Anyone who takes medication prescribed for someone else puts themselves at risk of illness or even death – and this applies to your pets, too! Although there are many medications used in both animals and people, the effects, doses needed, and other things aren’t always the same.

About one-quarter of all phone calls to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) are about human medications. Your pet can easily ingest dropped pills or may be given harmful human medications by an unknowing owner, resulting in illness, or even death, of your pet.

The APCC provided us with the 10 most common human medication complaints they receive. Here they are, in order based on the number of complaints:

1. Ibuprofen – Ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®) is the most common human medication ingested by pets. Many brands have a sweet outer coating that makes it appealing to pets (think “M&M,” but a potentially deadly one). Ibuprofen can cause stomach ulcers and kidney failure.
2. Tramadol – Tramadol (Ultram®) is a pain reliever. Your veterinarian may prescribe it for your pet, but only at a dose that’s appropriate for your pet – never give your medication to your pet without first consulting your veterinarian! Too much tramadol can cause sedation or agitation, wobbliness, disorientation, vomiting, tremors and possibly seizures.
3. Alprazolam – Alprazolam (Xanax®) is prescribed as an anti-anxiety medication and a sleep-aid. Most pets that ingest alprazolam can become sleepy and wobbly; however a few will become very agitated instead. These pills are commonly ingested by pets as people put them out on the nightstand so they remember to take them. Large doses of alprazolam can drop the blood pressure and could cause weakness or collapse.
4. Adderall® – Adderall® is a combination of four different amphetamines and is used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children. This medication doesn’t have the same effect in pets as it does in people; it acts as a stimulant in our pets and causes elevated heart rate and body temperature, along with hyperactivity, tremors and seizures.
5. Zolpidem – Zolpidem (Ambien®) is a sleep-aid for people. Pets commonly eat pills left on the bedside table. Zolpidem may make cats wobbly and sleepy, but most pets become very agitated and develop elevated heart rates.
6. Clonazepam – Clonazepam (Klonopin®) is used as an anticonvulsant and anti-anxiety medication. It is sometimes also prescribed as a sleep-aid. When animals ingest clonazepam they can become sleep and wobbly. Too much clonazepam can lower the blood pressure, leading to weakness or collapse.
7. Acetaminophen – Acetaminophen (Tylenol®) is a very common pain killer found in most households. Cats are extremely sensitive to acetaminophen, but dogs can be affected too. Acetaminophen can cause liver damage. It can also cause damage to your pet’s red blood cells so that the cells are unable to carry oxygen – like your body, your pet’s body needs oxygen to survive.
8. Naproxen – Naproxen (Aleve®, Naprosyn®) is an over-the-counter pain reliever. Dogs and cats are very sensitive to naproxen and even small amounts can cause stomach ulcers and kidney failure.
9. Duloxetine – Duloxetine (Cymbalta®) is prescribed as an antidepressant and anti-anxiety agent. When ingested by pets it can cause agitation, vocalization, tremors and seizures.
10. Venlafaxine – Venlafaxine (Effexor®) is an antidepressant. For some unknown reason, cats love to eat the capsules. Ingestion can cause agitation, vocalization, tremors and seizures.

As you can tell from this list, a medication that does one thing for people does not necessarily do the same for our pets. And although this may be the list of the medications about which the APCC receives the largest numbers of complaints, remember that any human medication could pose a risk to your pets – not just these 10.

You can keep your pets safe by following simple common sense guidelines:

• Always keep human medications away from pets unless you are specifically instructed by a veterinarian to give the medication;
• Do not leave pills sitting on counter or any place a pet can get to them;
• Do not leave pill bottles within reach of pets (You’ll be surprised how fast your dog can chew through a pill bottle.);
• If you’re taking medications out of the bottle and you drop any of it, pick it up immediately so you know your pet won’t be able to eat it;
• Always contact your veterinarian if your pet has ingested any medication not prescribed for them;
• Never give your medication (or any medications prescribed for a two-legged family member) to your pet without first consulting a veterinarian.

…and last, but not least, always keep the number for your veterinarian and the APCC handy. You don’t want to be looking for it in an emergency situation! Feel free to print this page, cut out the box below, fill out the info, and put it in a handy place (or maybe a few handy places).

reprinted from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) website

We know that ivermectin can be very dangerous to certain breeds of dogs. Ivermectin prevents or kills parasites by causing neurological damage to the parasite, resulting in paralysis and death for the parasite. Dogs genetically sensitive to the medication have an anomaly that allows the ivermectin to pass the dog’s blood-brain barrier and into its central nervous system, which can be lethal for the animal.

However, have you ever stopped to consider that the ivermectin you use to treat your horses for parasites could be dangerous to dogs that eat horse manure? We know how dogs love horse manure. So in hindsight, it makes sense that ivermectin in horse manure could pose a danger… and here is one such story:

My American Pit Bull Terrier is at University of Florida Veterinarian School of Medicine right now being treated for Ivermectin poisoning. He had a sudden attack while on our walk. Signs were 1st slobbering/drooling (excessively) then diarrhea. I arrived at an animal clinic within 20 min where he then began vomiting and having seizures. Blood work showed elevation in Liver and Pancreas reading was 1256 He was given fluids and treated for what the Dr suspected was heat stroke after 6 hrs the Dr gave him Vit K injection. I then transferred him to Emergency Hospital for over night care where he was given more fluids and I was informed his temperature had risen significantly and at about 6am he was given charcoal. In the morning the Dr. recommended University of Florida.

So I left immediately for UF. He had been on his side laid out flat for about 20 hours and when i put him in my car I noticed he wagged his tail slightly. During the drive he did raise his head in an effort to be upright! Upon arrival at UF his heart rate was critical. Meds to stabilizes heart/monitored catheter and IV fluids. Next day prognosis Ivermectin poisoning via ingesting Daily Feed Through Wormer in horse manure and or ingesting left over grain/wormer in stalls at night!!!

I had NO IDEA the horse manure could be toxic. I remove feces from pastures everyday and of course the dogs ride in 4wheeler with me and once in a while I would catch them eating the manure. Its been 6 days now his organs show NO damage. He’s been taken off all support. He is eating and drinking and can stand to urinate. He can walk briefly then he starts to have tremors/shaking and wants to sit down. I’m hoping since everything has progressed for the better that eventually his Central Nervous System will recover enough so that he can have a normal life. Going to visit him today and possibly bring him home. I know that I’ll have to provide a lot of physical therapy so if anyone has any ideas I would great appreciate them.

