Calpol contains paracetomol, which has a high toxicity to dogs.I have heard of people being told to use a one off emergency dose by vets, but there is a very narrow safety margin in the dog, so even then the dose is minimal and nowhere near the human dose. I certainly wouldn't even attempt to use it even in an emergency unless being told to do so by a vet and the safe dose.
especially if she is doing continued dosing at a human dose all be it a kids dose.

Paracetomol causes vomiting and lethargy, which then can progress to stomach pain and breathing problems, problems with clotting, liver failure and finally death. Paracetomol toxicity often goes through various stages as it takes its toll, and if the signs are not picked up on death can occur within 2/5 days if untreated.

If the dog has an ear and eye infection which is often usually bacterial and she hasn't take it to the vet, then calpol isn't going to do anything anyway to clear it up.

 

Calpol contains paracetomol, which has a high toxicity to dogs.I have heard of people being told to use a one off emergency dose by vets, but there is a very narrow safety margin in the dog, so even then the dose is minimal and nowhere near the human dose. I certainly wouldn't even attempt to use it even in an emergency unless being told to do so by a vet and the safe dose.
especially if she is doing continued dosing at a human dose all be it a kids dose.

Paracetomol causes vomiting and lethargy, which then can progress to stomach pain and breathing problems, problems with clotting, liver failure and finally death. Paracetomol toxicity often goes through various stages as it takes its toll, and if the signs are not picked up on death can occur within 2/5 days if untreated.

I always thought Paracetomol was toxic to dogs too - until I was told to use Pardale V as mentioned in the post below

Paracetamol is not toxic to dogs, no more than it is to humans if used correctly. Pardale is a veterinary medicine that contains both paracetamol (400mg) and codeine (9mg). Dosage by oral administration.

I'd never use it without vet's approval and with them confirming how much should be taken / for how long for each individual dog

 

Calpol won't help with infections anyway

 

Calpol won't help with infections anyway

I suspect it was given to help with the associated pain, particularly of the ear infection.

But in response to your question OP - a big resounding no!! There is such a tiny margain of error for a fatal overdose. It was once occasionally used as emergency pain relief on vets advice, but there is absolutely no need now, not when there are 24/7 vets available in which appropriate pain relief can be obtained at any time.

 

Thanks for the replies. I think I will try and say something to her next week, just hope I'm not too late ...

 

Paracetamol is not toxic to dogs, no more than it is to humans if used correctly. Pardale is a veterinary medicine that contains both paracetamol (400mg) and codeine (9mg). Dosage by oral administration. 1 tablet per12 kg body weight every 8 hours. -from Noah's. This is a higher dosage than for a child which is 10mg per kg per dose. So a 12kg babe would need 120mg paracetamol, and not 400mg that would be given to a 12kg dog.

Some vets will tell you to use calpol as a stop gap, but not regularly, my old vet was one. So giving for ear pain would be ok until she got a vets appointment.

Brufen is the one that is a no no for dogs.
Sue

 

You can.

But it's got not much to do with randomly giving an unprescribed medication meant for humans.

The threads from 2014 The pardale bit was in response to Ollie bobs post.

According to NOAH information on Pardale it does state use for a maximum of 5 days and still does even on the Latest NOAH info on Pardale..
As they say don't shoot the messenger

http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/?id=-450076

 

Well even if its pain, I won't use human tablets. Its just not worth the risk. Yes you may save a bit of money initially but if the dog ends up needing veterinary care for toxic poisoning its going to cost a lot more.

 

Paracetamol is not toxic to dogs, no more than it is to humans if used correctly. Pardale is a veterinary medicine that contains both paracetamol (400mg) and codeine (9mg). Dosage by oral administration. 1 tablet per12 kg body weight every 8 hours. -from Noah's.

^this^

Paracetamol is very safe in theraputic doses, but is very toxic in overdoses - and that is for both dogs and humans. The problem is, the margin between a safe theraputic dose and a toxic overdose is very slight, so if you are giving human tablets, or a mixture designed for human consumption, you can overdose accidentally. It is much better to use a veterinay preparation which will have a dosage schedule on the label or the box.

