Can I Give My Dog Advil

Can I give my dog Advil? The short answer is no. Advil is dangerous and toxic to dogs. For more details, read on.

Advil General Description

The question comes up fairly often (too often): Can I give my dog Advil? For people Advil might be great, but it is not so for dogs. Advil (aka Ibuprofen) is a medicine containing a drug called Ibuprofen that is meant for use by humans. It is an over-the-counter drug frequently used to help with painful conditions like arthritis, rheumatism, muscle soreness, and even pain resulting from wounds. Ibuprofen is probably one of the only drug available without prescription that is effective in case of minor migraine pain. Because of its effectiveness, this medicine is typically found in any average household medicine cabinet in case of emergency. It is very often given as the first aid treatment for headaches, migraines as well as other minor aches and pains.

Advil

Drug: Ibuprofen
Common Name: Advil®, Midol®, Motrin®
Drug Type: Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory (NSAID)
Used For: Pain, Fever

It is understandably difficult to watch our pets suffer, after all, cats and dogs bring such joy and happiness to our lives! All dog parents want their pup to live a long, healthy joyful life free of pain. However, like humans, animals are susceptible to being sick or hurt and suffer many of the same ailments associated with old age like arthritis and joint pain. One particular traits of humans is to toss drugs at a health problem until the problem goes away. This is certainly not the best approach for humans and even less for pets, especially without consulting a veterinarian first; medicine intended for human uses may not be appropriate for animals and can even be dangerous. Ibuprofen is a time-tested medicine that has been proven safe and effective for humans, but is Advil something you can safely give your dog if he is in pain, has a fever, or has trouble with his joints?

Can I Give My Dog Advil?

So, can you give a dog Advil? When it comes to managing pain, we can’t as humans, think that dogs feel the same as we do because they don’t. Even for us humans, pain is sometimes necessary, it lets us know that it’s time to take it easy, and rest… Dogs are much less sensitive to pain than we are thus much better about managing it. If a dog is really in agonizing pain, it will cry and yelp until the pain is gone, otherwise, you might not even notice that your pup is suffering because he is managing it by resting and making the appropriate choices to ease the pain. If you see that your puppy is not as playful as he normally is or seems a bit lethargic and not as active as usual, or maybe he is limping a bit, he could be experiencing some sort of pain that he is trying to adapt to and cope with. So, should you give your fur baby some Advil to ease his pain?

Answer: No

In most cases Advil or ibuprofen based pain killers are dangerous and potentially mortal for dogs because most pups are very sensitive to this drug and can experience the ill effects of intense toxicity, this condition is known as “Ibuprofen Toxicity”. Ingestion of Advil can be life threatening for your dog. So if you ask somepets.com “Can I give my dog Ibuprofen?“ we answer “No, Advil is highly toxic to dogs!

Some veterinarians will instead prescribe Rimadyl (aka Carpofen), an NSAID that works for pain relief in dogs. It too though can be hard on the liver, so ask about proper side effects, dosing and blood tests to monitor liver values while you dog is taking the drug.

Possible Side Effects of Ibuprofen (Advil)

If you dog ingests Advil, he or she may exhibit the following signs of ibuprofen toxicity. Do not wait to see these, visit a veterinarian immediately if your dog ingests Advil.