Can dogs eat calcium magnesium pills?
Calcium supplements usually come in tablet or flavored soft-chew formulations and are readily found in many households. When dogs ingest these supplements in large amounts, vomiting and diarrhea or constipation are common, with potential for transiently elevated calcium blood levels.
What if my dog ate supplements?
Whenever you see your pet ingest a vitamin or other human supplement, make sure to keep the vitamin bottle on hand in case you have to visit your vet or an emergency animal hospital. The doctor will be able to treat your pet more efficiently with information about dosage and ingredients.
Magnesium is essential for well-being, but too much can cause problems, including digestive issues, lethargy, and an irregular heartbeat. In rare cases, a magnesium overdose can be fatal. Magnesium toxicity is rare in otherwise healthy people, and levels are more likely to be low than high.
People with diabetes, intestinal disease, heart disease or kidney disease should not take magnesium before speaking with their health care provider. Overdose. Signs of a magnesium overdose can include nausea, diarrhea, low blood pressure, muscle weakness, and fatigue. At very high doses, magnesium can be fatal.
Hypermagnesemia can become fatal, especially if your kidneys are not functioning optimally. Large doses of laxatives and antacids that contain magnesium may be a contributing factor to magnesium toxicity, typically when they’re providing over 5,000 mg of magnesium per day.
Treatment of Excess Magnesium in the Blood in Dogs
Treatment will depend on the severity of your dog’s condition. Mild hypermagnesemia is treated with intravenous sodium chloride solution. Furosemide, a diuretic that increases magnesium excretion, will be given unless the dog is dehydrated.
Severe life-threatening hypermagnesemia will be countered by injection of calcium gluconate. Excess magnesium in the blood can block calcium, so rebalancing these two electrolytes helps to restore neuromuscular function quickly. Heart rate and blood pressure will be monitored carefully during administration. Regular doses of oral physostigmine can also help counter the negative actions of excess magnesium.
Other treatments will focus on the cause of the problem. Hypermagnesemia is often associated with complete kidney shut-down, so there may be little the vet can do to treat your dog at this stage of kidney failure. Dialysis or medication to support kidney function could be ordered and life-threatening symptoms will be managed as much as possible.
Treatment of pericardial effusion will depend on the cause. Many conditions including infection, cancer, or an inherited abnormality can be related. Pericardiocentesis may be necessary to remove fluid from the heart. Antibiotics, surgery, or other treatments could also be ordered. If hypermagnesemia is due to a temporary condition like an overdose of laxatives or antacids it will usually resolve itself with treatment of the immediate symptoms. Vomiting may be induced to reduce absorption in cases of recent poisoning.
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