Word of warning.. paracetamols are toxic to dogs

[berrybobs]

Hi, I am new to this site, so hello everyone.
I had the worst day yesterday, my two (very naughty) jack russell`s managed to, commando style, scale the sofa and reach a very high shelf in my living room, where i had left a packet of paracetamol capsules.
They managed to chew through the box and eat at least 6 of the capsules.luckily enough the one blister pack got stuck underneath the sofa so it could have been much worse.they have spent the night in the vets and have ended up having to have an antidote.They are both out of the woods because we manged to get them to the vets within 2 hours of them taking them. we are just now waiting to find out if there will be any long term damage done to their kidneys or livers.
My word of advice is this,
In the past i have been told by a breeder that if you think your dog is in pain, give them a paracetamol.I used to rescue great danes...
After speaking to the vet yesterday the most a medium sized dog can have is half, anymore than this becomes toxic...so a 500mg tablet or capsule is way too much for any dog.
My tiny jack russells have been very lucky.and i feel that i needed to pass on the information in case anyone else ever has a simular problem.don`t wait too see if they become unwell, take them straight to the vet...where they can be assessed properly.
Anyway, poppy and tilly are now out of danger and i am hoping that the vet lets me bring them home later today...
Look forward to chating to all who use the site and receiving and offering advice.
Take care.
Berrybobs...

[Dax]

I'm not familiar with paracetamol capsules. Would we know them as something else in N America? What are they for?

[berrybobs]

They are a pain killing drug....used for light to moderate pain reief, they are readily available over her in the uk, and can be bought over the counter...Paracetomol is the generic name for the drug but it is in most drugs such as nurofen and panadol...
berrybobs

[Riding Hulio]

Wow and you thought you had them out of reach! It was a wonder that you knew exactly what happed and took action! And welcome to the forum! I'm new too!

[micki]

Tylenol- acetaminaphen same thing cause hemolytic anemia- blood cells can't carry oxygen to the cells. My cat had that happen, got inoe trash ate something a bottle of tylenol liguid was spilled on. Good thing you figured out what they got into. my vet said never give your pet over the counter pain meds, call vet first. so many are putting acetaminaphen in them, even caugh meds. And to educate the humans here you should NEVER take more tylenol than recommended," if one is good two must be better, work faster" NO, NO, You could cause an overdose that will damage your liver.

[BabyElephant]

Originally Posted by berrybobs

They are a pain killing drug....used for light to moderate pain reief, they are readily available over her in the uk, and can be bought over the counter...Paracetomol is the generic name for the drug but it is in most drugs such as nurofen and panadol...
berrybobs

I didn't think that nurofen contained paracetamol, I thought it was ibrupofen that was in them. Either way, some anti-inflammatories such as ibruprofen and naproxen are dangerous to dogs too. I had a similar scare with my puppy (managed to get them out of my purse, which was inside my zipped bag and up on the kitchen counter) and she was on drugs for 10 days to counter any possible effects to her liver and stomach.

Anyway, welcome to the forum - it's good to have yet another UK based person - we'll be taking over this forum soon

[berrybobs]

Thanx for all your responses...the update is that my pooches are still in the vets for another night...but can come home tomorrow.they will need to go back for blood test over the next few weeks but after going to see them they look much brighter.
Once again,thanks for all the responses.....
heres hoping that they will be alright long term...
berrybobs

[Trace]

Nurofen = Ibruprofen
Tylenol I believe is the same as Parecetamol.