice from a veterinarian or other certified professional.
LabradorTrainingHQ.com assumes no responsibility or liability for the use or misuse of what’s written on this site. Please consult a professional before taking any course of action with any medical, health or behavioral related issue.
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14 comments
My three month Labrador develops hygroma. What should I do
See a vet. It’s the only thing you should do, only they are qualified and knowledgeable enough to diagnose properly, correctly and advise the correct treatment going forward. Advice from anywhere else may be completely wrong…it might not even be hygroma.
So, please see a vet :-)
I agree with you. Cystic Hygroma usually needs surgery. My prayers go with your Labrador. Be careful to choose a good vet!
Good information, However I wanted to let readers know more about one of the rxs you mentioned.
CARPROFEN can cause DEATH.
For Many, many dogs it gives them back their life that horrible pain was not allowing and can be a miracle.
But Never give it to your pet without checking their liver first, and even then watch them very closely for Any type of negative behaviors, symptoms.
Can you give a 10 pound Dixie a small does of ultram for pain ! I can’t pick her up with her screaming in pain and then shacking bad. Just want to get her some relief. She’s done this years ago when she jumped off the bed and hurt her back. I have a half of a half ultram one when she got up and if she would be crying a bed time I’d give her another half of a half. It worked and was moving around a lot better, not 100% but she wasn’t laying there crying and breaking my heart. I just want to her it’s not hurting her it’s helping.
My lil boy will be 18 years old in August. He is a full blooded short leg Jack Russell. He developed several bad teeth just before turning 16, the vet was 50/50 on removing them because of his age and left the decision to me. I chose not to pull his teeth because of the chance of losing him. He has not showed symptoms of pain until now as he is about to be 18. He now has lost sight in one eye and has lost 90% in the other.his body is changing and he walks very slow. He eats 75% less and uses the bathroom where ever he stands. I’m so heart broken that I am even having to consider ending his little life. Just wis I knew what I could give him at home where he is so familiar with his surroundings and be with his family to the end
There are recommended dosages for ibuprofen for dogs in most vet manuals.
2.5-4 mg/kg every 12 hours (another is written as 5 mg/kg split in two per 24 hours).
the Merck vet manual is the only one with a higher dose recommended.
Zoetis tries very hard to keep this info unknown. (they own Rimadyl). If people know they can give their dog ibuprofen safely (safer that Rimadyl with this it’s frequency of death- they are required by the FDA to include “death” in the label and in any advertising because of its frequency), it would crater their sales numbers. Aka their revenue.
My 70 lb dog is currently on 65mg every twelve hours. She is a different dog! Clearly the joint pain is under control. I have her liver and kidney enzymes tested regularly and have yet to see an adverse reaction. (and I bet I never will).
Interesting tidbits.
– Drugs go through safety studies before human studies are allowed. for NSAID’s the canine model is most accurate for human reaction. in other words, ibuprofen was most likely show safe in dogs before it proceeded to humans.
– Carprofen was taken off the market in humans after approximately 1 in 5 human users had an adverse reaction. The manufactured pulled it, before the FDA did it for them, and started selling it to vets for dogs (the bar for safety is much lower for dogs, and dog naturally hide being sick).
-Carprofen is a COX-2 inhibitor. Six of them have been developed at the cost of millions to drug manufactures. Only one is on the market in the US (two were pulled, two never made it through the FDA, carprofen was voluntarily removed, and one remains. That is Vioxx. It was recently show, in a 2500 patient study to be no less unsafe then long term use of prescription strength ibuprofen (aka 800+ mg doses of ibuprofen)
-ladder studies with ibuprofen have been done in dogs. there were no adverse reactions until you get up to those prescriptions strengths. (side note: carprofen was always a prescription strength med because it is so much stronger than ibuprofen at the base level.)
– a study was done to assess carprofen versus ibuprofen in liver compromised dogs. There was no difference in the liver/kidney response between the two. (Vet school in Georgia)
My dog will be on ibuprofen for joint pain until she passes (hopefully years from now!)
Thank you, D. Delmonico. Finally, someone with the care enough to just tell us what the vet manual says. I’ve been searching and searching for someone to just give me a solution for my 50–lb sweetie pie who is hurting too much for me to even pick her up to get into the car to take her to the vet. I’ve been in a serious “catch 22” for days; my vet says she can’t give me a pain prescription unless I bring my dog to their office, but I can’t mobilize my dog without giving her some pain relief. It was looking like my only option was to have a mobile vet come out to put her to sleep, but I just wanted to give her a chance to try a pain & inflammation medication to see if she can be happy for a little while longer before we have to part with her. If it doesn’t work for her, then at least we’ll know we did all we could do before making that final irreversible decision. I would have felt very guilty thinking we might have had her put to sleep when a little ibuprofen pill might have given her a few more weeks or months to enjoy life with us.
My 3 month old red nose licked a small cap full of childrens motrin at like 9:30pm and it’s now 5:01am…. he seems to be ok thus far, should I still be worried? Will he be ok?
You should contact your emergency vet and they will usually advise you whether they think you should bring your dog in to see the vet.
@ RICHARD M…..On Chewy.com i just bought Nutri-vet Aspirin for small dogs, they also sell it for large dogs, no prescription required.
Not sure why you say ibuprofen should never be given to a dog. It’s very commonly prescribed by vets for dogs
Please consult a veterinarian before giving your dog any medication. I am not a vet, but this comes directly from the VCA Hospitals website:
What is ibuprofen poisoning?
Ibuprofen poisoning occurs when a dog ingests a toxic dose of ibuprofen, either through misuse or by accident. Although relatively safe in humans, ibuprofen and other NSAIDs can be extremely harmful to dogs. Ibuprofen poisoning is very common, and even small doses can cause adverse effects and poisoning.
How can I treat dental pain for my 4 1/2 pound toy Maltese? I have had her for 5 years and had her teeth cleaned a few months ago. The vet told me she would need extractions but I am not in a financial class at the time to get this done. Her breath is horrific! I rescued her and she also has liver disease. I am not for sure her actual age but estimate around 7 to 8 years old… any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.