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Accidental Overdose

Melissa called in a panic Saturday afternoon.  She had stepped out for just a few minutes and returned to find her purse chewed open, an empty bottle of Rimadyl with the cap chewed off in Maija’s kennel.

Rimadyl is a flavored chewable medication we commonly prescribe when pain and inflammation control are needed.  In overdose situations, it is extremely dangerous.  To make things more confusing – all 3 of Melissa’s dogs – Maija, Annie and Toby were possible suspects.

Melissa felt confident that Maija was the primary culprit since the bottle was in her kennel.  I had her immediately bring all 3 dogs to the clinic and induced vomiting with apomorphine.

Searching through the vomit was inconclusive as to which dog or dogs had ingested the Rimadyl.

Melissa knew how many tablets had been taken from the bottle for treatment so we were able to calculate the total amount of Rimadyl consumed.  This amount was 4 times the dose needed to cause kidney and liver failure as well as stomach and intestinal ulceration in any of the 3 dogs.

After a discussion with Melissa – it was decided to concentrate our initial treatment on Maija and monitor Toby and Annie for abnormal behavior.

Maija was hospitalized and preventative therapy was instituted immediately – intravenous fluids, stomach protectant, antacids and anti-vomiting medication.

Maija was a great patient and handled all of her treatments well.   48 hours later, her blood work  results were normal  and she was able to return home to Melissa soon after that milestone.

Annie and Toby both had normal blood work as well and showed no symptoms of toxicity.

This case provides several lessons for everyone involved.  Both veterinarians and pet owners prefer chewable, good tasting medication because of their ease of administration.   Pets see them as treats and given the opportunity – will eat them all at once causing the potential for overdose.  All pain medications similar to Rimadyl have no specific antidotes in case of overdose and the pets do not show symptoms until organ damage is extensive and often permanent.

If you have chewable, good tasting medication for yourself or your pets – please take extra precautions that will ensure that your pets cannot get into it.  Remember – they can smell medications even if they can’t see them.  Also – if an overdose occurs – call your veterinarian immediately.  If you wait for symptoms to occur, treatment may be too late.