Sorry to be so long winded but I hope through my experience another dog will not suffer and will have a chance to survive. Please tell anyone you know that has horses and uses daily wormers that the manure is toxic!

BTW the UF was absolutely wonderful!!! They let me stay in the Critical Care unit in the cage with my dog anytime I wanted. I was there off and on for 4 days and I never saw anything other than wonderful caring DR.s, students and techs!!! God Bless them all.

Thanks to Cindy in Florida for sharing her story! And thanks to the folks at the University of Florida Critical Care Unit! You rock!

Another great read about why you should pass on pet vaccinations

reprinted from The Whole Dog
written by Patricia Jordan DVM, VND

There is historical evidence that the Chinese were the first to attempt the theory of vaccination during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). [1] This procedure was called virolation and was first used with small pox crusts as snuff to blow up the nostrils of people they hoped to affect. Virolation by the Chinese predates the small pox work of Edward Jenner, Farmer Jesty and Lady Montague by five centuries. [2] The Chinese discontinued the attempts at vaccination as they discovered the process did not help and actually made conditions worse for the patient. How intelligent this deduction was back in that period of time. The Chinese from the medical perspective saw the vaccine as a pathogen and invoked the Divergent Meridians to take the pathogen and translocate it to the interior of the body. In order to do this, to make the pathogen latent, the body had to expend its resources, Yuan Qi and Yin-Jing which is dense and heavy and kept the pathogen dormant (which the body does in the joints/bones/marrow).

The problems in babies and in animals of all ages that are receiving a continuous yearly load of pathogen impact via vaccines, is that the Yuan Qi and Jing should not be disturbed at these young stages of development and thereafter so frequently in life. The additional problems of a poor diet , the use of excessive drugs like antibiotics and resultant Qi depletion is an overall lack of capability to maintain dormancy of the pathogens.

When overwhelmed with vaccinations in addition, these mechanisms leave the individual vulnerable. With so many resources being allocated to deal with the vaccines, what is left of the Vital Force to handle the vicissitudes of daily living? Poor nutrition and environmental toxins and chemicals along with the synthetic use of drugs all tax and handicap the body, so that the bodies are coming into immune compromise and depletion much too quickly.

The vaccines themselves stimulate adverse reactions causing disease, disability, organ failure, cancer, autoimmune disease and sometimes death. The number of dog vaccines has grown from 4 administered only once or twice in a lifetime to 20 and often aggressively administered twice a year! The intent of this commentary is to introduce to the reader to just a few pathways of immunopathology resulting from vaccine administration. When dealing with a patient exhibiting any clinical signs, remember to obtain vaccine administration history and remember that the ancient Chinese were indeed able to link the correlation of vaccination to the disharmonies of health that followed.

In lectures I have attended by veterinary vaccine researchers such as Drs. Ron Schultz, Richard Ford, Jean Dodd and Dennis Macy, the pathways to pathology from vaccination have been clearly associated. The only vaccine that Dr. Ron Schultz is still advocating is the 3 way vaccine for the three lethal viruses, distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus (and the rabies until we get the laws changed). [3] For the cat, the only lethal virus he advocates vaccination for is the feline distemper. Dr. Schultz lays out the pathology that follows cats vaccinated with herpes virus or calicivirus vaccines if administered by injection. He also advises that these vaccines against the lethal viruses are only necessary once in a lifetime to a mature mammalian immune system in order to result in genetic imprinting, incorporation of the viral proteins into the genome to affect pathogen sensitization of the patient’s immune cells. Additional administration just increases the adverse events and vaccine induced disease. Lymphoma is now understood to result from chronic B cell stimulation, chronic stimulation by antigen, vaccines result in antigenic stimulation, adjuvant ensures the chronic stimulation. [4]

The rabies virus vaccine is full of its own problems with autoimmune disease production and adverse events such as ascending paralysis and encephalitis which have occurred since Pasteur first started grinding up infected spinal cords and injecting them into subjects. [5] There is evidence from as far back as 1954, published, and 1945, unpublished, that only one rabies vaccine injected into the mature body of a mammalian immune system is capable of sensitizing the patient for life against the rabies virus. [6] Other work followed in the 1970’s. Research to confirm this is currently being performed by Dr. Schultz and his group as the vaccine manufacturers are not releasing their data that establishes this fact. [7] There was a study done in France on cats and dogs vaccinated against rabies that showed that animals were still resisting a rabies viral challenge 5 years after vaccination. [8] As well there are human cases where the rabies vaccine amnestic response has been effective for 14 years. [9]

Humans have pathogen recognition of small pox for 92 years after vaccination. Once thought to be 50 years in duration and even less when they first started the procedure of vaccine administration, it is now well understood that most viral vaccines give pathogen recognition for the entire life of the patient. [10] My clinical experience is that this amnestic can also be passed vertically from one generation to the next, why not, it is genetic incorporation we are talking about. Dr. Ron Schultz and Dr. Jean Dodd are on record that only one or two rabies vaccines will be sufficient for the life of the animal and are both working with the Rabies Challenge Fund to establish the scientific criteria necessary to change the laws regarding rabies vaccination in this country.

In 1972 the American Veterinary Medical Association first recommended vaccinating yearly, despite the decades of successful use of vaccines administered only in the first year of life. Representatives from the drug manufacturers and several regulatory representatives were the ones whom advised the AVMA to institute a change to yearly vaccine recommendations, not active small animal practitioners and not immunologists. [11] The AVMA enacted this radical change despite the clear acknowledgement that yearly vaccines were not necessary and that the current practice of only administering pediatric vaccines had been enough to successfully control infectious disease. What has resulted from this unscientific and non evidence based procedure of vaccination administration? Dr. Ron Schultz now sees autoimmune diseases in animals that previously did not exhibit this. Our farmed fishes that we now vaccinate due to the stress and disease that follow intensive farming practices are now being diagnosed with autoimmune diseases. [12] The AVMA appointed Feline Vaccine Associated Sarcoma Task Force has a decade of research showing the vaccine induced cancers and not just in the feline species, not just at the injection site and not just sarcomas. The unparalleled rise of chronic degenerative diseases, cancer, allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases, disability and deaths is illustrated in the following graphs using the increased rate of vaccination on humans. [13]

