Most of the people are concerned about giving ibuprofen for dogs because of the health issues related with it. Ibuprofen is one among the most effective and popular over-the-counter medications available for treating inflammation and pain in humans. It is found that the main reason for the ibuprofen toxicity is the administration of a dose of ibuprofen to the dogs without having proper knowledge about the toxic dose of the drug.
The first toxic effect that can be noticed is the bleeding stomach ulcers. Moreover, the high dosage of ibuprofen can eventually lead to kidney failure. There are certain conditions that you must look out for if you are administering ibuprofen to your pet dog. The various symptoms of ibuprofen toxicity are poor appetite, black tarry stools, vomiting, abdominal pain, weakness, lethargy, dehydration, etc.
Diagnosing Ibuprofen Toxicity
Diagnosing ibuprofen toxicity is based on the physical examination and the history of exposure to ibuprofen. Normally, the blood tests done for determining the overall health of the dogs can help you in diagnosing ibuprofen toxicity. If ibuprofen is administered, these blood tests will show anemia because of the bleeding ulcer and kidney damage.
Treating the Toxicity in a Dog
If you are diagnosing ibuprofen toxicity in a dog, it is recommended to hospitalize the dog with constant intravenous fluids. In case of recent ingestion, activated charcoal can be used for treating the toxicity.
If your dog is in severe anemic conditions because of the bleeding ulcers, the best solution is blood transfusions. The normal medications for stomach ulcer including sucralfate, cimetidine and famotidine can also be given to the dog. The main thing to do is repeating the blood tests after the treatment for evaluating the kidney function.
Preventing Canine Ibuprofen Toxicity
It is a known fact that there is no specific ibuprofen toxicity. This is the reason why veterinary care is required for treating bleeding stomach ulcers and kidney failure.
Another point to keep in mind is that right after the treatment; put your dog in a strict bland diet. Gradually returning to the normal diets can be the best thing to do.
Be sure that you are only giving your dog the drugs prescribed by the veterinarian. Most of the people fail to understand the fact the medications that are safe for human beings may not be safe for pets. Ensure that all the medications are kept out of reach of the pets. There are many accidental tragedies related with the ingestion of ibuprofen reported recently. The negligence of humans is stated as the major reason for ibuprofen toxicity.
A Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug
Ibuprofen is a widely used NSAID (Non-steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug). The main purpose of this drug is to reduce the pain associated with inflammation. NSAID´s are known to inhibit the prostaglandin production in body, some of which are as they maintain the regular flow of blood to the kidneys in addition to protecting stomach lining from stomach acids. Dogs are sensitive to the stomach ulcer effect of the drug. Therefore, keeping this drug away from your dog is the only effective way to deal with the harmful effects of ibuprofen in dogs.