Dogs are animals full of curiosity. They often bite objects around them and try to eat anything they see. If all the dog gets is food, there’s nothing to worry about. But sometimes, we don’t keep an eye on our dogs until they can eat drugs like Excedrin that we put in the medicine box or accidentally fall on the floor. My dog ate Excedrin, and I am concerned about its effect on my canine friend.
What to do if my dog ate an Excedrin? It’s true if you feel worried when your dog eats Excedrin. This medication is harmful to dogs because there are three potential toxic ingredients. If these three toxic ingredients are digested in specific doses, it can be lethal for your dog.
We must know what makes our dogs dangerous when eating Excedrin. Let’s read this article to the end.
What Is Excedrin?
Excedrin is a migraine drug that is widely used in the United States as a headache pain reliever. This drug is popular as a human pain killer and a cocktail of three different drugs, one drug to boost analgesic effect and two painkillers.
Because there are two painkillers in one drug, many assume giving Excedrin for dogs when their pet has pain in any part of their body. It is wrong because Excedrin is not appropriate for dogs. My dog ate an Excedrin by accident, and I don’t want that to happen again.
Can Dogs Have Excedrin For Pain?
It’s not recommended to have an Excedrin for your dogs. This medicine is generally unsafe for dogs. My dog ate an Excedrin, and I immediately consulted the vet about how much my dog was eating and asked what actions I could take to help.
At first, I did not think that Excedrin for dogs was safe. After I tried asking the vet, I was forbidden to give it to dogs because the content in Excedrin can be harmful to dogs at specific doses.
Can I Give My Dog Excedrin?
Giving any highly toxic drugs to dogs is a risky thing. You need to learn about Excedrin migraine dangers, such as the dangerous ingredients that make your dog have a severe condition if he eats Excedrin.
Do not give your dog Excedrin even if your dog has pain in their joints or certain parts. It’s better to bring your dog to the vet to get a proper medical examination without deciding for yourself what medication is right for your dog.
My dog ate an Excedrin once, and I’m sorry to let that happen. Luckily no severe effects occurred to my dog when it happened.
What Happens When A Dog Eats Excedrin?
My dog ate an Excedrin once and vomited after a few hours. Luckily I brought it with a small dose. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I dosed my dog that much. The effects other than vomiting are weakness, depression, a high heart rate, rapid breathing, drooling, and abdominal pain.
If you think Excedrin is for dogs for dog pain relief, it’s a big mistake. Your dog will get sicker and make their condition worse.
Is Excedrin Safe For Dogs?
No. Excedrin is not safe for dogs. If your dog is sick, the only way is to take your dog to the vet. Every medicine recommended by the vet has been measured according to the pet’s needs and will solve the problem quickly. If there are side effects, your vet knows what to do.
The condition was different when my dog ate an Excedrin. I don’t know what to do when my dog starts vomiting. I could only contact the vet because I was afraid that something worse would happen.
Can Dogs Have Human Excedrin?
Never give Excedrin to your dogs. There is no Excedrin for dogs that is safe and can relieve the dog’s pain. Your dog’s condition can be fatal if exposed to toxic ingredients inside the drug. Human medications should not be taken by dogs under any circumstances.
Turns out I’m not the only one who has experienced this. Many “my dog ate an Excedrin” accidents are because canine owners don’t know what to give their pets, or dogs eat them by accident. Many dogs get weak after eating Excedrin.
What Happens If A Dog Eats Acetaminophen?
The toxicity of acetaminophen may appear 1-4 hours after ingestion by dogs. If the dose eaten by the dog is large enough, your dog can get liver damage and methemoglobinemia (decreasing red blood cells’ ability).
My dog ate an Excedrin at a small amount. At that time the only symptom my dog showed was vomiting. Many dog conditions are more severe such as weakness, panting, abdominal pain, and rapid breathing.
Take your dog to the vet for any symptoms your pet shows. Even if your dog is not drooling or vomiting, your dog’s condition can still worsen due to Excedrin’s toxic ingredients.
What Happens If A Dog Eats Headache Medicine?
Humans’ medication is not designed to solve problems with your pet. There is no specific recommendation from the vet to give some drugs that work for humans because humans are much stronger than pets.
For example, I can recover from migraines with Excedrin, but not my dog. My dog ate an Excedrin and got sick. I had to take him to the vet to receive treatment. My vet recommends to me not to be careless in giving human medication again. We can not know in detail the drug content that can be lethal in our beloved pet.
How Much Excedrin Is Dangerous For Dogs?
Excedrin is available in capsule or tablet form. Each piece of Excedrin contains 250 mg of aspirin, 250 mg of acetaminophen, and 65 mg of caffeine. Aspirin and acetaminophen can have adverse effects on your dog, depending on the dog’s size.
My dog ate an Excedrin and vomited because my dog had aspirin poisoning. Aspirin is safe for dogs if used between 5 to 10 mg per kg body weight. For example, some dogs ate 2 Excedrin extra-strength tablets. If the dog weighs less than 25 kilograms, it is much easier for the dog to be exposed to aspirin.