Following is an incomplete list of adverse events and diseases that follow vaccination. After 25 years of being in the veterinary field, this list presented in 2007 at Warwick, Rhode Island is the first time in my veterinary career that any veterinary medical researcher has presented this information to veterinary professionals. (Schultz) Common Reactions included: lethargy, hair loss, hair color change at injection site (cutaneous vasculitis), fever, soreness, stiffness, refusal to eat, conjunctivitis, sneezing, and oral ulcers. Moderate reactions included; immunosuppression, behavioral changes, vitiligo, weight loss (cachexia), reduced milk production, lameness, granulomas/abscesses, hives, facial edema, atopy, respiratory disease and allergic uveitis (blue eye). Severe reactions triggered by vaccines included: vaccine injection site sarcomas, anaphylaxis, arthritis, polyarthritis, hypertrophy osteodystrophy, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, immune mediated thrombocytopenia, hemolytic disease of the newborn (neonatal isoerythrolysis), thyroiditis and glomerulonephritis. Disease or enhanced disease which with the vaccine was designed to prevent included: myocarditis, post vaccinal encephalitis or polyneuritis, seizures, abortion, congenital anomalies, embryonic/fetal death and infertility. Dr. Ron Schultz is on record with the statement that anytime you inject you could potentially kill the patient and to assume vaccination is safe is a serious misrepresentation of the facts. [14] The AVMA is now on record with this caution not to assume the safety of vaccinations.

From these post vaccinal reactions, it can be understood that vaccination is not an “innocuous” procedure and that the risk versus the benefit of vaccination must be reviewed. For more information on vaccine induced disease, review the United State’s Federal Registry of adverse vaccine events in humans and the reported adverse events that follow vaccination reported through VAERS. The factual link of vaccination to damage is the reason the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Compensation Act was made into law. Adverse events from vaccinations are grossly unreported in both human and veterinary medicine and the lack of a central independent site for registering vaccine adverse events leaves the veterinary medical professional at a serious advantage and unable to collect even an informed consent or full disclosure statement prior to the procedure. [15] The AVMA is on record with the statement that the canine immune system is not different from the mammalian immune system and thus the reporting of vaccine induced diseases in human medicine and research is relevant to what we see in practice. Oncology Diplomate Dr. Dennis Macy is a supporter of the Veterinary Vaccine Injury Compensation Act that would address vaccine injury from veterinary vaccines even though the only lawfully mandated vaccine for animals is the rabies vaccine. Since the suggestion that a single vaccination against only the lethal viruses was necessary by leading veterinary infectious disease experts, the author has studied what science did know about vaccine induced immunopathology and found the reasons to support a position of not causing disease in my patients through the additional vaccinations protocols still much too prevalent today.

The following is a brief overview of some of the pathophysiology produced by vaccination reported in the scientific literature: the different ingredients in the vaccines, aluminum and mercury are linked to immune dysregulation as are the viruses, the mutators and carcinogens in the vaccines. The big moment of epiphany for the author was the reaction that the antigen in vaccines does much to dysregulate the immune system by the very interaction with immune cells leading to autoantibody production, autoimmune disease, loss of tolerance, immune mediated pathology, all four forms (type I-IV) of immune system reactions, oxidative damage, chronic inflammation, cancer, to even speeding up the aging process (Selye’s Disease)

1. Lymphocyte suppression from canine polyvalent vaccines in dogs and in chickens with the avian pneumovirus vaccine. [16]
2. Post vaccinal lesions of the nervous system and the role of the autoimmune process of pathogenesis. [17]
3. Immune mediated glomerulonephritis, amyloidosis, uveitis, polyarthritis, non-regenerative anemia, renal organ failure and hepatic organ failure, auto-inflammatory syndrome, immune mediated inflammatory neuropathies, autoimmune encephalomyelitis, Gullian Barre Syndrome (post infectious auto-immune disease) Common Immune Deficiency, ischemic dermatopathologies (cutaneous vasculitis), post injection site granuloma, necrotizing panniculitis, vaccine induced type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, pericarditis, myocarditis, dilated cardiomyelopathy, acute coronary events, vaccine induced enhancement of viral infection, aberrant viral pathogenesis, IgE class switching and behavioral changes of increased anxiety, increased aggression and increased compulsive obsessive disorder. [18]
4. Molecular mimicry (example of how measles in MWR vaccine is able to cause SSPE subacute sclerosing panencephalitis which is autism), distemper and molecular mimicry leading to myelin sheath autoimmune inflammation, neuropathy, cognitive dysfunction, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies, and thimerasol in vaccines altering the function of the dendritic cells in antigen presentation. [19]
5. Particularities of the vasculature which promotes organ specificity of autoimmune disease. [20]
6. Histamine dysregulation up or down as a result of vaccinations. [21]
7. Inflammatory arthritis and intractable chronic arthritis. [22]
8. Immune mediated thyroiditis [23]
9. Thymic depletion [24]
10. Autoimmunity, loss of tolerance [25]
11. Vascular induction of mini-strokes, blood stasis [26]
12. T cell suppression allowing co-infections with bacteria, viruses, fungus, yeast and parasites (intestinal and dermatophyte) [27]
13. Immunodeficiency (this imparts the necessity to NOT vaccinate in any situation the cats that are Felv or FIV positive and the necessity of knowing the immune status before any stressful immunosuppressive actions taken against them (e.g. anesthesia, spay, neuter). Vaccinating immunosupressed individuals increases adverse events and expression of the very infections they are being vaccinated against. This holds true for the patients undergoing chemotherapy and other immune suppressing medications e.g. cyclosporine (Atopica) prescribed for over reactive immune systems up regulated from damage associated with earlier vaccine administration. [28]
14. Cytokine cascade promotion and onset of inflammatory cascade [29]

The above list is not comprehensive as that would be beyond the scope of this commentary due to space limitations, it is however the outline of a second book on vaccine damage by this author. There is voluminous evidence for the association of cancer with vaccines and the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the World Health Organization have clearly established the information that adjuvant in vaccines are Grade 3 out of 4 carcinogens, with Grade 4 being the most likely to induce cancer. [30] Dr. Rich Ford has stated that the adjuvant aluminum in the vaccines is one culprit in mutating our genome and specifically the P53 oncogene thereby ruining the individual’s ability to stop tumor genesis. [31] The smoking gun proof of this is the presence of the blue grey aluminum foreign body retrieved from biopsy specimens of vaccinated individuals. The vaccines are causing cancer formation not just in cats but also dogs and ferrets and not just at the injection site of a vaccine. The fact that these very same vaccine ingredients are the same carcinogens in the childhood vaccines mandated by our government in the national childhood vaccine program is of serious concern. The rise in childhood brain cancer is the most highly associated vaccine administered cancer in children and this is of certain consequence to the current vaccines and vaccination protocols. [32]

