# Puppy ate Advil - very worried



## missalissab (Dec 9, 2013)

Hi everybody

We're having a bit of a sick-puppy emergency so I thought I would just post here in case anybody had any words of wisdom or support rather than spending the day googling and terrifying myself while I wait. 

We came home on Saturday night to find our seven month old puppy had chewed through a bottle of Advil. It didn't look like she'd eaten many (if any) but we took her to the vet after she started vomiting. They did some blood tests, checked her stools for blood and when everything came back normal (although bloods were high end of normal) they sent us away with some medication to prevent ulceration, told us to feed her chicken and rice and watch her closely. 

Last night she vomited a further 3 times and had a number of accidents in her bedroom over night (which she hasn't had since she was 3 months old). Late last night as she was sleeping on the sofa I noticed two large wet patches when she got up, and her thighs were all damp although I was with her and know she didn't get up to pee or vomit. 

Her bed this morning had the same kind of patch, although this time it was brown and discolored. I called the vet first thing and she's now been taken in for more tests, IVs and monitoring but I'm just really scared. 

She was lethargic last night but seems ok in herself today. I have to call back in a few hours for a progress report and am just praying that she's just irritated and dehydrated, but the strange wet patches seem like they could have been incontinence and I know that's really not a good thing.

I guess I'm just here to see if anybody had any wisdom or reassuring words. I know she's in the best place and is being closely watched, but I'm really worried. 

The vet told us that less than one tablet would be enough to cause her trouble which is really scary considering I have no idea how much she ate.

Thanks for letting me write this out.


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## [email protected] (Nov 18, 2013)

My advice for you will of necessity have to be general, since the risk of toxicity will depend upon your puppy's weight, the size of Ibuprofen tablets that were in the bottle, and the number that were ingested. 
Most over-the-counter Ibuprofen comes as 200mg tablets; the following discussion will assume that this was the size that you had: The lowest dose of Ibuprofen that has been shown to potentially cause stomach and intestinal ulcers is 8mg/kg (this would be 1/6 tablet in a 10 lbs dog and 1/3 tablet in a 20 lbs dog). At 16mg/kg virtually 100% of dogs will develop ulcers, although not all of these are necessarily severe (this would be 1/3 tablet in a 10 lbs dog and 2/3 tablet in a 20 lbs dog). This is the reason your veterinarian dispensed a gastroprotectant medication to you. At 50mg/kg most patients will begin to show clinical gastrointestinal symptoms--vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite, blood in stool, etc. (this would be 1 tablet in a 10 lbs dog and 2.5 tablets in a 20 lbs dog). At 250mg/kg kidney damage and/or kidney failure can occur (this would be 5.5 tablets in a 10 lbs dog and 11 tablets in a 20 lbs dog). In addition Ibuprofen decreases the effectiveness of the platelets in the blood, which can lead to bleeding. The risk of this is dose-dependent and can occur at any dose. Obviously there is a wide range of sensitivity to any medication, and patients may be affected at higher or lower dosages than those quoted.
The most common clinical symptoms of Ibuprofen toxicity (in order of decreasing frequency) are vomiting, depression, incoordination, bloody stool, increased urinating, and increased drinking.
From what you have told us, there is a very good chance that your puppy will do well. The vomiting is not unexpected, as is the diarrhea. The urinary incontinence may be secondary to increased drinking/urinating and would not be unusual. The dark spot that you describe may be from diarrhea (which would not be concerning) or may be from blood in the urine (which would indicate bleeding from the kidneys or bladder--which could be more serious). You were very wise to have your puppy checked right away and it is excellent that the bloodwork was normal. Good luck and let us know how everything turns out.


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## reynosa_k9's (Dec 14, 2007)

I had a healthy 7yr old GSD, 84lbs, that ate one ibuprofen tablet years back. He developed severe urinary incontinence from it, was put on medication to help with that. However, we were told the medication would eventually cause cancer. He ended up dying from kidney issues not too long afterwards.
I also knew of a Siberian Husky, young and healthy, that ate some ibuprofen (don't know how much though) and he soon died from kidney failure.
I'm not saying this to scare you but more to emphasize how important it it to make sure medications are stored where your pet cannot get to them. I know, this is a little late here but maybe others will take heed before they are faced with a similar situation.

I am truly sorry you're going through this and sorry I don't have any reassuring words for you. I so wish I did. Losing a beloved pet over such a small error is heartbreaking. I hope you have a better outcome than I did but I do think you need to prepare yourself for the worst.

If your baby does make it through I want to see pics of her smiling!

ETA: by the way, my dog did not have any vomiting, depression, uncoordination or bloody stools. The only symptoms he showed initally was the urinary incontinence.


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## missalissab (Dec 9, 2013)

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me - very much appreciated! Your explanation really is so helpful. I just spoke to the vet and they said that her kidney values have risen slightly since the last test so they're going to keep her on the fluids and intravenous medication for at least the next two days and then see where we go from there. They don't seem hugely alarmed at this stage but they want to keep a close eye on her until everything returns to normal. I'm exhausted with worry but am very happy that she's in good hands and getting round the clock care.

For info, she's a 40lb dog so it sounds like she might have eaten a few. Puppy parenting…so hard sometimes.


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## missalissab (Dec 9, 2013)

Thanks reynosa_k9's, and I'm so sorry for your loss. That must have been so hard. Everybody has been trying to reassure me that it'll all be ok but I do know how serious it can be. I'm just hoping that now she's in good hands we've given her the best chance of coming out of this. 

I completely agree with you about hoping this will be a warning to anybody who might have medications lying around - ours are normally locked away 24/7 but I'd literally just taken one and put it back on a shelf as I was rushing out rather than back in the cupboard. I didn't think for one second she'd be able to reach up there but she's curious and persistent and not a small puppy anymore. You're right, it's heartbreaking. Even knowing that she's going through all of this because of a mistake I made is pretty impossible.

Thank you for your kind words though. I'll let you know how she's getting on.


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## missalissab (Dec 9, 2013)

Hi everybody

Just a quick update to let you know that our wee girl is back home and doing fine. It was a scary few days but after 48 hours on fluids her kidney values normalized and she was allowed to come home. She's happier and hungrier than ever which we take as a very good sign! She still has a week on medication to stop any ulceration but so far, she seems to be making a very good recovery. Thanks again for all your support. I hope never to have to write anything like this ever again!

Happy holidays.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

First, I just wanted to say how relieved I was after reading the title to see that you had already taken her to the vet! So many new members come here, post about an incident like your pup had and haven't even called a vet yet, so thank you for being a good puppy parent!

Secondly, I'm glad that everything turned out okay and your pup is well. Nothing better than a happy ending!


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Happy that it is a good outcome! Thank goodness!


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