My cat ate my dog's phenobarbital. Is this an emergency for her?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Cat ate dogs phenobarbitals 16.2 is that too much
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on December 5th, 2018
Hello, thank you for your question. Without knowing the weight of your cat it is very hard to know what possible side effects are expected. Generally, phenobarbital when giving at a higher dosage than expected can lead to sedation. You may also notice that your cat is drinking/urinating more and has an increased appetite. If your cat develops any symptoms such as severe vomiting, sedation, weakness, or collapse I would recommend seeking veterinary care. Hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on March 1st, 2021
It would be best to contact the vet that prescribed this medication to make sure it is still within an OK dosage for your cat's weight and age since you did not provide the concentration of the medication. If you are noticing any strange symptoms such as excessive lethargy/sedation, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, etc, it is best to seek veterinary care in person immediately.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
Wrong dog ate Phenobarbital accidentally. Took one and a half tablets (16.2 mg tablets). What should I do?
Unfortunately you do not mention the weight of the dog which received the phenobarbital. A normal dose would be 2-3 mg of phenobarbital per kg (2.2 lbs) of dog. If your dog is much smaller than 6 kg (13lbs) then you need to watch it closely for the next few hours. Your dog will most likely get very sleepy. If it sleeps so deep you cannot wake it up or if you think it is not breathing properly, you will need to take it to the emergency room. If the ingestion occurred within the last hour and the amount ingested was a significant overdose, you should consider taking your dog to the emergency vet so that vomiting can be induced to get the drug out of the system. Also if your dog has liver disease, please take it to the emergency clinic.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 7 year ol English Springer spaniel ate my other Springers meds 1 1/2 tablets of phenobarbital 32.4 mg. Do I need to worry since they are both the same weight
Thank you for reaching out to Pet Coach. This should not be of major concern but may cause some mild sedation in your dog that ingested that dose unnecessarily. If your dog is on medications as well, phenobarbitol may or may not be OK to combined with those medications so that is something else to consider. As well as dogs that have decrease in liver function may process this drug a bit differently. If your springer is otherwise healthy and not on any medications, then sedation (if anything) may be the only problem.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I might’ve given my kitten .3 instead of .2 ml of phenobarbital. Will he be ok?
It would be best to contact the vet that prescribed this medication to make sure it is still within an OK dosage for your cat's weight and age since you did not provide the concentration of the medication. If you are noticing any strange symptoms such as excessive lethargy/sedation, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, etc, it is best to seek veterinary care in person immediately.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have 2 dogs. One is a 6-8 lb chihuahua mix and the other is a 15-20 lb papillon mix. The chihuahua mix takes phenobarbital (half a 16.2 mg pill 2x a day). This afternoon the papillon mix accidentally got her half pill and ate it. Concerns?
A single dose for a dog half the bodyweight is unlikely to cause any significant effects. I would not be overly concerned but monitor for any nervous system signs and report to your vet if you notice any abnormal symptoms
Updated on September 24th, 2025
New Pet
My puppy (16lb Australian Shephard) May have (not for sure) taken my German Shepherd‘s phenobarbital (64.7mg). What do I need to look for, as to sign she may have taken it?
While you certainly could see symptoms at this dose it technically is within the dosing range. This dose of phenobarbital could cause sedation and/or lack of coordination. If Cinnamon seems very sedate or if she’s having trouble breathing you should head to an emergency clinic. If it’s at all possible that she ate more than one tablet or if you can’t monitor her through the night you may want to consider the ER now.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog 1.5 year Dachshund has been on phenobarbital since last 4-5 days. I want to understand the side effects if any and what precautions should I take to make sure he is fine. Historically, His ALP is elevated. In the range of 500 Also he is a bit
Hello. Typically, phenobarbital takes a bit of time to get used to. The average amount of time to see some effects is 4-6 weeks, but every animal is an individual case, so it can vary. Expected side effects would be drowsiness, excessive drinking and sometimes excessive hunger. If your pet is so drowsy that they cannot walk , eat or function relatively normally - I would suggest that you speak with your veterinarian about adjusting the dose. It can elevate liver enzymes. Usually, blood is drawn periodically to check the therapeutic levels. This helps determine dosage adjustments. If your pet has months in a row without a seizure, you may want to ask about lowering the dose. We try to achieve the lowest dose that is effective at controlling the seizure activity. Thank you for using Boop by Petco
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog accidentally was given a double dose of phenobarbital. His prescription is for 2 tablets every 12 hrs of 1gr (64.8mg). I've called ASPCA poison control but my call was placed on a waiting list. It was about 30 mim between the first and second
Hello and thank you for contacting Boop by Petco. Opie will be fine. He may show signs of sedation, lethargy and sleepiness for 8-12hrs but there should not be any more worrying signs. Please, continue with the next dose of phenobarbital as normal.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat accidentley ingested between 6 and 10mg og Clonazepam last night. She's been acting lethargic and energetic at the same time, loses balance, can't jump up as high as usual, and just isn't acting normal. I tried to get her to throw it up but fa
Thank you for contacting Boop by Petco with your question. Oh no, poor Luna. Even if she only ingested 6mg, that's double the highest recommended dose for a cat her weight. Too much clonazepam can lower the blood pressure, leading to weakness or collapse. In a senior cat, low blood pressure can be very serious. I'm not sure why you have no way of getting her to a vet, but she does need to see one immediately to make sure everything is ok. I would see if you could have a friend or family member take you into the vet, or call a cab or Uber to have her seen now. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I have a 7 (we think he is a rescue) year old Chi. I've had him since October and 2 weeks ago he had multiple seizures. Not sure if seizures are part of his past history. I rushed him to the vet. He stayed and was monitored and was given Phenobarbita
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Those are likely side effects from the phenobarbital. For that reason, I would highly recommend that you contact your veterinarian as they may decide to decrease his dose of phenobarbital based on this. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My small dog had a grand maul seizer last night. The vet we see was able to prescribe phenobarbital. We gave it to last night and another does this morning. She is lethargic, do we continue giving her the meds? She is an older dog. The vet thin
Hello and thank you for contacting Boop by Petco. Molly should take phenobarbital to avoid further seizures, which is a priority in this situation. You should continue with the dose she has been prescribed. Many dogs are lethargic after the first few doses of phenobarbital but then are back to normal. Please, get in touch with your vet on Monday to confirm that Molly is on the right dose of phenobarbital. If the lethargy and lack of appetite persists, your vet will likely decrease the dose or change the medication. Molly will probably stay on anti-seizure medication for life.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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