It is understood now, that vaccination is not the same as immunization, that production of antibody is not the same as immunity and to the vaccinologists out there Dr. Ron Schultz states “this is an indefensible practice”. [33] Since 1978 veterinary vaccine research authorities have been advising against yearly vaccinations. [34] Vaccination has never been linked to any science or evidence based medicine but only to precedence and since 1978 to the generation of income. [35] The problem with the veterinarians over-vaccinating is now causing public health problems. Emory University’s Rollins’ School of Public Health has a published a paper on how human illness is associated with use of veterinary vaccines. [36] Others, like Dr. Traavik, Biosafety Officer for the country of Norway, are alerting us to the dangers of the recombinant vaccine technology, the use of chimera viruses that are transferring disease to man. [37] Dr. Michael Fox has been concerned about the impact of the unregulated and uncontrolled use of these genetically engineered viruses in vaccines and the future this plaque is bringing upon mankind. [38]

My research into the number of rabies vaccines recently recalled and the hundreds of thousands of human rabies vaccines recalled in the past for “failure to inactivate the rabies virus” are very disconcerting as is the recall of rabies vaccines due to unauthorized inclusion of human DNA in the vaccines. Vaccines do not enjoy any science of benefit and were never shown historically to even affect the level of infectious diseases. John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health includes this information on their website. How far do we have to continue to keep ourselves immunized against the fact that the very act of vaccination is what is causing disease in this westernized world?

Vaccination is an obstacle to cure; vaccination is the induction into a cycle of disease and disease management that is in every way a violation of the AVMA 1969 Veterinary Oath, in every way including public health and animal welfare.

The use of TCVM will not be able to successfully restore health to our patients if vaccinations are allowed to continue to corrupt the patient’s immune system. Blood stasis, Qi depletion, Liver Yin Deficiency and Blood Deficiency will always be the root of disease while vaccinations remain the non-evidence based medical procedure that is the hallmark of conventional medicine. The body’s Qi will try to imprison these toxins and poisons in the joints bone and marrow, but the body with continual bombardment will be quickly depleted. Our patients deserve to have us conform to our duties spoken in the Veterinary Oath and our obligation to stay current with the advancements of scientific research. In my opinion, vaccination is not science based, nor evidence based medicine, but rather the risky business fulfilled by corporations able to control the licensing and the distribution, administration and promotion even the mandate by law of this poisoning of the blood. The Chinese were correct in the age of the Song Dynasty, the Dynasty associated with both Emperor’s Song and the people’s technological advancements. The ancient Chinese were able to abandon a practice that proved ineffective and proved an impediment to restoring health. This is an example where old medicine is new again and once again a gift to the world from the people of China.

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HogenEsch H, Axona-Oliver J, Scott-Moncreiff C, Synder, and Glickman LT. Vaccine induced auto-immunity in the dog. Adv Vet Med, 1996; vol 41:733-747. http://www.vet.perdue.edu/epi/gdhstudy.htm http://vonhapsburg.homestead.com/haywoodstudyonlinevaccines.html
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26. Reik L Jr., Disseminated vasculomyelinopathy: an immune complex disease. Ann Neurology 1980; 7: 291-295.
27. Auwaerter PG et al., Changes with T cell receptor V beta subsets in infants following measles vaccination. Clin Immunol Pathol 1996 May; 79 (2):163-70.
Beckenhauer WH et al., Immunosuppression with combined vaccines. JAVMA Aug 15 1983; (4):389-390.
Blumberg DA, Leukocyte response to diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and diphtheria-tetanus immunization. Pediatric Infect Dis J 1991 Mar; 10 (3): 247-248.
Daniliuk OS et al., Immunodepressive action Vaccinia virus. Buell Eksp Bio Med Jul 1982; 94 (7): 73-74.
Ehrland W. Susceptibility to infection after vaccination, Br. Med J. Mar 11, 1972; 1:683.
Eibl MM et al., Abnormal T-lymphocyte subpopulations in healthy subjects after tetanus booster immunization. NEJM 1984 Jan 19; 310 (3):198-9.
28. Erasmus MC, Vaccine induced enhancement of viral infection. Institute of Virology 2009 Jan 22; 27 (4): 505-12.
29. Schultz RD, What everyone needs to know about canine vaccines and vaccination programs 2007 National Parent Club Canine Health Conference http://www.spinoneous.org/forum/uploaded/Admin/vaccinations2007.pdf
30. Memoranda WHO 1972 Vol 47 No. 1 Virus associated immunopathology animal models and implications for human disease 1. Effects of viruses on the immune system, immune-complex disease and antibody mediated immunologic injury. Memoranda WHO 1972 Vol 47 No. 2 Virus associated immunopathology; animal models and implications for human disease 2. Cell mediated immunity autoimmune disease genetics and implications for clinical research. Proceedings of a NATO Advanced Study Institute on vaccine design: the role of cytokine networks, held June 24-July5, 1996 in Cape Sounion, Greece: New York, NY: Plenum Press 1997.
Anshu Agrawal, Poonam K et al., Thimerasol induces TH2 responses via influencing cytokine secretion by human dendritic cells. Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 2007 February; 81:474-482. http://www.jleukbio.org
31. IARC International Agency for Research on Cancer; Summaries and Evaluations Surgical Implants and Other Foreign Bodies 1999 Feb 23; 74:24305-310.
32. Kass PH, et al., Epidemiologic evidence for a causal relation between vaccination and fibrosarcoma tumorigenesis in cats. JAVMA, 1993; 203:396-405.
Munday JS et al., Histology and Immunohistochemistry of seven ferret vaccination site fibrosarcomas. Vet Pathology 2003; 40:288-293.
Vascellari M, Melchiotti E et al., Fibrosarcomas at presumed sites of injection in dogs, characteristics and comparison with non vaccination site fibrosarcomas and feline post vaccinal fibrosarcomas. J Vet Med A Physiol Pathol Clin Med 2003 Aug; 50 (6): 286-91.
Morrison WB, Starr RM et al., Vaccine associated feline sarcoma. JAVMA 2001; 218:697-702. Smith C, Are we vaccinating too much? JAVMA 1995; 207 (4):421-425.
Researchers probe vaccine associated feline sarcomas. JAVMA June 1, 2005 http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/sep04/040915k.asp
Couto CG, Macy DW. Review of treatment options for vaccine-associated feline sarcoma. JAVMA1998; 213:1426-1427.
Macy D, Vaccine-associated feline sarcomas. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 1999 Mar; 1 (1):15-21.
Macy D, Is it time for a Veterinary Vaccine Injury Compensation Act? http://www.catshots.com
Ford R, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM Vaccines and vaccination building the protocol-implementing the guidelines June 25,2007 Framingham, MA Sponsored by Merial.
Bode A and Dong Z, Post translational modification of p53 in tumorigenesis. Nature Reviews Cancer 2004 Oct 14; 4 (10): 793-805.
33. Questions and Answers about vaccine ingredients American Academy of Pediatric Physicians October 2008 http://www.vaccinateyourbaby.org/pdfs/vaccine_ingredients.pdf
Felex CA, Slaye I et al., p53 gene mutations in pediatric brain tumors Pediatric Blood and Cancer 2006 Jul; 25(6): 431-436.
34. Schultz RD, Everything you need to know about vaccines. June 15, 2007 Danbury, CT Sponsored by Cavaliers of the Northeast.
35. Schultz RD, Scott F, Veterinary Clinics of North America 1978, 8 (4):755-768.
36. Phillips TR, Schultz RD. Canine and feline vaccines in Kirks Current Veterinary Therapy XI (Small Animal Practice). Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders: 205.
Horzinek M, Schultz RD, Frequently asked questions. Oct 19, 2009 National Parent Club Canine Conference http://www.spinoneous.org/forum/uploaded/Admin/vaccinations2007.pdf
Wolf A, Vaccines of the past and the future. (WSAVA) World Small Animal Veterinary Association Conference 2001 Vancouver, British Columbia.
37. Berkelman RL, Human illness associated with the use of veterinary vaccines. Emerging Infections CID 2003(1 August); 37:407-414.
38. Fox MD, Genetically engineered and modified live virus vaccines; Public health and animal welfare concerns http://twobitdog.com/DrFox/Livevirus-vaccines-animal
Terje Traavik, genetically engineered pox viruses in cell cultures recombined with natural viruses to create new viruses with unpredictable and potentially dangerous characteristics. Contact terjet@genok.org
Terje Traavik, Scientific Director Center for Biosafety of Norway, Professor of Gene Ecology, University of Tromso, Norway. Background document in risk assessment of genetically modified (GM) viruses for management of animal populations. Terje Traavik, Biosafety Officer of Norway University of Tromso, Norway prepared for the Norway Canada workshop on risk assessment for emerging applications of LMOs. June 4-6, 2007. Montreal, Canada. Research report for DN No 1999-6 An Orphan Science; Environmental risks of genetically engineered vaccines reported to Directorate for Nature Management http://www.naturforvaltning.no

