There are items in your home -- in the kitchen or medicine cabinet -- that can help. But there are also some remedies that are safe for humans but dangerous for animals.
Never Give Pets Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen or Aspirin
You might think that it's safe to give your pets the pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medication that all of us have at home, such as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen, but Becker says that's a big no-no.
These drugs aren't dangerous to people, but they are to pets, especially cats. Nearly 10,000 calls to the animal poison control center in 2008 were the result of owners giving their furry friends one of these drugs. Never use those drugs without your vet giving you the OK.
But there are some common drugs and household products you can use to help your pet get through an emergency.
Safe Human Medicines for Pets
Benadryl
Use: Benadryl works well if your pet has an allergic reaction, but only if your vet says it's OK to use.
Dosage: 25 milligrams for pets up to 30 pounds, 50 mg for pets up to 80 pounds and 75 mg for pets over 80 pounds. Use one dose every six hours.
Safe Household Products for Pets
Baking Soda: This is great for treating bee stings in pets and people. Bees leave a stinger attached to a venom sac, and you want to remove the stinger without breaking the sac. Mix some baking soda and water into a paste, let it dry, and then use a credit card to gently scrape out the stinger.
用家中存在的東西治療你的寵物
你家中廚房或醫藥柜中的物品會給你以幫助,但是一些對人安全的藥對動物卻是危險的。千萬不要給寵物服用象布洛芬、撲熱息痛或阿司匹林藥,你可能認為家里的止痛藥、消炎藥象阿司匹林、布洛芬、撲熱息痛給寵物服用是安全的,但Becker 說這樣做就大錯特錯了。
這些藥物對人沒有危險性,但對寵物就不然,尤其是貓。2008年動物中毒控制中心接到大約10,000次呼叫電話,都是由主人給他們帶皮毛的朋友服用這些藥物導致的。未經獸醫同意千萬不要使用這些藥物。
但是某些常用藥物和家里的一些東西可以在寵物緊急情況下對你有所幫助。
人類藥物對寵物來說是安全的有:苯海拉明
應用:如果你的寵物過敏時應用效果會很好,但也要經你的寵物醫生同意才可使用。
劑量:30磅的寵物25毫克,80磅的寵物50毫克,超過80磅的寵物是75毫克,每6小時給藥一次。
對寵物安全的家中物品
蘇打粉:這種物質可以有效地治療人和寵物被蜜蜂蜇傷,蜜蜂會將毒腺留在人或寵物體內,你要是想不破壞毒腺而去除蟄刺物,可將蘇打粉、水和成糊狀敷在被蜇部位,使其干燥,并用信用卡輕輕刮除蜇刺物。