 

Paracetamol is not toxic to dogs, no more than it is to humans if used correctly. Pardale is a veterinary medicine that contains both paracetamol (400mg) and codeine (9mg). Dosage by oral administration. 1 tablet per12 kg body weight every 8 hours. -from Noah's. This is a higher dosage than for a child which is 10mg per kg per dose. So a 12kg babe would need 120mg paracetamol, and not 400mg that would be given to a 12kg dog.

Some vets will tell you to use calpol as a stop gap, but not regularly, my old vet was one. So giving for ear pain would be ok until she got a vets appointment.

Brufen is the one that is a no no for dogs.
Sue

Even though pardale is for veterinary use in dogs and although it does contain paracetomol, one thing you did miss, is that it still can only be given for very limited use. You still cant use it on an onngoing and regular basis.

Dosage and administration

By oral administration. 1 tablet/12 kg body weight every 8 hours.

Small dogs (up to 6 kg body weight): ½ tablet every 8 hours.

Medium dogs (6-18 kg body weight): ½-1½ tablets every 8 hours.

Large dogs (18-42 kg body weight): 1½-3½ tablets every 8 hours.

Treat for a maximum of 5 days.

It also cant be used in certain situations and conditions either, and an overdose still requires veterinary intervention and emergency treatment.

Contraindications, warnings, etc

Do not exceed stated dose or duration of treatment.

Do not administer other NSAIDs concurrently or within 24 hours of each other.

Use is contraindicated in animals suffering from cardiac, hepatic or renal disease, where there is a possibility of gastrointestinal ulceration or bleeding, or where there is evidence of a blood dyscrasia or hypersensitivity to the product.

Do not use this product for cats.

Special warnings for each target species: Seek veterinary advice if the treated condition does not improve or worsens during treatment, or if any side effects or adverse reactions are experienced.

NSAIDs can cause inhibition of phagocytosis and hence, in the treatment of inflammatory conditions associated with bacterial infections, appropriate concurrent antimicrobial therapy should be instigated.

Special precautions for use in animals: Use in animals less than 6 weeks of age or in aged animals may involve additional risk. If such use cannot be avoided, animals may require a reduced dosage and careful clinical management.

Avoid use in dehydrated, hypovolaemic or hypertensive animals, as there is a potential risk of increased renal toxicity.

Special precautions to be taken by the person administering the veterinary medicinal product to animals: Wash hands after use.

Adverse reactions: Occasional constipation may occur due to codeine content.

Use during pregnancy and lactation: There are no known contraindications for use during pregnancy.

Interactions: Some NSAIDs may be highly bound to plasma proteins and compete with other highly bound drugs to produce an increase in non-bound pharmacologically active concentrations, which can lead to toxic effects.

Concurrent administration of potentially nephrotoxic drugs should be avoided.

Overdose: Immediately seek the advice of a veterinary surgeon, and show him/her the product literature.

Carry out lavage and treat with intravenous injection of acetylcysteine (200 mg/ml) at a rate of 140 mg/kg every 6 hours for 7 treatments. Ascorbic acid (30 mg/kg) should also be given orally with each dose of acetylcysteine.

If necessary instigate fluid therapy using Ringers or bicarbonate solution.

Treat for codeine overdose with injection of naloxone (1.0 mg/kg) repeated as necessary.

Provide oxygen support.

 

Even though pardale is for veterinary use in dogs and although it does contain paracetomol, one thing you did miss, is that it still can only be given for very limited use. You still cant use it on an onngoing and regular basis.

You can.

But it's got not much to do with randomly giving an unprescribed medication meant for humans.

 

Firstly, Calpol is a syrup given to babies and children NOT tablets. My Denzil was given baby Calpol by the animal hospital with Gabapentin they give Human meds as they are better and purer than the usual vets tabs. My vet told me the dosage and advised me to go to boots and buy Calpol for babies and it works for Denzil and has saved his life. I have it in now for him and if his temperature rises I give him a dose and he settles. I have been told that by doing this I am preventing the meningitis inflammation shutting his body down.
Secondly, no it will not combat an infection but it will reduce a temp caused by infection.
I go to the chemist for some of Denzil's meds and I have Antesepsin and omeprazole too and gave my Sammy a dose if Antesepsin when his tummy was really bad lately and gave him Calpol until I could get him to the vets and the vet said I should be commended for quick thinking as he might have had to be kept in on a drip otherwise.
One thing I would do is check your dogs weight and dosage with your vet. My vet is amazing and will tell me to get it from the chemist as it's better or the same thing.