The most important thing for you to know is that annual revaccination of your pet is unnecessary! This information is based on scientific studies conducted by Dr. Ron Schultz, a very well respected veterinary immunologist. What continues to amaze me, is how few people know about this important information. The studies I am speaking of were done over 10 years ago. This is not new information. The truth is that the majority of veterinary practices continue to not only offer annual revaccination, they insist upon it.

Over vaccination can be hazardous to your pets health. Vaccines have been linked to a number of autoimmune diseases: interstitial nephritis in cats, pancreatitis in both dogs and cats, addisons, cushings and thyroid disease. Other diseases that can be triggered or worsened by vaccines are: seizure disorder, allergies and cancer.

To protect your pet:
1. Vaccine selection should be based on risk assessment. There are a variety of vaccines on the market for dogs and cats and not all of them should be given to every pet. The AVMA has set guidelines for the core vaccines (what they feel every animal should have).
a. Core vaccines in dogs are: Distemper, Parvo and Rabies.
b. Core vaccines in Cats are: FVRCP and Rabies
c. Core vaccines in both dogs and cats have been scientifically proven to provide immunity for 3-7 years.
2. 3 year vaccines are readily available for the core vaccines in dogs.
3. Non-adjuvanted vaccines (those that are supposed to be less likely to cause Feline Sarcomas in cats are currently only labeled for 1 year. This does not mean that they don’t provide immunity for a much longer period. It just means that the manufacturer has not done studies to prove duration of immunity.
4. Titer tests are available for both dogs and cats. These tests will show if the pet has antibodies to the diseases tested for which is one indication that the pet remains protected. Titer testing costs more than vaccinating but is the safer alternative.
5. Vaccines are labeled for use in healthy animals only. If your pet is sick with either an acute or chronic illness, he/she should not be vaccinated. This means that animals diagnosed with seizures, cancer, cushings, addisons, thyroid disease, allergies just to name a few should be deemed too sick to vaccinate. As we mentioned above, the fact is they probably don’t need to be revaccinated anyway!

I have to say that this is probably the hill I will chose to die on. Why? My practice consists mainly of the treatment of chronically/terminally ill animals and I continue to see other veterinarians vaccinating these pets prior to their coming to me for treatment.

If you are not my client, I want you to know that as the advocate for your pet’s health, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE VACCINATIONS, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO ASK FOR A 3 YEAR VACCINE OR TITER TESTING. Just learn to say NO! Your pet will thank you.

For More Information!
www.creatingwellbeings.com
www.drmarcia.wordpress.com

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Print a FREE copy of Natural Immunity, Why You Should NOT Vaccinate! by Pat McKay.

IVERMECTIN TOXICITY
This toxic reaction occurs especially in dogs that are genetically hypersensitive to ivermectin, an anti-parasite medication most commonly used for heartworm prevention, or to treat ear and hair mites, which can lead to mange. Ivermectin prevents or kills parasites by causing neurological damage to the parasite, resulting in paralysis and death for the parasite. But dogs genetically sensitive to the medication have an anomaly that allows the ivermectin to pass the dog’s blood-brain barrier and into its central nervous system, which can be lethal for the animal.
About Ivermectin »

While the sensitivity to this type of medication is not always guaranteed, the following breeds are most likely to be affected (although not every “sensitive” animal in the breed is affected):

• Old English Sheepdog
• English Sheepdog
• Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie)
• Australian Shepherd
• German Shepherd
• Long-haired Whippet
• Silken Windhound
• Skye Terrier
• Collie

Washington State University Veterinary School developed a DNA test for a mutant gene which produces adverse reaction to ivermectin and other medications in some dogs. They have discovered that 75% of Collies, 25% of Border Collies, 8% of Old English Sheep dogs, mixed dogs of these breeds, plus other breeds have this mutant gene.

It is also seen in mixed-breed dogs, older dogs that have experienced a blow to the head, puppies, dogs that have overdosed on similar types of drugs, or other central nervous system diseases that affects the blood-brain barrier. Treating dogs that are susceptible to ivermectin toxicity with parasitic medication should be only be done under a veterinarian’s supervision and with great caution.

