# Ingesting human medications



## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Ricky lives up to his nickname "travesura" (mischief maker) on a daily basis. I currently take 400mg of Ibuprofen gel cap 3 times a day. I am supposed to take it with food. Last night I put a capsule on the dining table and then walked to the kitchen to get my plate of supper, about 15 feet away which is open to the dining area. As soon as I picked up my plate with the dining table behind me, Momi says, "What is that red thing Ricky has in his mouth?" I turned around and looked in horror! :surprise: Ricky had my capsule in his mouth!!!!!!!! I shouted the "drop it" command and he dutifully did so immediately. I inspected the capsule and it was fully intact. I cannot figure out how he could jump on a dining chair and up on the table and find the capsule so quickly and so stealthily! But disaster averted!

Okay, here is my question for you medical professionals. What if Ricky had ingested 400mg of Ibuprofen? What would you do?
- Take him to the Vet and have his stomach pumped
- Give him a tablespoon of Hydrogen Peroxide and hope to make him vomit it 
- Ignore it. A little Ibuprofen doesn't hurt a small dog.
- Something else?

I really wouldn't have known what to do and would have panicked had he swallowed it. This Havatroublemaker is valuable to us, but obviously we need to pay more attention to what he is up to!

Ricky's Popi


----------



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

yeah my wife is good at dropping pills. Here is some info 
How to Induce Pet Vomiting, in Case They Sample a Poison


----------



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Human Medications Poisonous to Pets - Meds Toxic to Dog and Cats


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Ricky lives up to his nickname "travesura" (mischief maker) on a daily basis. I currently take 400mg of Ibuprofen gel cap 3 times a day. I am supposed to take it with food. Last night I put a capsule on the dining table and then walked to the kitchen to get my plate of supper, about 15 feet away which is open to the dining area. As soon as I picked up my plate with the dining table behind me, Momi says, "What is that red thing Ricky has in his mouth?" I turned around and looked in horror! :surprise: Ricky had my capsule in his mouth!!!!!!!! I shouted the "drop it" command and he dutifully did so immediately. I inspected the capsule and it was fully intact. I cannot figure out how he could jump on a dining chair and up on the table and find the capsule so quickly and so stealthily! But disaster averted!
> 
> Okay, here is my question for you medical professionals. What if Ricky had ingested 400mg of Ibuprofen? What would you do?
> - Take him to the Vet and have his stomach pumped
> ...


Since we have also been through this with Kodi when he was an adolescent, here is what the vet hospital told me (and this is true whether it is a drug the dog has ingested or some other, possibly toxic substance):

Call the local vet or ER immediately. Have the bottle in your hand, if possible. They can determine if the dose of many common drugs is toxic or not, depending on the weight of your dog. If they DON'T know, they will refer you to animal poison control (or they will call for you) There is a charge for this call, but it's pretty reasonable... I think $40 or so?

Based on what the vet/ER or Poison control say, you will know your next steps. For some things, especially if the dog has JUST swallowed it, hydrogen peroxide to get them to vomit it up may be in order. But *DON'T do this unless they tell you*. Somethings can do more harm on the way up. Otherwise, they will probably want your dog at the ER (or vets office, but MY dogs ONLY get in trouble when the vet's office is closed !  They may need to pump the dog's stomach with activated charcoal, and, depending on the amount and toxin ingested, the dog may need other supportive care afterwards.

Some tips for hydrogen peroxide... (ask me how I know )

1. It MUST be an UNOPENED bottle, and it has to be more than 6 months old. Hydrogen peroxide is very unstable, and just reverts to water... the extra oxygen molecule flies away. If it's not fresh, it doesn't matter HOW much you pur down your dog, it won't make them vomit.

2. Don't try to force it directly into the dog. You and the dog and the kitchen will wear LOTS of it... very little will get in the dog. Put the recommended dose (the vet or Poison control will tell you how much) in a small amount of milk, and they will lap it right up out of a saucer. Don't worry about whether the milk agrees with your dog (unless they have a TRUE allergy, which is extremely rare)... it's not going to stay in the dog long anyway! 

3. It's the bubbles formed by the hydrogen peroxide that make the dog vomit. For it to work, the hydrogen peroxide needs something to react with (food) and to be shaken up. If the dog doesn't omit on their own, try feeding them a piece of bread, then engage them in an active game... fetch, tug, whatever will get them moving. This usually does the trick.

4. If that fails, it's definitely off to the vet or ER... They can give the dog an injection which will make them vomit quite quickly.

