What to do if your dog eats ibuprofen (e.g., Advil) | Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT, Board-certified Veterinary Specialist
In the past few weeks, I’ve had multiple dog owners bring in their dog for Advil (e.g., ibuprofen) poisoning. While this is “treatable,” the past few cases have been frustrating to treat. Want to know why?
Because the pet owners brought their dogs in too late…
The last two pet owners waited 4-12 hours to bring their dogs in. They tried to induce vomiting at home, and while they dogs vomited, they didn’t seek further care until hours later, when their dog continued to vomit. Little did they know that the sooner that you seek veterinary attention for treatment, the better the prognosis, the more your dog can be treated, and the less damage it will cause them! These owners didn’t know this, and ended up having to pay more for treatment as a result, with more damage to their dogs in the process!
If your dog eats ibuprofen, you want to seek veterinary attention immediately. Not 3-4 hours after your dog ingests Advil. Not after you’ve tried to induce vomiting several times and are waiting at home for hours to get him (or her) to vomit. Get to the vet now. Even if it means having to get up in the middle of the night to get to an emergency veterinarian.
First, why is ibuprofen poisonous?
Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that has anti-inflammatory properties. Common OTC human NSAIDs include active ingredients such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium. Examples of human NSAIDs include Advil®, Aleve®, certain types of Motrin®, etc. NOTE: You should never give any of these human NSAIDs to your dog (or cat), as it is very poisonous! Instead, there are safer veterinary NSAIDs that we use; however, these ALSO can be poisonous if ingested in large amounts. Examples of veterinary NSAIDs include carprofen, deracoxib, etogesic, previcoxib, etc.
NSAIDs like this are very poisonous to dogs & cats! Get to a veterinarian immediately if your pet got into this!
With NSAID toxicosis, the gastrointestinal tract (e.g., stomach, ingestines), kidneys, central nervous system (e.g., brain), and platelets can be affected. Cats and certain breeds of dogs (e.g., German shepherds) seem to be more sensitive to NSAIDs, and should be treated aggressively. With cats, severe acute kidney injury (AKI) is often more clinically seen with NSAID toxicosis at lower doses (as compared to dogs). With dogs, signs secondary to GI ulceration (e.g., vomiting, diarrhea, black tarry stool, vomiting blood, etc.) are more commonly seen initially, followed by secondary AKI.
Clinical signs of NSAID poisoning include:
- Not eating
- Vomiting
- Vomiting blood
- Diarrhea
- Black-tarry stool (melena)
- A painful abdomen
- Lethargy
- Bad breath
- Dehydration
Treatment for ibuprofen poisoning in dogs & cats includes aggressive intravenous fluids
So how do we treat ibuprofen poisoning in dogs and cats?
Treatment should be initiated immediately, depending on what dose your dog or cat got into. This includes immediate decontamination (e.g., inducing vomiting if your dog isn’t already vomiting, and if the ibuprofen was recently ingested), administration of activated charcoal (to bind up the poison from the stomach and intestines), then getting blood work immediately. Depending on the dose ingested, further treatment will include anti-vomiting medication, stomach protectants (e.g., H2 blockers like Pepcid-AC, sucralfate), aggressive IV fluid therapy (to help maintain renal blood flow), and symptomatic and supportive care. If the dose ingested was a kidney failure dose (which will depend on what type of NSAID it is), blood work typically needs to be performed every 24 hours for 2-3 days while your dog is hospitalized to make sure that kidney failure hasn’t developed.
When in doubt, call your veterinarian, your emergency veterinarian, or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 for life-saving advice (24/7!).
You can check out this video to learn more about human medications that are poisonous to pets here. Again, when in doubt, contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.
.my Dogg ate 200mg of advil I don’t have any money I just moved to this state .and I don’t know what to do! Within a 30 min ago
Depends on the weight of your dog. I would call ASPCA ASAP as they may be able to help you with inducing vomiting.
Is there any one out there who’s dog was given an Advil like dose appropriate? Its kinda scary to know how sick a dog can get….yet we are able to take this ( appropriately dosed) without our kidneys shutting down….Is this a sham for vets to make us cashcows?
Um no. As the only board-certified toxicologist and criticalist in the world, I can vouch and attest that there is NO therapeutic dose of Advil for use in dogs. You metabolize drugs differently than your dogs. There are dog-specific NSAIDS that are safer.
