Poisoning of dogs and cats by human drugs

One of the main causes of poisoning of small animals is exposure to drugs intended for human use. Poisoning may result from misuse by pet owners, off-label use of medicines or, more frequently, accidental ingestion of drugs that are improperly stored.

Dogs are most commonly affected. The major drugs involved include:

• analgesics (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
• antihistamines (H₁-antihistamines)
• cardiovascular drugs (calcium channel blockers)
• central nervous system drugs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, baclofen, benzodiazepines and zolpidem)
• gastrointestinal drugs (loperamide)
• nutritional supplements (vitamin D and iron salts)
• respiratory drugs (β2-adrenergic receptor agonists).

Any human medicine can cause serious illness or even death to small animals, so owners should keep these medicines out of reach from their pets.

Via: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109002331400450X