Assuming the dog has vomited to offending substance, you've got to decided, with the help of the vet, whether you've gotten enough out of the dog. Can't help you there... it will depend on what it was, and how long the dog has had to digest it, and how quickly it falls apart when wet.

But the bottom line is, except for the "tips" about how to get the hydrogen peroxide to work best, I would not do ANY of this without being in touch with the vet at the same time. Particularly with our very small dogs.


----------



## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

krandall said:


> 1. It MUST be an UNOPENED bottle, and it has to be more than 6 months old.


I think you mean "LESS than 6 months old"?

Gracias, Ricky's Popi


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> I think you mean "LESS than 6 months old"?
> 
> Gracias, Ricky's Popi


Of course!  Fine whiskey does well aged... Hydrogen peroxide... not so much! ound:


----------



## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

krandall said:


> Fine whiskey does well aged...


Agreed, but so early on a Friday afternoon? :surprise::wink2::grin2:

Ricky's Popi


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Agreed, but so early on a Friday afternoon? :surprise::wink2::grin2:
> 
> Ricky's Popi


Hey, we're in the middle of a snow storm. You are ALWAYS allowed to drink during snow storms. The time of day is irrelevant!!! >


----------



## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

A shot of fine Scotch with a Hydrogen Peroxide chaser is called a Spewing Volcano! uke: Will warm the heart on a snowy afternoon!

I am sitting here looking out on the Mar de Cortez. 80F and bright sunny cloudless sky. Cocktail party at 6pm to toast the sunset and another relaxing day. Then candle light dinner after with friends while being serenaded by a duo performing classical Spanish music. You know who is not invited and is going to be very disappointed and unhappy with his Momi and Popi!

Ricky's Popi


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Well, we've had a really mild winter, with nothing we can really complain about. The snow has stopped, and it is really pretty out now. By the morning it will be all cleaned up!

But I DO love Mexico. Haven't been to that part, but would love to spend more time there! I think, when people want a "foreign vacation" they do themselves a disservice when they dismiss our northern AND southern neighbors!


----------



## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

I spent 10 days in Mismaloya (South of PV) in November and had a great time. I stayed at a friend's place with her and her dogs and a bunch of others. So much fun! I did not want to fly home except Emmie didn't join me on the trip so I missed her a ton. But next time I'll bring her as I go there almost every year and she would have a blast with her dog buddies.


----------



## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

I had this happen with Tucker just two weeks ago. I thought a 12-hour Aleve had rolled off the table onto the floor. (Poor pup!, I found it three hours later, so he did NOT swallow it.) In the meantime it was Hydrogen peroxide, call the vet, rush to the clinic, where I had to leave him and they poured more up-chuck-inducing meds down him, then charcoal, then a med that is rather like cement to coat the digestive tract to hopefully reduce absorption. If he HAD swallowed that much Aleve it would probably have caused Kidney failure and I would likely have been putting him down in a couple of days. It was a horrific weekend. I cried and shook for hours. 

I found the pill AFTER he had been put through all this, and it took the sweet boy several days to fully recover. 

I now stand over the kitchen sink to take any and all meds.


----------



## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Sheri said:


> I now stand over the kitchen sink to take any and all meds.


Sheri I can totally relate. We came within seconds of a similar fate. He had the pill completely in his mouth! Had he swallowed it, the results would have been too horrific to even think about. I am looking down at Ricky at my feet right now and I cannot think of life without him. In terms of consequences to Ricky, we hit the lottery yesterday and Ricky is more important to me than any amount of money.

Ricky's Popi


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Sheri said:


> I had this happen with Tucker just two weeks ago. I thought a 12-hour Aleve had rolled off the table onto the floor. (Poor pup!, I found it three hours later, so he did NOT swallow it.) In the meantime it was Hydrogen peroxide, call the vet, rush to the clinic, where I had to leave him and they poured more up-chuck-inducing meds down him, then charcoal, then a med that is rather like cement to coat the digestive tract to hopefully reduce absorption. If he HAD swallowed that much Aleve it would probably have caused Kidney failure and I would likely have been putting him down in a couple of days. It was a horrific weekend. I cried and shook for hours.
> 
> I found the pill AFTER he had been put through all this, and it took the sweet boy several days to fully recover.
> 
> I now stand over the kitchen sink to take any and all meds.


