My vet told me OTC meds can kill cats

[bctbct]

Anyone ever heard this? Specifcally he said that tylenol, antihistimines, and some other over the counter meds will kill cats.

I have never heard this, btw he said most meds are fine for dogs.

 

[Eli]

Think of how big a cat is.

 

[bctbct]

I am quite sure that he meant even if you reduce the dosage.

 

[Kelemvor]

Why would you give your cat tylenol?

Animals bosies are physiologically very different than humans so I'd just assume that human medications were bad for animals unless specifically told by your vet that a certain type in a certain dose is OK.

http://www.vetinfo.com/catmed.html

Question: Hi Dr Mike:

I have a question about Acetaminophen (Tylenol?). The
Receptionist at our local veterinarian told us never to give our cats
a Tylenol? and NOT to give them ASPIRIN unless the Doctor oks it. Is that true? And what about Ibuprofen?


Answer: Acetaminophen is very toxic to cats and
this medication should simply never be used to treat a cat. Aspirin has a
long half life in cats, at least 24 to 48 hours, so it will reach toxic
levels pretty quickly if it is given more frequently than once every 48
hours and the dosage is 10mg/lb so a baby aspirin (81mg) is a much more
appropriate dosage for a cat than an adult aspirin. I have not seen much
information on ibuprofen and cats but it is a good idea to avoid all
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications in cats, at least until one of
them does prove to be safe in someone's clinical trials.

Mike Richards, DVM
3/10/2001

 

[jagec]

Why would you give your cat meds anyway? Besides wormers, of course.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: jagec
Why would you give your cat meds anyway? Besides wormers, of course.

I have to give my cat allergy pills every now & then. About this time of year she starts scratching/grooming herself until she has bald & bloody patches. Half of a chlor-trimeton twice a day solves the problem.

It's like $3 for a bottle that will last many years at the rate she uses them, so why not?

Viper GTS

 

[bctbct]

I have always given OTC drugs to our dogs, the vet sometimes tells us to. Just had never heard that cats were not to have them.

 

[newmachineoverlord]

NSAID's in general are quite dangerous and dosages are always species specific. Dogs can bleed to death abdominally from a single pill if you did't look up the right dosage/drug. Always consult a DVM or veterinary pharmacology text. otc drugs labeled for dogs can kill cats, especially flea/tick stuff.

People don't think of tylenol as dangerous, but it is a potent hepatotoxin. OTC pain pills are far more dangerous than many prescription drugs (ie birth control pills.)

 

[ballmode]

hehehehehe

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: bctbct
I have always given OTC drugs to our dogs, the vet sometimes tells us to. Just had never heard that cats were not to have them.

That's the trick. Administer OTC meds that your vet recommends.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

definitely bad for them...even a single tylenol can kill a cat and also a small dog IIRC

 

[KarenMarie]

why would you want to give a cat medicine that was designed for ppl?

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: KarenMarie
why would you want to give a cat medicine that was designed for ppl?

not necessarily on purpose. It caught my interest when I heard it because on more than one occasion I have dropped a tylenol in the bathroom or somewhere and not immediately picked it up, especially if the room is spinning a bit whern I'm getting it. 😀 Now I make sure I do.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats

Originally posted by: KarenMarie
why would you want to give a cat medicine that was designed for ppl?

not necessarily on purpose. It caught my interest when I heard it because on more than one occasion I have dropped a tylenol in the bathroom or somewhere and not immediately picked it up, especially if the room is spinning a bit whern I'm getting it. 😀 Now I make sure I do.

The shocking thing about this post is the implication that you are taking Tylenol while drinking. A big no-no.

 

[MrChad]

I have seen small doses of ibuprofen cause liver failure in cats, so I'm not surprised that Tylenol or aspirin would have similar effects.

 

[doze]

Vet told me to give dog a half of baby aspirin when he was a puppy and got a bunch of shots so I imagine that much would be safe for a cat too. A whole aspirin would probably be a bit much for a cat or small dog though.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: doze
Vet told me to give dog a half of baby aspirin when he was a puppy and got a bunch of shots so I imagine that much would be safe for a cat too.

Bad assumption. Very different species, different chemistries. For example, feeding a cat only dog food can make the cat go blind.

ZV

 

[brxndxn]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: jagec
Why would you give your cat meds anyway? Besides wormers, of course.

I have to give my cat allergy pills every now & then. About this time of year she starts scratching/grooming herself until she has bald & bloody patches. Half of a chlor-trimeton twice a day solves the problem.

It's like $3 for a bottle that will last many years at the rate she uses them, so why not?

Viper GTS

sounds to me like your cat has ear mites.. they're very common.