Over The Counter Nsaids For Cats

Many common pain relievers have seriously harmful effects for cats.

Over the counter nsaids for cats.

The fda hasn t approved any nsaids for long term pain management but certain ones are cleared for short term use in cats. Nsaids are usually the first line of defense. Aspirin acetylsalicylic acid asa. Robenacoxib falls under the coxib class of nsaids similar to brands like vioxx or celebrex for human use.

Since the nsaid ibuprofen was released as an over the counter tablet it has generated more calls to the national animal poison control center by dog and cat owners than has any other single drug. Here s why over the counter otc pain medications for people can be dangerous for cats and which medications should be used instead. Opioids opioids are used for more severe pain. For example acetaminophen tylenol is toxic and can be fatal in cats.

Without specific instructions from your veterinarian don t give nsaids to cats. Examples of nsaids include. This is especially true of pain medications like nonsteroidal anti inflammatories nsaids and tylenol acetaminophen. Dogs appear to be more sensitive to the adverse effects of blocking cox 1.

Nsaids are available as a liquid tablet or injection and are available for most species including dogs cats and rabbits. Never use human medications for your pet unless advised by your vet. Never give your cat an over the counter nsaid as certain ones can be very dangerous. This class of pain relief medication includes morphine codeine fentanyl buprenorphine and hydromorphone.

Onsior is also available in an injectable version. Novartis animal health s onsior the brand name for robenacoxib is at the time of publication the only nsaid available in pill form for cats. The term nonsteroidal distinguishes these drugs from steroids. Unfortunately over the counter nsaids like ibuprofen aspirin and naproxen block the activity of both cox 1 and cox 2.

This combined with the fact that dogs metabolize and excrete nsaids differently than people means that even relatively low doses of ibuprofen can. Nsaids such as paracetamol and ibuprofen used in human medicine are different to pet nsaids and can be dangerous sometimes even fatal to pets. Nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs nsaids are members of a drug class that reduces pain decreases fever prevents blood clots and in higher doses decreases inflammation side effects depend on the specific drug but largely include an increased risk of gastrointestinal ulcers and bleeds heart attack and kidney disease. Currently no nsaids are approved for long term use in cats.

These are extremely common for treating general pain and inflammation in humans but they can be downright dangerous for cats. More than one dose of meloxicam in cats can cause kidney failure or death and the effects of long term use of other nsaids in cats are.