For breeds predisposed to the disease, an autosomal recessive trait (MDR-1) gene has been identified that causes a defect in the p-glycoprotein multidrug transporter to the blood brain barrier. This allows the ivermectin to pass into the brain at low dosages thus causing toxicity. This trait may also cause toxicity from other related drugs and should also be avoided or used in lower doses in susceptible breeds.

Toxicity can occur in cats, although it is uncommon.

SYMPTOMS
Symptoms for the dog may be acute or mild. Acute signs will become apparent within 4 to 12 hours of the drug’s administration. In mild cases, symptoms will occur between 48 to 96 hours after your dog has been treated. Such symptoms include:

• Lethargy
• Depression
• Drooling
• Vomiting
• Dilation of the pupil
• Loss of appetite (anorexia)
• Difficulty controlling voluntary movement
• Disorientation
• Tremors/Seizures
• Inability to stand
• Blindness
• Slow heartbeat
• Respiratory distress
• Coma

TREATMENT
Unfortunately, ivermectin toxicity cannot be reversed. Therefore, it is best to make your pet comfortable and treat the symptoms to the best of your ability. If exposure has occurred within the past four to six hours, induce vomiting and/or administer activated charcoal for the purposes of minimizing absorption. Be on the lookout for signs of secondary complications.

Some or all of the following measures may also be recommended by your veterinarian:

• Intravenous fluid therapy
• Keeping electrolytes in balance
• Intravenous nutritional support
• Turn the dog over frequently
• Appropriate bedding
• Physical therapy
• Ocular lubricants
• Ventilator in case of respiratory distress
• Heat support if body temperature is low
• Fans if body temperature is high
• If your dog can not stand up, urinary catheters may be needed
• Medication for seizures if appropriate

Much will depend on the severity of the dog’s reaction, along with its initial overall health. It may take several weeks of dedicated care before the dog fully recovers.

PREVENTION
There is a test available to check sensitivity to ivermectin. If your dog is one of the breeds that is prone to ivermectin toxicity, you might consider testing for it. If you decide not to have the testing done, be cautious about using ivermectin to prevent heartworm disease or for the treatment of mites.

In dogs with MDR 1 gene mutation, the following drugs should be avoided or used with caution:

• Ivermectin
• Selamectin
• Milbemycin
• Moxidectin
• Loperamide
• Acepromazine
• Butorphanol
• Vincristine
• Vinblastine
• Doxorubicin

WHY TELL YOU ALL THIS?
I include all this scary stuff so you know what can go wrong when using ivermectin on your own to treat your pets. It’s the same ingredient used in the popular heartworm meds you can buy for cats and dogs, but I know someone whose dog died when she administered Zimecterin Gold, a horse wormer, to her dogs. I don’t know the particulars in her case — what breed her dog was, how much she dosed, etc. I offer this info so you know what can go wrong and are as informed as possible before going this route. I assume no responsibility. Zimecterin Gold contains ivermectin and praziquantel. The praziquantel kills tapeworms. I have used this product for several years on my cats and dogs with no ill effects (knock on wood). My dogs are mutts. But be aware of the hazards if you have any of the breeds mentioned above. Having several cats and dogs, this is a more affordable alternative for me. There are several generic versions of heartworm preventative on the market. I used to order them from PetShed out of Australia. That worked fine, too. However, I have a number of cats and dogs and even the generic version became quite expensive.

Zemecterin Gold comes in an oversized syringe with a dosage appropriate for horses. The plunger on the syringe is marked at 50 lb intervals. This is how I determine the appropriate dosage. One syringe treats approximately 1300 pounds and costs about $15.

You can also buy the cattle version of just plain 1% ivomec (without the praziquantel), but it requires a larger dosage ivermectin (1/10 of 1 cc per 10 pounds) and it tastes really nasty. So you need to mix it in something like orange juice or yogurt.

Newport Beach, CA (PRWEB) October 28, 2009 — The National Canine Cancer Foundation has awarded RESVANTAGE CANINE their Pink Paw Seal of Approval for a “product that helps to advance the holistic health of our pets and helping fight canine cancer.” This designation is granted only to companies who have met rigorous quality standards and other criteria established by their Scientific Advisory Board.

RESVANTAGE CANINE is a nutritional supplement for dogs containing resveratrol blended together with a unique combination of nutrients. Resveratrol has been shown to reduce tumor incidence in animals by affecting one or more stages of cancer development.

John Park, Executive V.P. of Corporate Communications for Resvantage, says that “we are both gratified and honored to receive this recognition from the NCCF. Extensive scientific study contributed to the development of this supplement and we appreciate the acknowledgment of our efforts from this wonderful organization.

The National Canine Cancer Foundation is a nationwide, contribution funded, 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to eliminating Cancer as a major health issue in dogs by funding grants directly to Cancer researchers who are working to save lives, find cures, better treatments and accurate, cost effective diagnostic methods in dealing with Canine Cancer.

The purpose of the Foundation’s Research Grant Program is to encourage and provide grant support for basic, pre-clinical and clinical research in high impact and innovative cancer research, which is intended to develop innovative approaches to a cure, treatment, diagnosis or prevention of cancers in dogs. The program fosters collaboration between basic and clinical scientists with the intent of enhancing the transfer of basic research findings to clinical usefulness.

Gary D. Nice, President and CEO of NCCF states, “We are pleased to award RESVANTAGE CANINE our Seal of Approval. Resveratrol has shown efficacy in the prevention and treatment of many different types of cancers and RESVANTAGE CANINE is an excellent way for us to give it to our dogs. It gives us all hope as we continue to work to find a cure.

Resvantage Canine & Feline are pet supplements containing resveratrol blended together with other essential nutrients that work synergistically to help pets reach their full potential and diminish the many symptoms of aging. It is available online at www.resvantagecanine.com and at pet stores throughout the US.

The Resvantage Canine® products are distributed by Advantage Partners, Inc. and can be reached toll free in the U.S. at 877-676-0990.

First, there is the EPA investigation into spot-on treatments. Then there are the photos of what look like burns on pets from the treatments. Then there is my own personal experience. I have painted floors in my house and a single drop of the spot-on solution will eat a hole right through the paint which begs the question: if it will eat a hole through paint, what must that feel like on my pets’ skin? As a matter of fact, some of my pets do run like they are on fire after they get a dose of spot-on flea treatment. So I am always interested to I read about other solutions. I found some personal recommendations that I want to share with you.