My 27 lbs cockapoo just swallowed 1 mini liquid gel 200 mg Advil . I gave her lots of water to drink, hopefully to flush it out. Should I need to bring her to Pet ER place? I don’t even know where there’s 1. We still have the lockdown for convid19 here.
The longer you wait, the worst the prognosis. Vets are open for emergency care so you can get to an emergency vet. That said, I’d recommend calling ASPCA Animal Poison Control, a non-profit animal poison control ASAP as they may be able to give you guidance for at home care at this dose!
My dog (miniature schnauzer) ate three 200 mg of Advil. I got her to the Emergency Vet Clinic within about an hour. I had given her peroxide to vomit but she didn’t. Do you think I got her the treatment she needed in time??? I am praying I did before she got any gastrointestinal problems. Thank you.
Yes sounds like you got here there in time! Rest assured in that they can decontaminate and give charcoal, treat with IV fluids and stomach protectants and after 2 days of hospitalization, prognosis is generally good! Best of luck!
My dog ate a bunch of Motrin pills and I didn’t know that pills were poisonous to dogs so it took her a few hours to get to the vet, do you think she’ll be ok?
It depends on the dose – have your vet call ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center if needed. The longer delay in getting to the vet, the bigger the danger as it’s too late to decontaminate, so you want to get to an ER vet even in the middle of the night! Best of luck.
My dog ate 15 Advil last night and we took her to the vet and they induced vomiting and sent her home. She won’t keep anything down and keeps throwing up her food. What should we do?
You definitely need to et back to the vet right away – what weight is your dog and were they 200 mg tablets? It could still be very poisonous and IV fluids and antivomiting medication may be needed!
my shepherd ate quite a few 800mg ibuprofen pills and seems ok should i be worried? this was about 2 hours ago
When in doubt, you need to call ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center immediately – as German shepherds are at higher risk. In general, 50 mg/kg or above can cause stomach ulcers, and really high doses can cause kidney failure and worse. It depends on what dose your dog got into but at 2 hours, it’s too late to induce vomiting and I would contact your vet immediately.
My cat just ate one 200mg Advil. I don’t have any vet around! What can I do? Please inform me asap! It isn’t vomiting!
You need to get to a vet right away as that’s super poisonous and can cause kidney failure. There is NO safe medication you can give at home to induce vomiting in a cat and immediate veterinary treatment is needed.
My dog chewed a neurofen capsule could this be fatal
Yes. I would seek veterinary attention immediately instead of posting under comments, as it’s unfortunately too late too decontaminate now.
My golden doodle just swallowed 200mg of Advil. should we induce her to throw up or should we drive her to a vet? poison control isn’t picking up the line.
Depends on the weight of your dog. I’d call ASPCA asap at (888) 426-4435
My 45 lbs dog ingested 400 mg of ibuprofen. Would this warrant a visit to the emergency room?
I have a 140 lb Italian mastiff. He ate a generic 200mg ibuprofen when my back was turned. Do you think I should take him in?
Thankfully, your dog is so big, it shouldn’t be an issue but I would call ASPCA APCC to be safe in case your dog has other related medical problems!
My 70 pound golden retriever just ate a 400mg Advil 20 minutes ago, just left for the vet that’s 45 min away to induce vomiting, will he be ok?
So, we have brothers. Pit bull/Catahoula Leopard mixes. They just turned a year old today. Both are a little mischievous and found a bottle of Ibupofen in my work bookbag. Im unsure how many exactly were left in the bottle but, the bottle was chewed and there were only 3 pills left. Both boys ( between 60 and 70 pounds) along with my smaller dog all “shared” the bottle. They threw up for about 2 days, and as we didnt know the toxicity, we thought they’d work it out of their system. That was Saturday, its early Tuesday morning and we’ve had no more vomit, no blood in the vomit or stool before. Now, I’m noticing they are peeing, a lot, and sometimes laying down like they don’t know or cant control it. Im worried. I’ve been administering 10cc of Carafate to each. And feeding them boiled chicken, rice, and scrambled eggs. Will this work and blow over, or do I need to make a trip to the vet?