My Dog Ate An Extra Strength Excedrin Tab – Is It Okay?
It depends on how big your dog’s size is. Acetaminophen is safe for dogs if the dose is not up to 75 mg per kg of body weight. This calculation applies to multiples. Your dog can be affected by the side effects of aspirin or acetaminophen.
The effect of caffeine on Excedrin is not as harmful to dogs, but it can still have bad side effects such as seizures, rapid breathing, and irregular heartbeat. My dog ate an Excedrin and doesn’t show any good signs. I’m glad to take my dog straight to the vet before his condition gets worse.
Will Excedrin Hurt A Dog?
Yes, specific doses make Excedrin hurt a dog. Two painkillers, aspirin, and acetaminophen can produce side effects and might be lethal. No Excedrin for dogs that goes well. Never give this medication to dogs under any circumstances.
Drug poisoning can make a dog’s condition worse. It depends on how many doses your dog has eaten. The smaller your dog’s size, the riskier it is to their health. If your dog doesn’t show symptoms right away, your dog could get liver damage.
My dog ate an Excedrin should be a reminder for you not to make the same mistake. Seeing our dog getting weak after we give a drug that has a bad effect will make every owner regret it.
Can Excedrin Kill A Dog?
Excedrin is not only dangerous but can be lethal for dogs. Your dog is not instantly killing a dog but will show some side effects 1-4 hours after consumption. My dog ate an Excedrin, and no lethal conditions happened, but that’s because my dog didn’t eat a full tablet.
If you already know the dangers of Excedrin and see your dog accidentally eat one or more tablets, do not induce vomiting. There’s no need to induce vomiting if the medicine is being digested. In this condition, seeing a vet is mandatory and not optional.
Can Dogs Have Excedrin For Pain?
Excedrin has toxic ingredients for dogs, and there is no good reason to give this medicine to your dog. If your dog is in pain, there are still many drugs that can be prescribed by a vet without having to give bad side effects for your pet.
Excedrin for dogs has never had a good effect or relieved the dog’s pain. Your dog will only suffer because of aspirin poisoning or acetaminophen poisoning. Try to supervise your dog for the next 1-4 hours if your dog shows any poisoning symptoms.
If you’re not sure what you can do for your dog, taking your dog to the vet is the best action.
What To Do If Your Dog Eats Excedrin?
See a vet immediately. Tell the vet how much your dog has taken Excedrin tablets or capsules and what symptoms the dog is starting to show. Let your dog vomit while traveling without you having to force it.
Count how long after your dog has eaten Excedrin. A veterinarian can help your dog to reduce the symptoms that will be raised by Excedrin and avoid fatal events that will occur.
My dog ate an Excedrin and threw up several times until I finished taking him to the vet for a medical examination. There is nothing specific you can do when your dog has eaten Excedrin. What you need to do is prevent the dog from eating more.
Prevention is better than cure. Keep Excedrin out of the reach of dogs.
Is Excedrin Bad For Dogs?
Let’s recap what Excedrin can cause for dogs. Caffeine poisoning can cause dogs’ rapid breathing, seizures, and abnormal heartbeats. Aspirin poisoning can make dogs vomit and have bloody diarrhea.
Two of the three ingredients of Excedrin are the right reasons why Excedrin is bad for dogs. There is still acetaminophen which is another toxic ingredient with many side effects. The table below will show the symptoms when your dog is exposed to acetaminophen toxicity.
Signs of Acetaminophen Toxicity in Dogs | Explanation |
Discolored gums | Gray and brown-colored and mucous membranes |
Swelling and edemas | Swelling on neck, face, feet, and legs |
Abnormal breathing | Fast and labored breathing |
Jaundice | Yellowish skin and whites of the eye |
Hypothermia | Decreased body temperature |
Lethargy | Lack of energy |
Coma | Unresponsive dogs but still breathing with adequate pulses. |
Seeing the many possible side effects when your dog eats Excedrin, keeping this drug away from dogs is the right step. Whatever medication you have for pain relief, don’t give it to your dog. Humans and dogs have different resilience and needs.
Final Verdict – My Dog Ate An Excedrin
Excedrin has three toxic ingredients that are bad for dogs. The ingredients are aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine. Each Excedrin tablet or capsule contains 250 mg of aspirin, 250 mg of acetaminophen, and 65 mg of caffeine.
Dogs can only receive 75 mg of acetaminophen per kg of bodyweight, 5-10 mg of aspirin per kg of body weight, and 150 mg of caffeine per kg of bodyweight. The level of Excedrin toxicity is determined by the size of your dog and how much your dog consumes it.
Excedrin can make your dog weak, depressed, vomiting, drooling, rapid breathing, abnormal heartbeat, or other lethal conditions. Never give a human’s painkiller to a dog without the advice of a vet.
As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet dog a good and comfortable life!
Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️
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