Issues to Consider While Giving Medications to your Pet
Your
pet is part of your loving family. To keep them healthy and happy, you may need
to treat them with veterinarian prescribed medications. Veterinary care is
quite different than human healthcare — even the types of medication, though
similar to other human drugs, can impact your pet in vastly different ways.
That’s why it’s important to consider all issues when giving medications to
your animal.
Issues to Consider While Giving Medications to Your Pet
Understand dosages.
The
medication schedule your pet is placed on by a veterinarian must always be
followed. Changing the amount of medication given or altering the dosage
schedule in any way could harm your pet. Too much medication could make them
sick and infrequent dosages may not heal their health issue.
Understand side effects.
Though
medications are administered to help your pet heal, some of them can cause
unwanted side effects. Pain, discomfort, inflammation and swelling could occur.
If the side effects are severe, it could cause internal bleeding, sickness and
even death. It’s important to be aware of the potential side effects of every
medication and monitor you pet while they’re taking them.
Understand the difference between human and animal medications.
At
face value, some medications seem like they could be administered to both
species. After all, humans and pets are often prescribed pain relievers,
antihistamines, steroids and antibiotics. Even though these drugs are used to
treat similar health conditions, they may be very different in chemical structure.
You should never give an animal any human medication or any other medication
not specifically prescribed by your veterinarian.
Understand drug interactions.
Certain
medications do not interact well when used together. For instance,
corticosteroids and NSAIDs should never be taken at the same time. Various
drugs will also increase serotonin levels and cause serotonin syndrome. Other
drugs will increase or decrease CYP enzymes which could lead to overdose
symptoms.
Pet Medications Albuquerque
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