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OTC Meds and pets
#1
OTC is actually over the counter or non prescription medications. There are lots of them available for human use. Some are safe for pets and some are not. It is good to be sure before you use one. Also dosage is a serious issue. The dose a 150 pound human could take would probably kill a small dog or cat.

It isn't just intentional use we should be concerned about. Pets can get into things if they are left out, just the way a small child would.

http://www.coloradoan.com/story/life/201.../22984007/

The only thing I ever use is an antibiotic ointment that has proven safe for most animals. When in doubt I don't use it, I just keep the wound clean.
There are some antifungal creams that are safe for guinea pigs. I check which antifungal chemicals are safe and find the cream that has them.
You can't be too careful. It would be sad to lose a pet because of a drug reaction when the original problem was not serious.
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Catherine

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#2
Catherine -thank you so much for this thread! It is very important. I help out on a dogs' forum and quite often there are questions about using human medication for dogs. It completely slipped my mind to post a thread about it here.

However, when it comes to Glucosamine (good for joint health) it is exactly the same stuff used for dogs and cats as it is for humans. And it is very much cheaper to buy the human variety, than to buy dog treats containing Glucosamine, or to get it from the vet!

But as usual, it is important to get the dosage right, according to the weight of the animal, so a little research is needed, but that can save an awful lot of money.

The Glucosamine dosage for dogs is by the way:
15-16mg per pound of the dog's weight.

Misty weighed 30lbs and I gave her a 500mg capsule every day since her broken leg. She took that for years. In her case the vet recommended it in case arthritis set into the broken leg. Around 2006 I started to notice she favoured that leg in damp weather. It took about one week for the Glucosamine to work, and then she had no more trouble ever after.

But with animals we have to be very very careful. What is often ok for humans can kill a dog or cat. And with some medicines, they are okay for dogs but fatally toxic for cats. And horses are in their own 'sensitivity' category too, so it's always wise to ask the vet first before using anything, or do some research.
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#3
I just noticed the article and remembered that I had wanted to talk about this ages ago.

I know guinea pigs can be sensitive to some things. I only use something recommended by a guinea pig site with experienced members.
Regular human Vit C will work for a guinea pig. Dosage again is an issue. When Pigbert got to be older he was not retaining the Vit C long enough to meet his needs. So, I supplemented him with a massive amount crushed into carrots baby food. I would give him some daily and sometimes twice daily up to about 500mg. It bought him another year of life. His strength returned and he was fairly healthy until the last few weeks.
All my other piggies get enough Vit C from their food.

I used Polysporin antibiotic on everyone from dwarf hamsters to reptiles.

You know what I used for dwarf hamsters? A few drops of red wine were enough to relax a hamster having a heart attack or any other major health problem. The alcohol thinned the blood and for heart and stroke problems that was enough.
If the hamster was dying it just relaxed them enough to make the passing easier. I do mean drops, not more.
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Catherine

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#4
We can't obtain antibiotic in the UK unless on prescription. But I do thnk that it would be very helpful if we could....although one needs the wisdom about how to use it -and when.

But I used to always use Echinacea Angustifolia herbal tincture on any bad wounds Misty got (if I saw that we could possibly avoid a vet visit as she was terrified of the vet!) It works as an antiseptic/antibiotic, and is wonderful. Not one wound, cut or graze ever got infected, and healed very quickly and well.

Bathing wounds with warm salt water will also help.

I can imagine Polysporin would be a broad spectrum antibiotic and safe to use on any creature if needed.

The idea of a few drops of red wine for the hamsters is a good one. It can help in situations like that.

Alcohol is considered toxic for dogs and cats....yet I have known people whose dogs loved a little bowl of beer or Guinness occasionally! And it appeared to do them no harm. But I never gave it to Misty.

But in extreme health emergencies such as you describe, it would be the perfect thing to help the hamsters.
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#5
Quote:I can imagine Polysporin would be a broad spectrum antibiotic and safe to use on any creature if needed.

It is actually an antibiotic ointment. It usually has three general antibiotics in it and something to numb the pain. It is good for most cuts and burns.

Actual antibiotics are prescription only here as well.

Alcohol is pretty much toxic to everyone in the wrong dose. A small amount of beer for a reasonable sized dog would be safe.

With the hamster I literally meant a couple of drops. Dwarf hamsters are so small that amount would knock them out. It was enough to relax the blood vessels and that helps with heart attack and stoke. It is enough to thin the blood a little and that helps with a blood clot. Sometimes it was enough to get a hamster through a crisis and give nature a chance to heal them.

I boiled up Rosemary into a strong tea and used it as an insecticide for the dwarfies. They got mites and that repelled the mites without hurting the hamster. I felt most insecticides were too toxic for a hamster.
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Catherine

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#6
Add an animal name to any product and the price skyrockets. I once bought a small box of cricket food for $7.00 and it was chopped oatmeal, with a few vitamins. A whole bottle of vitamins would be a few dollars and it was a half cup of oatmeal and a whole big bag(I kg) is about $3.00. I felt like I had been taken by the cricket picture on the box.

I guess horses do need tetanus shots. They are out there in places when they can get cut and where it is not too clean. It helps if you can get supplies and if you know what things are well enough to use the human grade products.
Vit A cream would be good, but it is hard to get here. I can get Vit E creams and Vit E oil. Our standby treatment for wounds is still Polysporin. Everyone uses it for everything.

I use human grade eye drops if I need to flush an eye. They are OTC and they are really just artificial tears and I use them for my dry eyes.

We have lots of OTC antifungal creams and there is no need to panic when you see ringworm. I treated some rescue guinea pigs for ring worm and it didn't spread to the other piggies and I didn't catch it either. I kept up a month of treatment, but it was really cleared up within the first week. I did check a guinea pig site to confirm that I had the right medication since each brand uses a different chemical.

If you are careful there are lots of OTC products that work, but you need to base the dosage on the size of the animal.
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Catherine

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