What Human Medications Are Safe And Which Are Dangerous For Your Dog

"As a new dog owner, it can be confusing to know what foods to feed Badger and what medications are safe for him to take. When you get a headache, you reach for the Advil or acetaminophen and think nothing about taking either of them. If Badger injures himself on your hike, can you do the same? What if he cuts himself? It is difficult enough that Badger can't speak, so treating his pain is tricky enough without having to worry about what can harm him. There are actually some hard and fast rules to consider.

Anti-Inflammatories and Pain Relievers

Whether you suspect Badger has arthritis or he injured himself playing Frisbee when he jumped too high and landed funny, never, ever give him ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Both can cause organ damage and in some cases has been known to kill dogs. If Badger is a Badgerette and she is pregnant, either medication can cause spontaneous abortion - miscarriage or stillborn births. Although aspirin is Badger-safe, your best bet is to check with your vet. In a pinch you may use aspirin, but it's not a long term solution. Your vet has anti-inflammatory pills that are better. Up to 80 mg per 10 pounds is the recommended dosage no more than once daily. As with humans, aspirin can cause stomach upset. Watch for vomiting and/or dark stools. It is usually best to administer with food.

Benadryl

Do you get allergies to foods or pollen? So can Badger. If you notice puffiness around his eyes after your hikes in the woods, he probably inhaled some pollen. If you notice he sneezes uncontrollably following a meal, he is probably allergic to wheat, which is a common allergy in dogs (most commercial dog foods contain lots of wheat, despite the prevalence toward allergies to it). If you don't want to switch his diet, add up to 3 CCs of Benadryl to his food or before you go hiking.

Dramamine

When you take Badger for a car ride, instead of smelling the air and waving to all his friends on the road, does he throw up and look a little ""green""? Ah, poor guy gets carsick! Can you imagine how poorly he'd do on your cousin's boat? Believe it or not, Dramamine is safe for Badger. Up to 2 mg three times a day is fine to prevent him from decorating the backseat of your car or your cousin's boat deck.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Dogs cut their paw pads and skin all the time. Left to their own devices, they will leap tall buildings in a single bound and land on any number of things. Acrobats one minute, limping the next, you need something safe to clean out the wound before applying Animax, the doggy miracle cream. Hydrogen peroxide may be poured directly onto a cut, which irrigates it, cleans out the offending ""thing"" and cuts down on infection causing bacteria. When it foams, you know it's doing its job correctly. Add a little Animax (ask your doctor about it, he probably uses it on himself, it's so amazing) to the wound and in a few days Badger will be back to leaping tall buildings.

For Occasional Bouts of Diarrhea and Constipation

Like you, Badger can have stomach upset, accompanied by diarrhea or constipation. For the former, a little Kaopectate, Immodium and Pepto Bismol are safe to administer to him. Before administering, check with your vet on the dosage and his/her recommendations for how often. If Badger has constipation for longer than a day, it is safe to give him Metamucil. The approximate recommended dosage is about one teaspoon for of Badger's 20 pounds of body weight. You can mix it directly into his food or as a delicious shake with water and sardines or liver.

It is important to remember that Badger's physiology is vastly different from our own. Indeed he has the same organs but he processes food and chemicals differently from us and filters them at a slower rate than we do. Always check with your vet before administering any people medicine."

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