The short answer is no! Never give paracetamol to dogs and also, never give paracetamol to cats. Just don’t.
Dogs And Paracetamol
No – you cannot give paracetamol to a dog safely. Even if a dog is in pain, dog owners should never give paracetamol to their dogs because paracetamol can be poisonous to dogs.
In fact, don’t give any drug containing paracetamol (acetaminophen) dog.
If your dog has eaten some paracetamol, it is essential to take them to the veterinarian immediately for life saving treatment. If they survive, this might prevent long term kidney and liver damage.
Paracetamol Poisoning Symptoms
- Excess salivation
- Weakness in limbs
- Seizures
- Vomiting
- Breathing problems
- Very dark or black coloured poo
- Discoloured urine
- Loss of appetite
- Abdominal pain
Please know that activated charcoal or clay can help in a crisis!
In addition, you could give them some activated charcoal or clay (e.g. argiletz green clay or bentonite clay or straight kaolin) to adsorb the toxin in the stomach which will reduce the amount that can be absorbed into the blood.
This is urgent, as the toxin will be absorbed within about 20 minutes, which is why paracetamol is such a quick pain reliever for humans.
It is extremely dangerous to give a dog any human painkillers, although a qualified veterinary surgeon may decide to prescribe human medication in very specific circumstances. Vets have full knowledge of the drug’s effects and side effects.
Veterinarians have prescribed paracetamol to dogs for pain relief, but because dogs are relatively small animals, the dosage of paracetamol is very specific. They are likely to be poisoned if they eat more than 75 mg per kilogram body weight.
Even if your dog is in pain, do not be tempted to give any human painkillers as they are extremely likely to be toxic to dogs, cats and other animals.
For more information, check the Pet Poison Helpline website and read about the dangers of paracetamol.
Why Would Anyone Give Paracetamol To A Dog?
I’m shocked at the number of people who reach for a painkiller to obscure the symptoms of some ailment or another, and inflict the same horror on their dearly beloved dogs.
Symptoms are messages to alert us that something is wrong! They’re not caused by paracetamol deficiency and deserve to be properly investigated.
Why Might Pet Owners Give A Dog Paracetamol?
Nine times out of ten, paracetamol is misused to “treat” the results of one or more of the following preventable lifestyle errors.
Dehydration
Dehydration, resulting from not drinking enough chemical free water and eating dried foods, like kibble, can result in pain. So filter all your dog’s water, and your own, providing fresh filtered water every day. And feed clean wet food, preferably raw.
Sugar
Eating sugar and its associates has been shown to cause inflammation throughout the body. And inflammation causes pain. So stop feeding your dog processed carbohydrate-rich dog food and while you are at it, stop eating it yourself!
Omega 3 Deficiency
Lack of omega 3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) combined with an excess of omega 6 is commonly associated with pain and inflammation. Flax seeds, chia seeds and walnuts are some of the best sources of omega 3, the anti-inflammatory EFA.
Electromagnetic Frequencies
Electromagnetic Frequencies (EMFs) and chemicals of all descriptions are alien to the body and irritating. This can cause inflammation and pain, so it’s best to avoid them and use natural techniques to minimise the effects of the frequencies, and natural products instead.
Fevers are often mistakenly seen as undesirable and reduced by paracetamol and other anti-inflammatory drugs. In reality, the body produces a fever to speed up the immune system’s ability to deal with invaders, like bacteria and viruses.
So reducing the temperature slows the immune response and turns an acute illness into a long and chronic one.
How To Prevent The Causes Of Disease
You can optimise and maximise your pet’s health by doing the following:
- Feed your dog as nature intended
- Add PET Plus to their diet to provide missing enzymes and micronutrients
- provide a fresh and plentiful supply of chemical free water every day
- minimize exposure to EMFs and chemicals
- exercise your dog out in nature, sunshine and fresh air on natural grass, and
- love your dog unconditionally,
If you follow those simple rules there is unlikely to be any use for drugs like paracetamol.