Sharing is a good thing, except...

A lot of us notice along the way that many of the medications we give our animals are the same ones we take ourselves. And often, when we go online for answers, there are suggestions that we delve into our own medicine cabinets for remedies for our cats and dogs. But a few caveats here—not everything is safe, and we do need to be really careful.

Never, ever, ever give your animal acetaminophen, or any NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.). And be really careful about where you leave your own bottles of these medications. You'd be surprised how much fun they can look to a dog looking for something to chew, or a cat looking for a toy to bat around. 

Cough syrups and decongestants can have yummy flavors, and also contain alcohol along with much more dangerous things like pseudoephedrine. This acts like a stimulant and can cause the heart to race, blood pressure to skyrocket, body temperature to rise, and can even cause seizures. 

We often are told to use Benedryl for itching, and there is nothing wrong with that short-term, but make sure you cut the dosage according to body weight. A typical adult dose for any medicine is based on about 120 pounds, so you have to adjust and may have to purchase a pill cutter in order to get the pills in small enough bits. Good luck—most pills crumble and cause you to curse. Better too little than too much, though, so tread lightly when parceling out the powdered stuff. Hide it in butter, or peanut butter (always fun to watch!), cheese, phily cream cheese, tuna juice, whatever your little friend loves most. Try to cover up the powder fully—this stuff is bitter, and if it touches their tongue, they will spit.

For diarrhea, don't be too quick to rush to the Immodium, Kaopectate, Pepto Bismol, or Milk of Magnesia. Please always check with your vet before using any of these. Some of these CANNOT be used for cats, and none of them really have proven to have much efficacy. A much better solution is a bland diet of rice and chicken or ground beef, for instance, for a few days. 

So, although we share a lot, there are things we should not share. Share your love, your snuggles, kisses and even your dinner. But not your ibuprofen or your cough syrup, please!

-Woof!