Using human medicine on dogs?

Yes and no. The yes part is because there are some drugs that are the same between humans and animals. There are others that are specific to a species.

The no part is because the dosage is very different and a vet needs to diagnose the problem to fix it properly. There are some generic drugs that fix a broad range of things, but those are prescription only and can cause problems if used too much or improperly.

I have a steriod eye drop that I use occationally for whatever eye problem I have. It seems to work every time, but that could be because it is actually the same thing coming up again or because it covers a broad range of problems.

The answer is NO.

You should NEVER use medicine meant for people on a dog unless you've first gotten an OK from your vet.

Some medications that are perfectly safe for humans can be fatal to a dog. Other medications for people CAN be used for a dog, but only at a specific dose, and only once a vet has OK'd it.

About eye drops, I don't know. But please don't do it ... call your vet and explain what's wrong. What you think is infection may be simply irritation, or might be an allergy. In any case, your vet will probably want to see your dog to determine what the problem is.

In the meantime, you can gently wipe your dog's eye with a soft cloth, gauze, or cotton, and plain warm water. Try to keep his eye clean until he can see the vet.

Okay.....this is going against what everyone else here is telling you...but........MANY (notice I didn't say all) eyedrops vets give are the same ones as humans get. The exact same ones. Packaging and everything.

However, if you do have some tobramycin or erythromycin eye drops on hand, that does not mean they are safe for you dog even if what your vet would give you would be the exact same bottle only brand new.

The 'brand new' part is the cincher......you see, eye drops are considered 'contaminated' after they have been opened for 2 months, even if they have not been used!

On both humans and dogs, the eyes are a very delicate thing and you should never use old eye drops...to do so could put the recipient of the drops at risk for a greater infection.

Oh, and the eye drops I have been talking about are antibiotic eye drops- NOT Visene or the like- those are never safe for dogs.

The previous poster was correct in saying that you can use regular old saline in your dogs eyes to flush them. However, you have to be very careful to get plain saline....most of the products found in the eye section are a multi-purpose saline with other things in them that could harm your dogs eyes. If you don't have a lot of experience with saline, talk to the pharmacist at the store and let them know you need plain saline to flush your dog's eyes and have them help you find it.

So basically, other than flushing your dogs eyes with saline, you are screwed and need to take the dog to the vet to get some drops or ointment.

Good luck!

Never, never, use a medication in your dog that has not been approved by a vet. Plenty of things that are perfectly safe for people can be deadly to a dog.

Also, depending on how serious the infection is and where it's localized, some drops/creams could make it worse. Quite a lot worse, potentially. See a vet and get veterinary medication for it.

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RE:

Using human medicine on dogs?

My dog seems to have a little infection in his eye, does anyone know if you can use human eye drops on your dog?

NEVER EVER EVER EVER give your dog ANY kind of human medication, eye drops, ointments, ETC. without FIRST calling up your vet. If he has an infection, he will need to get some antibiotics FROM THE VET, not just some eye drops.

If you are not a veterinarian, do NOT try and diagnose your dog's problems at home. Take him to the vet.

No. The vet can give you antibiotic drops or ointment to clear it up. Human medication should not be used for dogs unless under the supervision of a vet, many human medications are very toxic to dogs.

The only safe thing for your dogs eye that is for humans is saline contact solution. It HAS to be regular though!!! Not the soaking... just the normal ol' stuff. To get eye drops for you dog is has to be a perscription. The film on their eyes can not handle our drops...as the clear film over our eyes has a way different function and purpose and a totatlly differnt thickness. With the saline you just want to gently wipe the dogs eye when its closed

I use human medicine on my dogs, very cautiously of course.

My Pom is terrified of thunder, So the vet said to give her a 1/4 of a xanax, I did and never fazed her, so the next night the same thing, storms, wind, rain, hailing, she was about to go nuts, so I gave her 1/2 xanax still nothing. So when it happened again I walk her to give her comfort.

Human eye drops should be okay, call your vet's office they would be willing to say.

We use benadril for my dog, but only because he has alergies and he's a great dane so the lower doses of dog medicine don't help. This is what our vet told us to do, do I would definetly consult with them first.