Every pet owner wants to make sure that their dog, cat or other pet is in the best health possible. Sometimes, you will have to give your pet a specialized medicine in order to help keep it healthy or assist it in recovering from an illness or injury. If your pet is very young, however, you may be a bit concerned about giving it medication or unsure of how much medication to administer. Even basic treatments such as over-the-counter flea medicines can be dangerous if given to young pets in too large of a dosage. Here are some questions that you should take the time to ask yourself when it looks like you might have to administer medicine to a young pet.
How Old Is the Pet?
When trying to decide whether to give medicine to a young pet, stop to consider the age of the pet in question. If the pet is younger than six weeks old, use caution when it giving medicine and only do so if explicitly instructed to by your vet. If the pet is between six and ten weeks old, check the medicine to see if it has dosing instructions for pets within that age range. Should your pet happen to be older than ten weeks, you will likely be able to give it medicine without running into any problems.
How Big Is the Pet?
Another major consideration when trying to decide whether to give younger pets medicine is their size and weight. Larger sized pets such as large-breed puppies can receive medicine such as Frontline and FortaFlora for Dogs at a younger age than smaller breeds because of their bigger size in relation to the dosage of medicine being administered. It is important to remember that the smaller the pet is, the more cautious you should be about giving it medicine.
Where Did You Get the Medicine?
If you were given the medication for your pet by your veterinarian, you should follow the vet’s instructions and administer the dosage that he or she recommends. Since your vet will have taken your pets younger age into account when writing out the dosing instructions you should not experience any problems with the medicine. However, if you purchased your pet’s medication online or over the counter at a convenience or pet supply store, you should be much more cautious about giving it to your pet unless the product has dosing instructions specific to the age of your pet.
It is also becoming more and more popular amongst pet owners, particularly dog owners, to give their pet’s human medication. While there are many over-the-counter medicines used by humans that are safe for dogs, it is important that you consult your dog’s veterinarian first before administering any of these medications to your pet.
Are There Specific Dosing Instructions for Young Pets?
Most medicines are designed for use by pets of all ages, but there are some that have different dosing instructions that depends on exactly how old your pet is. Carefully check the box of the medicine before you purchase it in order to see if there are any restrictions or special rules in regards to the dosing of younger pets. Pets that fall within a certain age group may require a smaller dose with some medicines such as Advantage Multi, whereas other medicines may be cleared for use by pets of any age that have been weaned. Other medicines can be dangerous for pets below a certain age and will explicitly say on the box’s instructions that it should not be given to young pets unless specifically instructed to by a veterinarian. If there are not specific instructions on the box for that of your pet’s age group, check similar products. What you do not want to do is assume that it can be used by pets of all ages as you could put your pet at significant risk.
What Does Your Vet Say?
If you have any doubts as to whether a medication could potentially be dangerous for your young pet, call or visit your veterinarian before you give it even a single dose. Your vet will be able to give you precise dosing instructions, offer alternative medicines that will be safer for you to use, or suggest to you a different type of treatment for the problem that might not require you to give your pet medicine at all. They may also want to administer the medication themselves so that they can observe your pet for any negative reactions and administer additional help if needed. Remember that your vet has your pet’s best interest in mind, so be sure to trust their judgment as to whether the medicine that you want to use can be safely administered to your pet or not.
Article written by:
Brian Jenkins
