Have you ever had your dog get into your pills and had absolutely no idea what to do?
Well, this is all about your acne medication and if it is safe for your dog to ingest, by mistake obviously.
What Is Accutane?
Accutane is the brand name of a drug with the chemical name Isotretinoin, a derivative of vitamin A.
it is used to treat severe acne, skin problems, or even cancer in humans.
Prescriptions are tailored to each human and in incorrect doses can cause problems in the body.
Along with what it is prescribed for there are side effects to humans.
With this, one should be careful of dogs ingesting this.
Even though they are prescribed this sometimes, they are given much lower doses.
How Accutane Affect Dogs?
Ingestion of Isotretinoin can give your dog diarrhea, induce vomiting, cause a stomachache, tremors, and lack of appetite.
This can go on for a while depending on how much was ingested.
A large dose intake can lead to severe allergic reactions to hives, itchy skin, and seizures.
What Can You Do?
1. The first thing is to figure out is how much your dog has ingested.
You will need this information to determine what to do next and give the veterinarian when he asks.
2. The size of the dog determines how it affects them.
It is down to math. 20mg in a 12-pound dog is a lot, but in a 60-pound dog, he could absorb it fast with minimal symptoms showing.
The weight also determines the treatment.
3. If your dog has taken the pills within an hour you can induce vomiting, before it is absorbed by the body, with three percent Hydrogen peroxide.
The dose of peroxide to use varies depending on where you see the information online and the weight of the dog.
So, it is best to call a veterinarian and have them direct you on how you should go about this or just take your dog in to be treated.
4. The veterinarian will still induce vomiting in the hopes of the pills coming back up.
If it has already been absorbed the veterinarian can then feed the dog activated charcoal so it can bind to the drug in the body inactivating it.
5. The best measure is to keep your pills as far from your dog’s reach as possible.
Either in a high medicine cabinet or a tamper-proof casing. Extra measures save you a trip to the veterinarian.
The main things to note are to figure out how much your pet ingested and call for help as soon as possible so treatment can start early enough.
Final Note
For reference, Accutane is reported to be off the market in some countries and only used as a cancer drug in others.
Since it is a brand name, there are other brands with the same active ingredient Isotretinoin.
Some popular ones include Absorica, Amnesteem, Claravis, Myorisan, Sotret, and Zenatane.
This list is not exhaustive so if your dog ingested any drug, check the drug name and its active ingredient to be sure of what it is before calling your veterinarian for advice on what to do.
