Our furry friends have curious natures, and even though we try our best to keep them safe and healthy, they may still get into trouble if they unknowingly eat medications that are toxic to them.
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences clinical associate professor Dr. Christine Rutter and clinical assistant professor Dr. Lance Wheeler emphasize the dangers of drug intoxication, outline how owners can protect their pets, and provide insight on new, cutting-edge treatment options.
Common Household Toxins
Contrary to popular belief, Rutter says it is more common for pets to become intoxicated by human, pet, and recreational medications than household cleaners and pesticides.
“Over-the-counter pain medications, prescription painkillers, vitamins, antidepressants, and stimulant/recreational medication exposures are very common,” Rutter explained. “Medication exposure usually happens because of dropped medication or when a pet has access to a bottle or a bag containing the medication.”
Because of the size difference between people and most pets, it is extremely dangerous for pets to ingest human medications. According to Rutter, even one dose of a human medication can cause dogs and cats to have significant health reactions.
Varying Symptoms And Treatments
It can be difficult for owners to recognize intoxicated pets because symptoms vary greatly and are not easily noticeable.
“Symptoms of pets ingesting toxins can be anything — including altered mentation, or any change in normal behavior, which can include excitability, anxiety, compulsive behavior, decreased consciousness, or apathy to their surroundings; drooling; seizures; tremors; weakness; excessive thirst; vomiting; or abnormal bleeding or bruising,” Rutter said. “Some toxins will have delayed onset of clinical signs, which means that the owner would not likely notice any changes in their pet for up to 10 days. In some cases, the delay is too late to prevent permanent organ damage.”
Because symptoms are not easy to recognize, Rutter strongly encourages owners to be overly cautious and reach out to a veterinarian right away if they suspect their pet has consumed any medication — be it prescription, over-the-counter, or recreational.
“Initial testing will likely include a physical examination, blood testing, possibly urine testing, and sometimes drug screening,” Rutter explained. “Your veterinarian will not report your pet’s intoxication to authorities, even if illegal substances are involved. Veterinarians are only interested in treating your intoxicated pet, so please be honest.”
Medical exams also will be necessary to determine the best course of treatment.
“Treatment is going to vary widely since the type of intoxication, the amount ingested, and an animal’s size all impact the severity of the intoxication,” Rutter said. “Some intoxications require intensive care while others can be treated with less intense care or even outpatient (without being hospitalized) therapy.”
New Treatment Options
In some cases, when the harmful substance is still in the bloodstream and standard treatments aren’t enough, veterinarians now have advanced tools to help — hemoperfusion (HP) and therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE).
“These treatments remove harmful toxins directly from the bloodstream,” Wheeler said. “When used for the right toxin and started early, HP and TPE are very effective — often removing the drug much faster and more completely than standard care alone.”
While these advanced options are very helpful and provide a more powerful way for treating intoxications, standard treatments — like IV fluids, anti-nausea medication, or activated charcoal — are still important and often used alongside HP or TPE.
HP and TPE are most effective for cases that involve toxins lingering in the bloodstream long enough to be filtered out.
“Examples include common pain medications like ibuprofen, naproxen (anti-inflammatory), and acetaminophen (Tylenol); seizure medications like phenobarbital; certain antidepressants; and some pesticides,” Wheeler said.
Early action makes these treatments far more successful and greatly increases the chances of a full recovery.
“Every hour of delay not only makes the toxin more difficult to remove but also gives the toxin more time to harm vital organs such as the kidneys, liver, and brain,” Wheeler said. “Once that damage happens, it can’t be undone. HP and TPE can only remove what remains in the blood.”
In some situations, even a single HP or TPE treatment session can be lifesaving if performed early enough. Although these treatments can be costly and are only available at a few veterinary centers — Texas A&M being one — they provide hope in cases where survival would otherwise be unlikely.
Prevention Is All About Awareness
It is nearly impossible for pet owners to remove all toxic medications from a home — after all, people and pets are prescribed medications because they are needed; so prevention must start with awareness.
Rutter suggests owners only handle medications in areas away from a pet’s environment, keep animals in a safe place away from recreational medication use, and store all medications in bags or bottles out of a pet’s reach.
“It’s ironically difficult to give dogs and cats pills, but, somehow, there are medications that they will ingest readily if they get access to it,” Rutter said. “Some pets will rip into backpacks or even open containers to get medications. Even a dropped pill can be a significant hazard to pets, and we have all dropped medicine accidentally.”
Rutter recommends pet owners familiarize themselves with poison control guides from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which include a hotline that owners can call for help when determining if their pet has ingested a toxic item. That hotline number is (888) 426-4435.
By taking measures to ensure that humans are the only ones that can access medications and knowing what to do if an accident does occur, owners can help keep their pets safe from drug intoxications.
Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the web at vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to vmbs-editor@tamu.edu.