My 3 year old chocolate lab just ate a 10 mg Claritin D tablet (contains pseudoephedrine 240 mg). What do I do?? Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | neutered | 2 years and 10 months old | 170 lbs

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yikes! Pseudoephedrine is quite dangerous in dogs. Restlessness, panting, anxiety, dilated pupils, high heart rate, high blood pressure, and even seizures and death can occur . You have Kash listed as 170 (one hundred and seventy) lbs? If that is correct, he is fine - that's under the toxic dose. If he is more like 70 lbs, you are well within toxic range. If that is the case, I would head to the nearest emergency clinic so that they can safely induce vomiting. If that is more than 30 minutes from you, I recommend giving 3% hydrogen peroxide by mouth - about 1 tsp per 10 lbs. Give that 5-10 minutes and most dogs will vomit. NOTE: ONLY do this is Kash is acting completely normal. If he is trembling, weak, drooling, or having any apparent difficulty swallowing, do NOT give anything to him and head to the ER. A great choice in this instance would be to call the Pet Poison Helpline 855-764-7661 . They have many case files and specially trained people to help you decide what to do and can give any vet you see their recommendations as well. Best of luck to you and Kash!

The additional compound in the Claritin D is the pseudoephedrin which can be very toxic in high doses (potentially lethal at over 50mg/kg) the amount in one tablet is 240 mg, so if she had half a tablet she ingested 120mg which is far from being potentially life threatening but the following symptoms are still to be expected: hyperactivity, tremors, seizures, behavioral changes, and other signs including vomiting, tachycardia, and hyperthermia. this should start resolving within 4-8 hours.

My dog ate Claritin D. Is pseudoephedrine toxic? What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My 3 year old chocolate lab just ate a 10 mg Claritin D tablet (contains pseudoephedrine 240 mg). What do I do??

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM 190

Veterinarian

Published on May 29th, 2018

If Kash is really 170lbs, then this would not be enough to cause toxic effects, but I would have to verify that he is truly 170lbs, because this would be record weight for this breed. A normal lab would ideally weigh about 60-80lbs; and at this weight there would be a concern about toxicity. Considering this, it's best to take cash to a vet, so they can induce vomiting and prevent absorption of this drug. The sooner he goes the better. Signs of toxicity are hyperthermia, vomiting, agitation, dilated pupils, fast heart rate, tremors and seizures. I hope that helps and all is well with Kash.

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My dog ate Claritin D. Is pseudoephedrine toxic? What should I do?

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