Similar to the meds scare we had with Kodi. I found him chewing on the blister pack of a cold medicine. He must have pilfered it from the purse of a guest earlier in the day, because it's not even a brand we use. I couldn't tell whether he's eaten it or not, because the only evidence I had was the packaging. There was enough of EITHER the pseudophedrine OR tylenol in a dose to be harmful,so we had to treat it as if he'd actually ingested it. I STILL think it was just an empty blister pack, but you just can't take chances with something like that!

Same thing... Poor boy was vomiting for about 3 days, and the vet said that wasn't uncommon from the irritation caused by the hydrogen peroxide.


----------



## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> A shot of fine Scotch with a Hydrogen Peroxide chaser is called a Spewing Volcano! uke: Will warm the heart on a snowy afternoon!
> 
> I am sitting here looking out on the Mar de Cortez. 80F and bright sunny cloudless sky. Cocktail party at 6pm to toast the sunset and another relaxing day. Then candle light dinner after with friends while being serenaded by a duo performing classical Spanish music. You know who is not invited and is going to be very disappointed and unhappy with his Momi and Popi!
> 
> Ricky's Popi


Cabo is one of our favorite places to visit.


----------



## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Heather Glen said:


> Cabo is one of our favorite places to visit.


Mi casa es su casa, but bring Havadoggies wit yu so wi can play!

besos, Ricky Ricardo


----------



## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Just wondering if there are any animal restrictions flying to Mexico?


----------



## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Heather Glen said:


> Just wondering if there are any animal restrictions flying to Mexico?


You will need a Health Certificate issued by a Vet within the last 5 days. Also bring a copy of current vaccinations. Dogs must be in a soft sided carrier and fit under the seat in front of you the entire flight. Then you will need a Health Certificate issued within 5 days when returning to the US. No quarantine is required with proper certificates.

When driving in and out of Mexico, as we do, the agents on both sides of the border are much more relaxed about certificates.

We live halfway between San Lucas and San Jose. No problems, nice people, and with the dollar so strong against the peso the prices are incredibly inexpensive right now. Last night we ate a very nice restaurant (so close we walked) with candlelight, a woman singing who sounds like Linda Ronstadt. I had a Lobster dinner, Momi had Mexican Pork Belly (don't turn up your nose, this stuff is really good), appetizers, and two cocktails (Tamarindo Margarita and Vodka Cucumber) all for $50.

Don't believe what you read in the newspapers about Mexico. You should avoid spending a lot of time in the border towns, but everywhere else is wonderful. We wouldn't live here if we didn't feel as safe as in California. And yes, we do drink the water and use the local ice.

Ricky had a whole horse apple in his mouth this morning on our walk. Fortunately, he spit it out on the "drop it" command. But you know what is coming next! :brushteeth:

Ricky's Popi


----------



## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Thank's for the information. I thought dogs would have to be quarantined. That's a long ride!

We have also stayed in San Jose. We usually stay at Terrasol. Love the food and beauty of the area. It's the perfect relaxing vacation spot! :biggrin1:


----------



## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

This thread is a great reminder to teach/practice "drop it" and "leave it" commands as it could prevent a medical emergency.


----------



## Janet (Feb 19, 2007)

*Good boy!*

I sure hope Ricky got a treat and a "good boy" for spitting out the pill right away!


----------



## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Janet said:


> I sure hope Ricky got a treat and a "good boy" for spitting out the pill right away!


Si, I did get a nice cookie treat fur spitting out dat red ting. An I here "good boy" so mini times during de day dat sometimes I tink my name is "good boy!" 0 Mini times I pick up someting and spit it out right away, because Popi will give me a cookie wen I due dat ebery time!. It is a eazy way to get a cookie. Also a fake potty works ebery time two fur a cookie. I hab Popi trained pretty good but for a peoples, he is pretty eazy to train. >

besos, Ricky Ricardo


----------



## Annabellam (Nov 2, 2015)

I think you should just stop imagining because it wouldn't have been such a nice moment for you. But anyway, my immediate reaction would have been to call the vet and take it from there. I do not know much about pet first aid which i should. Maybe someone can share.


----------



## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Si, I did get a nice cookie treat fur spitting out dat red ting. An I here "good boy" so mini times during de day dat sometimes I tink my name is "good boy!" 0 Mini times I pick up someting and spit it out right away, because Popi will give me a cookie wen I due dat ebery time!. It is a eazy way to get a cookie. Also a fake potty works ebery time two fur a cookie. I hab Popi trained pretty good but for a peoples, he is pretty eazy to train. >
> 
> besos, Ricky Ricardo


Ricky, you are such a trickster! :wink2:


----------