MORE NATURAL FLEA REMEDIES

• I use brewers yeast. Sprinkle it over their food. I agree with you that the chemicals are bad. I used to use the drops on my dog, then I relized he was getting horrible bumpy hard things under his skin in the exact same place I had put the drops. My theory is, if you wouldn’t put it on your skin, why put it on your dog? go to www.onlynaturalpet.com.

  They have alot of nautural products. I use the Doc Ackermans sprayand shampoo, it is for fleas and ticks. Works great. We have been chemical free for 2 years now.
  By jeannie_brim

• My wife and I use food grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE) on our dog and carpets to kill fleas and ticks out. Diatomaceous earth is a remarkable, all-natural product made from tiny fossilized water plants. Diatomaceous Earth is a naturally occurring siliceous sedimentary mineral compound from microscopic skeletal remains of unicellular algae-like plants called diatoms.

  Diatomaceous Earth, also known as Silicon Dioxide, is not a poison. DE is EPA labeled as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) in food production, water and the environment.

  Dust Diatomaceous earth is a mechanical insect killer. Insects cannot become immune to its action. When insects come into contact with diatomaceous earth, the sharp edges lacerate the bugs’ waxy exoskeleton and then the powdery DE absorbs their body fluids causing death from dehydration. DE kills insects by drying them up.

  To use it for flea and tick control, apply a light dusting over the lawn, in dog runs, around pet bedding or favorite resting spots and sprinkle a little on your pet between baths of a mild herbal soap. We buy a large 20 pound bag of it (about $20 at the local feed or home store) and dust her by filling a sock with the earth (looks like chalk) and shaking it above her every other week.

  It’s completely [harmless] and does an excellent job.
  By Dr. Brian

• Place one cap full Avon “Skin So Soft” in a spray bottle with water shake well. Mist dog, massage in. Repeat every 2 weeks or so. Dogs skin will be less dry, smell nice, and keeps fleas away.
  By aussie
• This is the only one I know. Get some honeysuckle leaves and put them in a blender with water. Chop it all up until its mushy. Strain the mixture to get all the pulp out. Put the remaining water in a spray bottle and spray your pet. This mixture works on garden pests too. Have you ever seen a bug of any kind eat honeysuckle leaves? Not even Japanese beetles!
  By sumrtanman

I can endorse Diatomeous Earth because I have used it and it works very well. If you apply it indoors be careful because it can irritate your nostrils. I really like the sock idea for putting it on the dogs. And we know Skin-So-Soft has been used for years to repel mosquitos. But the honeysuckle leaves is a new one. I have honeysuckle growing along the fence, so I will have to give it a try. I have never been consistent enough with the Brewers Yeast to say one way of the other, but I may re-visit it, too.

Good luck. And let me know if you have any remedies that work.

This groundbreaking treatment, known as Palladia, comes in pill form and has shown to be effective in fighting mast cell tumors, the second most common type of tumor found in canines. In a clinical study, Palladia caused mast cell skin tumors to disappear, shrink or stop growing in approximately 60% of the dogs tested.

Cancer treatments can be expensive, but if you have Pets Best Insurance and your dog develops this type of tumor, the treatments, including Palladia, are eligible for coverage. Under Pets Best Basic, First and Premier plans, cancer treatments for your dog and cat are covered per incident up to $2,500, $7,000 and $14,000, respectively, after a one-time deductible.

“Treatments for pet cancer are becoming more the norm and are typically the highest payments we make,” states Dr. Jack Stephens, President of Pets Best Insurance. “No one expects their pet will get cancer or that they will pay thousands of dollars for a treatment, but they do, especially when they have pet insurance that reimburses them 80% like Pets Best Insurance.”

To add insult to injury, it’s exceedingly difficult to arrive at a decision as to whether the tumor you’ve just removed has been cured by your surgery…or whether it’s just going to come back bigger and badder than ever (usually in the same location but sometimes in a local lymph node or internal organ).

Apart from surgically removing a wide swath of skin, fat, muscle (and sometimes bone!) from around the mass (at least one centimeter in all directions but for higher grades, as much as three centimeters), treatment can also include radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

Radiation is especially helpful should the tumor be diagnosed as a high grade malignancy (mast cell tumors are graded on a scale of I-III, III being the worst)…or should it appear in an area where a complete surgical excision is impossible (as on the face or a lower limb). Chemotherapy is indicated for some high grade tumors (Grade III), some incompletely resectable tumors or when metastatic disease (spreading to local lymph nodes, for example) is present.

The trials and tribulations of mast cell cancer is frustrating for veterinarians and confusing for pet owners. That’s especially true when your oncologist disagrees with your general practitioner who also disagrees with your internist. Yes, even among specialists mast cell cancer is hotly debated and subject to many internal disagreements––particularly with respect to the right way to treat them.

The various grades of mast cell tumors and the many modalities we can apply to treat them makes for a perfect storm of confusion. Add that to the tumor’s ubiquity (it’s the second most common tumor type in dogs), and you can begin to understand why mast cell tumors give veterinarians headaches and sleepless nights.

Take, for example, one of my recent MCT patients. She was diagnosed with a Grade II, but margins were “dirty” (not completely free of tumor). One oncologist wanted to irradiate immediately. Another general practitioner suggested injecting the area with prednisolone (a steroid) and a surgeon wanted me simply to go back and get clean margins. A radiation oncologist at the University of Florida finally ratified the surgeon’s opinion, discrediting the injections and stating that radiation was unnecessary for a surgically resectable Grade II. So you know, I ultimately went with the latter, well-informed approach. But what a mission!

That’s why the news of a new cancer therapy specifically for mast cell cancer is both exciting and stressful. Hooray for my more severely affected patients with recurrent disease! But what’s that going to mean for my recommendations? It’s no stretch to say that I’m a tad confused––as seems to be the case with some of my colleagues on VIN (the Veterinary Information Network), too.

So I did some research. This drug is called Palladia. Manufactured and marketed by Pfizer, the drug (oral) is in a class of drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors. They work by blocking the activity of receptors important for the development of blood vessels supplying the tumors, as well as for receptors critical to tumor survival. Its stated use is for canine mast cell tumors that recur after surgical excision, with or without local lymph node involvement. It shrinks these tumors and extends the comfortable life of these patients.

Side effects? I don’t have the percentages, but many dogs apparently experience gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea and inappetance. Lameness, too. They appear to be reversible. Death is possible, however––though very rarely with careful attention to side effects.

