The ASPCA Warns of Increased Antidepressant Overdoses in Dogs

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Wednesday, 10 January 2001

Increased consumption of antidepressants in the U.S. is a dangerous trend for our pets.

With the rising use of antidepressants nationwide among people and their pets, it's not surprising that accidental ingestion of these drugs have increased. Since 1998, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Animal Poison Control Center reports that is has received more than 1,075 calls concerning antidepressant medication ingestion by dogs.

Antidepressants are no longer prescribed just for people, they help our pets with a variety of behavioral problems including depression, separation anxiety, urine marking and aggression. The accidental ingestion of many psychotherapeutic medications requires immediate medical attention symptoms can develop rapidly and could lead to death. In some cases a dog could die in less than an hour from an overdose.

"The increased consumption of antidepressants poses a real threat to our pets. Certain classifications of these antidepressants are more harmful than others. Pets with a certain health problems are especially susceptible to an overdose," comments Dr. Steven Hansen, Senior Vice President of The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. "However, the overall prognosis is generally good with rapid and aggressive therapy," concludes Hansen.

Established in 1978, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is the first and only emergency telephone hotline staffed by twenty full-time veterinarians and five board-certified veterinary toxicologists. The veterinarians answer calls from pet owners, veterinary clinics and hospitals and provide immediate guidance to diagnose and treat a variety of animal poisonings by consulting extensive database of over 450,000 animal poisoning cases and a vast collection of scientific journals and reference manuals.

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Recommends the Following Tips to Prevent Your Pet From a Medication Overdose:

• NEVER give your pet medication unless it is prescribed to them. Human medications can have very different reactions in pets. For example, tranquilizers have the reverse effect in many dogs and could cause a cardiac arrest.


• All medications should be out of your pet's reach, in closed cabinets.


• Childproof medicine bottles are NOT pet proof! Dogs that find prescription bottles may chew on it like a toy. Most dogs won't stop at one or two pills and will eat the whole bottle


• Avoid confusion of your medication with your pets. Distinctly label the bottles to differentiate them.

For more information, or to contact American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, see their website at: www.aspca.org