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Should I worry if my dog ate Rimadyl but seems perfectly fine?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Just got home and apparently my dog ate a pill bottle that contained 500mg of rimadyl. She seems to be fine. Do I need to be worried?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Debi Matlack

Veterinary Technician

Published on October 3rd, 2015

Since Rimadyl is typically dosed at 2 mg/lb, she has potentially had a very high dose. Toxicity level is generally moderate to severe. Common signs to watch for: Vomiting Bloody vomitus Diarrhea Black-tarry stool Inappetance Lethargy Inappropriate urination or thirst General malaise Abdominal pain Seizures Since you are unsure of the timing, your dog needs to be seen by a vet right away. She will need to be treated with activated charcoal to absorb any remaining medication in the stomach. The main concern with Rimadyl is damage to the kidneys or liver. Your pet will be placed on IV fluids to flush the liver and kidneys and eliminate the drug from the animal’s body. Multiple blood tests are performed over the length of hospitalization to evaluate the red and white blood cell counts, BUN, and creatinine levels. Each of these values indicates whether the treatment is decreasing the toxicity and if the liver and kidneys are working correctly.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 15th, 2018

    If your dog ate the pills within the past 1.5 hours you need to take him to a veterinarian right away so that he can receive a medication to regurgitate the tablets. If this happened longer than 1.5 hrs ago you need to take your dog to a vet to do some blood work to check kidney and liver function, and for supportive care such a fluids, if indicated. NSAIDs overdose can cause kidney and liver damage. Please take your dog to a veterinarian for an exam.

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 8th, 2017

    You can use hydrogen peroxide as instructed here. (https://www.petcoach.co/article/4-things-to-consider-before-inducing-vomiting-in-dogs/) As the ingestion happened about 2 hours ago absorption has already started and potential toxic effects (kidney failure and gastrointestinal ulcerations) could occur. Toto needs to be seen by your veterinarian anyway as other medications and further treatment are needed. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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