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Can I split my dog's 20mg delayed-release omeprazole pill for 5mg?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Miniature Poodle | Male | neutered | 1 year and 3 months old | 15 lbs

My vet prescribed 5 mg of omeprazole for Jack. The lowest dose the pharmacy carries is 20mg, so I will quarter the pill. However all the tablets have the ‘delayed release coating’ and instructions say not to break to coating or split the pill. Am I ok to do that to get the 5mg dose? Is it harmful to break the coating and release the whole dose at once? Thank you!

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Catherine Stecyk

Veterinarian

Published on March 24th, 2019

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is OK to break up the 20mg tablet and give Jack the 5mg. Omeprazole is a very safe drug - it's like Prilosec in people - so this is safe :) I hope this is helpful!

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18Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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