The other side effect worth considering is the price. A similar drug marketed by Pfizer for humans, Sutent, goes for $5,000 (for 28 pills!). Who knows what Palladia will cost, but it’s safe to assume it won’t be that expensive. Nonetheless, I bet its price will best radiation’s priciness but come in well over what standard surgical techniques would cost.

For now, Palladia will only be in the hands of oncologists and internists (as Pfizer decides how it’s going to market the drug and accumulates more data through this select group of professionals). But the common nature of this tumor likely means that Palladia will be coming to a veterinary hospital near you. I guess then it’ll come time to implement the new drug. As it stands, I’m not so sure its benefits outweigh the risk of its side effects when you consider that another surgical resection might be just as curative (if there’s no evidence of metastasis)––statistically speaking, anyway.

Yes, it’s clear that lots of confusion still reigns. But one thing I do know is this:

It’s about time veterinary medicine had a drug FDA-approved for use against cancer. This is where oncology is headed––away from invasive surgery, stressful radiation and indiscriminate chemotherapy…and more towards vaccines (like the melanoma vax), gene therapy––and, of course, drugs like this one.
………………………………………………………………..
reprinted from Dolittler website

Several human medicines are effective for cats and dogs. The dosages are, of course, lower because the pets are smaller. It’s always a good idea to call your vet before giving your pet any type of human medicine to be sure it is safe and will work for your pet’s condition. Be sure you tell your vet of any other medications your pet is taking at the time in case there could be interactions.

• A&D Ointment — Antibacterial ointment for scrapes and wounds.
  Dogs & Cats: Apply thin coating 3-4 times a day for 7-10 days.
• Anbesol — Topical anesthetic for mouth pain.
  Dogs: Dab on liquid with cotton swab once or twice a day for up to 2 days.
  Cats: Do not use more than one time.
• Aveeno Oatmeal Medicated Bath — For soothing itchy skin.
  Dogs & Cats: Use as bath rinse as often as 3 times a week.
• Benadryl — Antihistamine.
  Dogs & Cats: 1 mg per lb every 6-8 hours.
• Betadine Skin Cleanser — Antiseptic liquid soap for cleansing on or around wounds.
  Dogs & Cats: Use full strength to wash affected area.
• Betadine Solution — Antiseptic solution for flushing or soaking injured area.
  Dogs & Cats: Dilute with distilled water to the color of weak tea, then apply.
• Bufferin — Pain reliever.
  Dogs: 10-25 mg per 2.2 lb two or three times a day.
  Cats: DO NOT USE.
• Burow’s Solution — Topical antiseptic.
  Dogs & Cats: Moisten cotton ball and apply to wound.
• Caladryl — Soothing topical lotion for pain and itching.
  Dogs & Cats: Paint on sore area.
• Cortaid — Anti-itch cream.
  Dogs & Cats: Apply once or twice daily as needed.
• Desitin — Soothing ointment.
  Dogs & Cats: Rub on affected area.
• Dramamine — For car sickness, nausea.
  Dogs: 2-4mg per lb 3 times a day.
  Cats: 1/4 of 50-mg Tablet (12.5 mg) once a day.
• Dulcolax — For constipation.
  Dogs: 5- to 20-mg tablet once a day or 1/2 to 2 pediatric suppositories (10 mg) once a day.
  Cats: 5-mg tablet once a day or 1/2 pediatric suppository once a day.
• Epsom Salts — Soothing soak for irritated, itchy skin.
  Dogs: 1 cup per gal of water, then soak affected area.
  Cats: 1 cup per 2 gal of water, then soak affected area.
• Hypo Tears — Eye lubricant.
  Dogs & Cats: Apply 4-12 times a day.
• Iodine — Topical antiseptic.
  Dogs & Cats: Paint on wound.
• Ipecac Syrup — Emetic to promote vomiting.
  Dogs: 1 tsp per 20 lb, up to 3 tsp.
  Cats: DO NOT USE.
• Kaopectate — For diarrhea.
  Dogs: 1/2 – 1 tsp per 5 lb, to a maximum of 2 Tbsp every 8 hours.
  Cats: Not recommended for cats since the formula was changed.
• Lanacane — Topical anesthetic.
  Dogs: Apply to sore area with gauze pad.
  Cats: DO NOT USE.
• Massengill Disposable Douche — Odor neutralizer for skunk spray, body odor.
  Dogs & Cats: Mix 2 oz per gal of water, use as a soak for 15 min, then bath as usual.
• Metamucil (unflavored) — For constipation.
  Dogs: 1 tsp per 10-25 lb, mixed in food.
  Cats: 1/2 tsp (small cat) to 1 tsp (large cat), mixed in food.
• Mylanta Liquid — For digestive upset, gas.
  Dogs: 15 lbs or less — 3 Tbsp; 16-50 lbs — 4 Tbsp; 51 lb or more — 6 Tbsp.
  Cats: DO NOT USE.
• Neosporin — For preventing wound infection.
  Dogs & Cats: Apply 3-5 times daily as needed.
• Pedialyte — For dehydration.
  Dogs & Cats: Mix 50/50 with water, offer as much as dog or cat wants.
• Pepcid AC — For vomiting.
  Dogs & Cats: 5 mg per 10 lb once or twice a day.
• Pepto-Bismol — For diarrhea, nausea, indigestion, vomiting.
  Dogs: 0.5 ml per lb or 1/2-1 tsp per 5 lb, to a maximum of 30 ml or 2 Tbsp up to 3 times per day, or 1 tablet per 15 lb up to 3 times per day.
  Cats: DO NOT USE
• Phillips’ Milk of Magnesia — For constipation.
  Dogs: 2-4 tsp per 5 lb every 6 hours.
  Cats: 1/2-1 tsp once a day.
• Preparation H — For sore anal area.
  Dogs: Apply up to 4 times daily.
  Cats: DO NOT USE.
• Robitussin Pediatric Cough Formula — Cough suppressant.
  Dogs & Cats: Ask your vet.
• Solarcaine — Topical pain reliever and anesthetic.
  Dogs: Apply to sore area once or twice a day for up to 2 days.
  Cats: DO NOT USE.
• Tylenol — Pain reliever.
  Dogs & Cats: Ask your vet. Cats are extremely sensitive to acetaminophen, but dogs can be affected too.
• Vicks VapoRub — For congestion.
  Dogs & Cats: Smear a small amount on your pet’s chin for easier breathing.
• Witch Hazel — Astringent/topical antiseptic.
  Dogs & Cats: Dab on affected area.

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reprinted from The First Aid Companion for Dogs & Cats