 

I was told the same regarding calpol interestingly by a neurologist too but how did they work it out how to adminster as calpol is in ml isnt it Ive used it in the past for emergency use and he was fine.. interesting my vet also said its ok as an emergency and antihistamine too interesting I hope Denzil is fine now antibiotics for dogs seem to cost the earth dont they my poor pooch was being treated for an infection last year touch wood hes fine!

 

I wouldn't recommend giving Calpol, but if you do as a stop-gap before going to the vet make sure you tell him/her that you've given it. Any medications they prescribe could interact with it so they'll need to know.

 

Definitely tell your vet and I wouldn't use anything without checking with a vet. NSAIDs can be problematic with certain infections for example if my vet had continued with NSAIDS instead of steroids my boy would be dead now. But if they have been prescribed Calpol if they are very poorly it will not harm them at all! That's the words of an animal neurologist and I think they know what they're talking about! They're not amateur vets voicing an opinion and it works much better than NSAIDs for my boys.

 

Tell your vet immediately! Paracetamol in the form that we know is very dangerous, the only paracetamol that's "ok" for dogs is pardale and that's to be prescribed only.

 

Both my small-breed dogs have had Calpol prescribed by vets for post-operative pain. It can be given under clse veterinary supervision in carefully measured doses short term , but only after discussion with the vet.

 

Well I was advised by the animal hospital to give baby Calpol to my Denzi when he had meningitis! I was told it was much safer than the stuff being given to him at my vets, which incidentally is being investigated now. I rarely give it but if he has a sore ear or something like that and he looks like he's getting a temp I will give it to him at the minimum dose of 2.5ml. As it reduces a temperature in dogs just the same as a baby. The hospital would only prescribe medication that is used on humans because they said the many animal medications are cheap reproductions or messed about but more expensive so we have to buy them at top price from vets! Other human medicines he was prescribed were; omeprazole (to help his stomach take steroids), Prenisolone, Pregbalin, antibiotics. His ophthalmologist also told me to give calpol after his eye operation and they gave him human eye drops and recommended an eye moisturiser that I could buy from Boots chemist for £12.95 rather than pay £45 for the same thing with a dog on the label!
I would think that consultants in dog health from all over the world would know what they're talking about? I do presume that there are things that's dogs cannot tolerate that are safe for us and vise versa and body mass ratios have to be considered, that's why Denzi can only have the new born baby one at minimum dose? But as he is very lucky to have beaten that terrible illness then there must be something in it?

 

I think this whole thread shows how very dangerous it is to take lay people's word on anything veterinary. Everyone is absolutely sure they are right so it is fact that it is highly toxic for your dog and fact that is perfectly ok to give. I am glad to say my vets are quite happy to advise the use of human medicines, usually aspirin but also anti histamines. Unless I have used it before I will always check up on dose rates and as I have a dreadful memory often if I have used it before. Giving a cow 30 aspirin taxes the ingenuity of the farmer.

 

Out of interest and curiosity I wondered what the BSAVA British small animal Veterinary association Formulary says about paracetomol use, I managed to find a 7th addition on line.

Under Paracetamol (acetaminophen) (Paracetomol, Pardale V (parcetamol and codeine phosphate)
It does state that Therapeutic Margin is low in dogs, and due to the strength of the tablets, the risk of overdose is high. Under Overdose causes Liver damage.
So I guess the take home point is you can use it and products containing it like calpol, but only under veterinary instruction and supervision to be completely safe and ensure your not overdosing.

 

I would NEVER give advice if it hadn't been given to me by an expert or give my dog something without checking it out with a vet. I certainly wouldn't give paracetamol tablets because you cannot work out weight to dosage ratio with tablets.
Calpol helps with an infection because it helps to lower temperature therefore helping the body fight the infection but obviously if it's bad you would see your vet anyway.
The consultants we have seen all say they are more worried about the use of 'Metacam' which is the usual pain reliever used by vets than Calpol

 

I too was advised by my vet to give my dogs Calpol as pain relief on several occasions. Tried it once and did not liking using it, so afterwards whenever it was suggested, I would ask the vet for painkillers in tablet form.

