Pet Medication Side Effects
From: Dr Andrew Jones
Author: Veterinary Secrets Revealed
Website: http://www.theonlinevet.com
Re: Medication Side Effects
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Have you EVER had a side effect with medication?
Has your dog or cat?
I wouldn’t be surprised if the answer is YES.
It happens ALL the time.
Antibiotics which are given to eliminate infection cause vomiting, or don’t work, producing resistant bacteria.
This is especially concerning when the antibiotics were given unnecessarily, such as for a cat with a flu virus.
Anti-inflammatories which are given to relieve pain lead to serious GI side effects, and liver or kidney damage.
This is VERY COMMON- I regularly see a dog each week with elevated liver enzymes from things like Rimadyl or Meloxicam.
Then there is the ubiquitous Steroids: side effects of Increased drinking, increased urinating, increased eating, behavioral changes, muscle loss, diabetes, liver damage, vomiting, diarrhea…
I have seen ALL of these side effects in dogs and cats on Prednisone.
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Side Effects are COMMON
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So what can you do about this?
1. ASK
Ask your Veterinarian about the possible side effects. Be informed. Ask what could happen IF your pet is given that multivalent vaccine.
2. LIMITED TIME
IF your dog or cat really needs to be on this conventional medication (ie a serious injury and he needs strong pain control), ask what the lowest effective dose is, and what you can do to decrease the chance of side effects.
For instance with anti-inflammatories, you can have less vomiting/diarrhea by giving it with food, and ENSURING that your pet is hydrated – dehydration hugely increases the chance of the medication damaging the kidneys.
3. ALTERNATE OPTIONS
This one is more likely up to you. You’ve got to educate yourself on the alternate options out there.
Start by Asking your Vet – then do your own research – or go to a Holistic Practice.
For every conventional medication, there is a HOLISTIC option.
For a Cat Abscess and antibiotics, you can flush the area regularly to keep it draining and use homeopathics such as Hepar Sulph to draw out the abscess.
With a painful dog and back arthritis, you can use the Acupressure points of GV4, GV20, BL23, and BL60 and K3 -surprisingly effective and NO SIDE EFFECTS.
An allergic dog or cat has so many more options than JUST steroids.
Diet.
Oatmeal Shampoo.
Essential Fatty Acids.
Antihistamines.
Herbal rinse and Herbal Tonics the ‘steroid’ herb of Licorice
Acupressure
Homeopathy
If you are looking for an EASY, and INEXPENSIVE way to start – without having to go to Hundreds of Hours of Holistic Veterinary Training, you can go here:
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P.S. One of the BIG problems in the way our pets get Veterinary care is that as Vets we are trained to give a FAST solution in 15 minutes or less.
Itching cat…steroids
Limping dog….anti-inflammatories
Abscess…..antibiotics.
Holistic options generally take longer to work, longer to explain, and Veterinarians usually don’t make any money in advising a client use them.
So if you are wanting these for your dog or cat, YOU have to be knowledgeable about the options.
Here’s a great way to start:
Heal Your Pets At Home!
Best Wishes,
Dr Andrew Jones, DVM
It is important to know these things before because sometimes react to allergies much differently than humans. Often times their little bodies can’t handle it.
all prescription medications have side effects. i try not to use them on me & my pets. for hot spots,( open sores) i use sea salt & water mixed together , and apply with a cloth. or just poured on the spots.works wonders,even in the time it takes them to lick it off.sea salt is safer salt.give vitamin c for colds and sneezing. for cats half a c ,crushed and mixed with margarine,butter, or hairball remedy,something safe to stick it together to get it down them. never give cats the c without crushing, it can burn their throat. dogs, large ones can have a whole one.small ones treat like a cat.my dogs will take them in their dry food,like a treat.
Hi,
This is a fantastic article!
One thing I have found that works wonders for abrasions or irritated skin is the unfiltered organic red apple vinegar. The filmy stuff is called ‘the mother’ and has a natural antiseptic in it, working well on skin irritations. It also helps kill bacteria. I’ve even put a half a teaspoon in my cat’s water – don’t put too much in or they might not drink it – but it seems to do their bodies good.
I’ve noticed it is very comparable to Bag Balm for external use, but much cheaper.
I believe for overall health that the red apple cider vinegar (unfiltered) added to their water is an awesome and easy way to benefit our animals’ health. It’s good preventative medicine.