An Aberdeenshire vet is warning dog owners to keep medications out of reach after a greedy Spaniel needed emergency treatment.
Jack, a mischievous one-year old Sprocker, had to be rushed to Donview Veterinary Centre in Inverurie after eating a box of human anti-inflammatory pain killers called naproxen.
Naproxen, a common medicine that can be bought without prescription to reduce inflammation and pain, is highly toxic to both dogs and cats. Even eating one of the tablets could potentially have proved fatal or caused acute kidney failure and gastrointestinal ulcers.
Jack stole the tablets, which had been stored in a ground-level cupboard at the Aberdeen home of owner Mark Anderson.
Quick-thinking by Mark, who immediately range Donview Vets to ask for advice before being advised to bring his much-loved pet to the practice, ensured Jack was none the worse for his actions.
The veterinary team induced vomiting and gave him liquid charcoal to absorb any toxic fluids in his stomach. Jack was also hospitalised and given intra-venus fluids for 24 hours to prevent damage to his kidneys and sent home with medications to protect his stomach from ulceration.
Donview Vets Clinical Director Charlie Carnochan said: “It’s common for us to see pets that have eaten medication, but we have never had a case where one tablet could be fatal.
“It was a happy outcome for Jack, but it could have been worse. He was home after 24 hours but has been coming back to the practice for blood tests, which have shown that everything is fine. Jack’s owner was quick of the mark to speak to us about it so we were able to take advice from the Veterinary Poisons Information Service and act swiftly.”
Charlie added: “As well as naproxen many people have ibuprofen in their homes, which is also highly toxic. The toxic effects of ibuprofen and naproxen in dogs and cats include kidney damage that can lead to kidney failure and severe stomach irritation that can progress to stomach ulcers.
“We always recommend that medication, including veterinary treatment, is kept out of reach of pets and that owners contact their vets at the earliest opportunity for advice and guidance.”
Mark who has owned Jack since he was a puppy, found the ripped-up naproxen box and chewed up tablets when he returned home from work at Aberdeen Airport.
Mark said: “They were in a box under a unit in the kitchen, but Jack is a scavenger, so he managed to get in and steal them. Being so young, he has a habit of chewing everything, I found fragments of the tablets on the floor and quickly googled to check the dangers and then rang the vets.
“He knew he had done wrong and was in trouble as he was looking sorry for himself, although he wasn’t unwell. The team at Donview responded quickly to help him and whisked him away after we arrived at the practice.
“The tables perhaps weren’t in the best place and we’ll be more vigilant now about what’s at ground level as Jack is so energetic and curious.”