Isn't it interesting how opinions differ within the veterinary profession.

 

It wasn't my vet to be fair, it was the specialist teams at two different animal hospitals! The consultants were from all over the world and each were experts in their field of spinal and brain surgery and rehabilitation.
They were concerned at the amount of anti inflammatory 'pain relief ' that was not effective for certain acute conditions.
On the other hand however my older Yorkie who passed away last May with liver cancer, was only ever given metacam makes you wonder eh?

 

Pardale V is licensed for five days, as you've said SDH.

It can be (and frequently is) used off licence for longer periods where indicated and with the owner's informed consent.

I don't use the licensed doses for Pardale V though, they scare me lol.

 

Odd that it says on NOAH and various different sources of the data sheet it mentions 5 days only The pardale I mean

Pardale V is licensed for five days, as you've said SDH.

It can be (and frequently is) used off licence for longer periods where indicated and with the owner's informed consent.

I don't use the licensed doses for Pardale V though, they scare me lol.

I probably have signed a slip to say it's off licence - I no longer remember as pretty much every painkiller we've tried after he couldn't have NSAIDs has been off licence, lol.

 

I have one that can't have nsaids & it does make things much harder

 

Odd that it says on NOAH and various different sources of the data sheet it mentions 5 days only The pardale I mean

This is very worrying to me Chip has been on Pardale V since his diagnosis of H D it is only a quarter of a tab daily but I am nervous of giving it to him now,
Will have to phone my vet and have a word about it

 

I wouldn't worry too much, as Chip has regular reviews as he should do. Licensing drugs for different species and uses costs an absolute fortune hence why some things just aren't licensed (like medications for small furries for example - lots are used, it's known they work and are safe, but only a handful are licensed).

@Ceiling Kitty will ne able to confirm but I'm pretty sure that it's only recently (in the last few years) that the licensing for metacam for cats was changed - was it changed to be licensed to use injectable cat metacam on 2 consecutive days?

Drug licensing is a complicated thing but something not being licensed doesn't necessarily mean it's unsafe as long as it's used at the prescribed dose and schedule and the animal under suitable review

 

Tango couldn't tolerate Loxicom after her surgery , the vet advised me to buy Calpol and give her that . He worked out the dose for her and I gave what we already had.

 

Tabitha was given Loxicom after having her leg pinned the vet told me it was the animal verson of Calpol

 

I've never had to sign anything for Mavis's Tramadol I was just told it wasn't licensed for use in animals :-/

As for Pardale v I have some which I bought myself online there is no requirement for a prescription, I have only given very rarely before we were given the tramadol

 

I've never had to sign anything for Mavis's Tramadol I was just told it wasn't licensed for use in animals :-/

As for Pardale v I have some which I bought myself online there is no requirement for a prescription, I have only given very rarely before we were given the tramadol

They've both changed...relatively recently.

Tramadol I used to have to sign for, till about, hmm 3 years ago I think, then the licensing changed.

Pardale was prescription only when we started him on it and that's changed in the 2 years he's been on it.

Is this for the human version or for off licence use of a medication? I've been given a prescription to get the human version of a product from the chemist because the vet didn't have any in stock and didn't have to sign anything. All the regulations say is that the vet must prescribe an animal version if available.

I've had to sign for prescriptions for human drugs, but they were ones that there isn't an animal equivalent for at all and I'm pretty sure we're off licence as well, so I'm not sure which I was signing for.

 

Well I have a 13 year old Yorkshire terrier and I posted on here earlier about the goop under the eyes. But I want to point out that he was very ill for a few months and he was on steroids, fluid tablets and heart tablets. The little angel expanded to a balloon and was in massive pain.

Once his prescription ended we thought we'd see how he was on his own for a while again (all that prescriptive medicine didn't help, he still kept coughing).

After about a week he lost weight, wasn't coughing as much and his little joints didn't pain him so much.

When his little legs got sore we gave him some calpol in ham, we joked and called it 'honey ham'.. the wee man has been great now apart from his sore little eyes.

We've never abided by 'dog rules' with him and he's been a healthy happy wee bugger until his later years now.