Yup, they are likely in kidney failure as a result of not getting IMMEDIATE veterinary care when they got into it DAYS ago. It’s too late to get the poison out of them, but if you value their kidneys, you need to get to a vet asap for blood work and fluid therapy.
On Friday February 28, my 3 boys (2 pit mixes and 1 small unknown) decided to share a bottle of Ibuprofen. They started vomiting instantly that day. And did so through Sunday the 1st of March. No blood in either stool or vomit. Unknown to us, we didnt know the toxicity, and we thought it would work it’s way out. By Sunday when the vomiting continued (but slowed) we wondered. So we started giving them 10cc of Carafate. There has been no puke since early Sunday morning. It’s currently 2am Tuesday. Still no vomiting or blood. I’ve been feeding them boiled chicken, rice, and scrambled eggs. Today I noticed they’ve been urinating ALOT. And sometimes it happens in their sleep. Is this the body metabolizing and flushing it out? Will it pass? Or is this something that is going to require further vet care? They play, eat, and act normal. I just want to know if my boys will be okay.
Incontinence is a sign of the poisoning from what I have read.
I hope all is well
As a veterinary expert in this area, I can tell you that that is highly unlikely unless your dog went into kidney failure due to late treatment.
My 7lb chihuahua ingested between 66-75mg of ibuprofen today. Luckily I saw it immediately and rushed him to the vet. W/in 15 min of him ingesting it they were pumping his stomach and administering charcoal. They also sent me home w/ meds to prevent ulcers. Do you think he’ll be ok? He’s been really lethargic since we got home but I know he went through a traumatic experience and is probably just wiped out. Thoughts? I’m still really scared.
Yes, so glad you sought immediate care. Thankfully, it’s unlikely to be a dose that causes kidney failure!
Do you let your dog drink water if you think they may have taken an Advil?
Yes but you need to get to the vet or call ASPCA to see if it’s a poisonous dose.
I’m not quite sure if my dog got into Advil?! I came out of the room and the pills were on the floor spread out, she’s tiny (9 lbs) and doesn’t tend to eat things, just plays with them. Not sure what to do!
Thanks!
You need to get her to a VET ASAP for decontamination as 2 pills can kill her, as she’s so small!
I gave my shih tzu maybe half amount of 200mg advil. Its to late to realize it was a wrong idea. I’m worried because she was shivering and panting, realizing she was in pain so i gave her the med which is wrong move.
What can I do without any getting to vet? Any advice for home remedies?
I’d call ASPCA Animal Poison Control center to get guidelines for home remedies for stomach protectants, etc. as they need to calculate the dose asap!
i gave one tablet of ibuprofen and my dog tongue comes out and she does not eat food and approx 24 hr spend
Depending on the size of the dog, this is poisonous. Never give any human medication to your pets without consulting a veterinarian.
7# yorkie are a 200 mg Motrin (chewed it up ). Within 20 minutes had him at the vet where they induced vomiting. He seemed fine all night but today around noon threw up a small amount of yellowish vomit with food in it. Will he be ok?? They put him on a small does of prolilosec. Thank you!
Hi Kathleen, that’s about 67 mg/kg which can result in severe gastric ulcers. He should have gotten a dose of charcoal and some antivomiting medication. I’d call your vet for some antivomiting medication and maybe a stomach coater called sucralfate (100 mg/ml) for at least 5-7 days.
My dog who is about 15lbs and 13 weeks old ate an unspecified (large) amount of 200mg ibeprofen… within about 30min he threw up A LOT and that’s when we knew he got into it and rushed him to the vet. Is there a likelihood that he will be okay?
Yes but needs to get anti-vomiting medication, charcoal and antacids ASAP! When in doubt, contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center ASAP!
I think my jack ate a motrin she got sick and vomited and isnt eating been like this for 3 days i thought she just wasnt feeling good. Im going to take her to the vet when they open is it too late for her and will she die if she has eaten motrin?
It depends on her weight, the size of the motrin, the active ingredient (sometimes it’s naproxen, which is way worse). She sounds like she definitely needs fluids under her skin, an injection of an antivomiting medication (and some to go home with, like Cerenia), stomach protectants, and blood work! When in doubt, you should always get to a vet IMMEDIATELY if you think your pet is poisoned, as now she’s already sick from it.