A pet eating anti-depressant tablets has become one of the enquiries we receive almost on a daily basis. Most of our calls are from concerned dog owners since cats are notoriously fussy and suspicious so rarely eat tablets they come across.
1) The pet eats the owner’s medication which has been either dropped on the floor or found in the house
2) The pet has been prescribed an anti-depressant licensed for veterinary use for a behavioural problem (such as an anxiety or compulsive disorder or feline urine marking) and the owner has accidentally given too many tablets
It is, however, most important to point out that many anti-depressant drugs are not licensed for veterinary use and that you should always consult a veterinary specialist before administering any human drug to a pet. It is also worth remembering that the dose per kg body weight for humans is often very different to the doses used for pets for the same drug so human tablets can be very toxic, especially to small dogs and cats or if multiple tablets are ingested.
Symptoms of Antidepressant Poisoning in Dogs
Although antidepressant poisonings share many symptoms, they each have some unique symptoms that should be noted. This may help in determining which medication your dog has ingested if it is unknown. The symptoms can be separated by the type, or may be just general symptoms if the medication type is unknown:
General
SSRI
TCA
MAOI
Novel
Types
There are many types of antidepressant medications with different names, but the most common are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclics (TCAs), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).
SSRI
TCA
MAOI
Novel
Causes of Antidepressant Poisoning in Dogs
The causes of antidepressant poisoning usually includes one of these three things:
What are the different types of antidepressants?
The most common anti-depressants drugs are either:
1) Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) – e.g. fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Cipramil) and sertraline (Lustral or Zoloft)
2) Serotonin – noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) e.g. duloxetine and venlafaxine
3) Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) e.g. nortriptyline
FAQ
What if my dog eats Zoloft?
How much Zoloft can a dog take?
What happens if dog eats 25mg of Zoloft?
Can dogs take Zoloft?