People love their dogs so much that they would do anything for them. That might sometimes include giving their dog medications without consulting a vet. Seeing your dog ill or in pain can be incredibly difficult, and it’s completely normal to want to make them feel better as soon as possible. That said, there are some very important reasons why it’s important to consult a vet before giving your dog any meds that you should know about.
1. Avoiding Side Effects
Just like with meds designed for humans, there are a lot of potential side effects that meds made for dogs could cause – even those that are often prescribed as therapy. When it comes to allergies, prednisone for dogs is among the most common meds that a vet will prescribe. Because of its popularity, a lot of dog owners, especially those that have had dogs before, feel confident in giving their pup this medication on their own. However, even though it can be very effective in cases of skin conditions or asthma due to its anti-inflammatory properties, it’s also a source of many potential side effects as well. Every dog can react differently to any medication. As a matter of a fact, the same dog can have different reactions to the same meds in different circumstances. A veterinarian is properly trained to determine the right dosage and frequency for each dog. This means that they can prevent your pet from suffering any side effects, even if they’re common among meds of a certain type or for a certain illness.
2. Masking The Symptoms
Sometimes, symptoms of different ailments look similar to each other, especially to the untrained eye. Giving your dog meds without consulting a professional first can mask the symptoms the dog has exhibited, which can make it harder for the vet to give a proper diagnosis if it turns out that the meds didn’t take care of the problem. If you really feel like you’re in a pitch, consider scheduling a virtual vet visit at the very least before administrating any sort of medication – even if it’s something the dog has already taken multiple times before with successful results. If the dog doesn’t show relevant improvement after a few days of owner-prescribed therapy, it not only will the vet have a harder time determining what’s troubling it if the symptoms are influenced by the meds, but it may also prevent them from doing the tests needed to establish what’s wrong with the dog. In a way, it can prolong the illness, because you’ll have to stop the treatment and wait for the dog to flush the meds out of its system before the vet can do the necessary tests.
3. Resistance To Medication
Taking too much of anything can be a problem, whether it’s a person or a dog that’s taking it. Even though you’re trying to help your dog feel better, such practices could actually be the cause of complications. When a dog takes too much medication, it can sometimes mean that its body will have adapted and developed resistance to the meds in question. It can also happen when a pet owner gives their pet the same dose for too long without consulting with the vet. On the other hand, taking the dog off the meds too soon can have the same effect as well. Sometimes, the dog only needs to take a certain medication until it shows signs of improvement. Other times, they need to continue on with the therapy for an extended period of time in order to ensure it’s made a full recovery. A person that hasn’t gone to veterinary school simply can’t know when it’s time for a different type of therapy.
4. Proper Dosage
This goes hand in hand with the previous point. Under-dosing or over-dosing your dog can cause problems, especially if it’s not an isolated incident. You should always follow the instructions on the medication box and consult the vet to make sure you’re administering the proper dosage for your pet. The medication box provides general guidelines, but a veterinary can determine what the best dosage for your dog in this particular case is. If your dog already has an underlying problem, sometimes, giving him the full dosage prescribed on the box for a dog that fits his general size, age and weight can go as far as to make it overdose. On the other hand, as already discussed, a dosage that’s too mild can help the infection or a virus to become resistant to the medication, and it can also take longer for your dog to recoup.
5. Interaction With Other Meds
Even if your dog is on a prescription diet, it’s important to inform the vet about any other medication that you’re giving him. The vet might be able to determine that some of the medications are conflicting with one another and prescribe something else instead. If there are no adverse interactions between them, nevertheless, it’s still good for the owner to know if their dog is being treated with anything else so that they can monitor his health and the treatment more effectively. Of course, you can read the declaration on the box, but that will only inform you of the meds that are proven to have a bad interaction with each other. An experienced vet will have noticed a pattern, even if they cannot prove it, which can cause his practice to avoid prescribing certain meds together if it can be avoided, and there’s simply no way for you to know about it unless you consult with them first.
6. Complete Medical History
As a rule, a vet needs to know your dog’s complete medical history before they can treat them in order to determine the best course of action. It’s not uncommon for people to get their older or smaller dogs from certain places that don’t keep records. If you don’t remember every detail about the pet medication and medication, it could lead to complications. More than that, if he showed some symptoms that you thought you successfully cured, but then falls sick again, there’s a chance that the two could be connected and important in order to decide on the right course of treatment, but the vet won’t be able to determine that easily since they won’t know what was previously wrong with the dog.
The bottom line is that if your dog is sick, or you think it might be, then turn to a vet as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the symptoms become life-threatening because by then, they can be too severe for home remedies and natural treatment to do any good. And, of course, never give your dog meds that aren’t prescribed to him by a doctor. The situation is never so bad that it can’t wait for an appointment – and the benefits of doing so far outweigh the negative consequences in this case.
