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Pet Poison Helpline

According to Pet Poison Helpline, Banfield’s partner in diagnosing and treating poison cases, nearly half the calls from this 24/7 animal poison hotline deal with Pets ingesting human medications. Even with a Pet owner’s best intention, accidents can still happen. Below is a list of the top 10 human medications most frequently ingested by Pets as reported by Dr. Justine Lee at Pet Poison Helpline. Stay tuned to see tips on how Pet-proof your house.

1. NSAIDs (e.g. Advil, Aleve and Motrin): These medications are known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), and can sometimes be called ibuprofen or naproxen. Even one or two pills can cause serious harm to a Pet, resulting in serious stomach and intestinal ulcers or even kidney failure.
2. Acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol): This drug is especially dangerous to cats because one regular strength tablet can be fatal — it damages to a cat’s red blood cells, limiting their ability to carry oxygen. In dogs, acetaminophen leads to liver failure and, in large doses, red blood cell damage.
3. Antidepressants (e.g. Effexor, Cymbalta, Prozac, Lexapro): While these drugs are occasionally used in Pets, overdoses can lead to serious neurological problems. Some antidepressants also act as stimulants and can lead to a dangerously elevated heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. Just one pill can cause serious poisoning.
4. ADD/ADHD Medications (e.g. Concerta, Adderall, Ritalin): Medications used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder contain potent stimulants such as amphetamines and methylphenidate. Even minimal ingestions by Pets can cause life-threatening tremors, seizures, elevated body temperatures and heart problems.
5. Benzodiazepines and Sleep Aids (e.g. Xanax, Klonopin, Ambien, Lunestra): While these medications are designed to reduce anxiety and help people sleep better, about half of dogs can become agitated from it. For Pets who don’t become agitated, they can suffer severe lethargy, incoordination and slowed breathing. Cats can also suffer from liver failure with some forms of benzodiazepines.
6. Birth Control (e.g. estrogen, estradiol, progesterone): Thankfully, small ingestions of these medications typically do not cause problems. However, large ingestions of estrogen and estradiol can cause bone marrow suppression, particularly in birds. Also, female Pets that have not been spayed are at an increased risk of side effects from estrogen poisoning.
7. ACE Inhibitors (e.g. Zestril, Altace): Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are occasionally used in Pets to treat high blood pressure. Though overdoses can cause low blood pressure, dizziness and weakness, this category of medication is typically quite safe. Pets ingesting small amounts of ACE inhibitors can potentially be monitored at home, unless they have kidney failure or heart disease.
8. Beta-Blockers (e.g. Tenormin, Toprol, Coreg): Beta-blockers are also used to treat high blood pressure, but small ingestions may cause serious poisoning in Pets. Overdoses can cause life-threatening decreases in blood pressure and a very slow heart rate.
9. Thyroid Hormones (e.g. Armour desiccated thyroid, Synthroid): If dogs accidentally get into thyroid hormones, they rarely have problems as dog doses tend to be higher than human doses of the same drugs. However, large acute overdoses in cats and dogs can cause muscle tremors, nervousness, panting a rapid heart rate and aggression.
10. Cholesterol Lowering Agents (e.g. Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor): These medications are often called “statins” and most ingestions of these drugs only cause mild vomiting or diarrhea. Serious side effects come from long-term use, not one-time ingestions.

If you suspect your Pet has been poisoned, it is best to immediately take your Pet to your Banfield veterinarian or an emergency veterinarian. In the event that you are unable to do that, you can contact Pet Poison Helpline at 1-800-213-6680 for initial information about the potential toxin your Pet may have been exposed to. Pet Poison Helpline is a service available 24 hours, seven days a week for Pet owners, veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Staff can provide treatment advice for poisoning cases of all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species. As the most cost-effective option for animal poison control care, Pet Poison Helpline’s fee of $35 per incident includes follow-up consultation for the duration of the poison case. You can also find additional information on poisonings at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.