| Everyone can identify with a pet that hurts. A sore leg, recovering from surgery, even "headaches" bother our pets just like ourselves. But what we do for their pain can be quite different from remedies for us humans. This is one of the few times you can not think of your pet as a human being. Before reaching into the medicine chest for "something for the pain", look at what some human pain relievers can do to our pets. Aspirin is probably the most commonly available pain reliever. Trade names, include Anacin, Alka-Seltzer, Bayer, Bufferin, and Dristan. Early sign of poisoning include excitation, flushed face, stomach upset, rapid breathing, and confusion. But you pet can develop fever, internal bleeding, anemia, a tetanus-like state, coma, cardiovascular collapse (heart failure), and death. How much does it take? Just 5 grains can kill a cat in twelve days.
Aspirin substitutes are even worse. Ibuprofen, found in Motrin, Advil, and Rufen, can cause relatively minor problems such as throwing up and bloody stools. It can also cause bleeding ulcers and kidney failure.
Allerest, Anacin-3, Contac, Datril, Excedrin, Nyquil, and Tylenol all contain acetaminophen. Early signs of overdose my be just nausea and vomiting. Eventually your pet's liver is destroyed. A change takes place in his red blood cells (called methaemoglobinemia) causing them to lose their ability to carry oxygen and the victim "suffocates" cell by cell. The outward signs of acetaminophen poisoning may take 12 to 14 hours to show up. Trouble is that if treatment is not started within ten hours of taking the pills it may have little value.
Naturally the best choice is to find out what hurts and why. Then the underlying problem may be eliminated, not just the pain. Please, call us if your pet shows any signs of pain relief poisoning.
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