My Dog Ate a Viagra Pill What Should I Do?

These days, many of us take prescription and over the counter medications. But what happens if we have a dog and accidentally drop a pill? This can happen with any type of medication, including Viagra. In fact, there are stories online of dogs that found a container of the pills and decided to eat a few.

What is Viagra?

Viagra is a drug used to help human males with ED (erectile dysfunction). The medication is a vasodilator, which means it increases blood flow by dilating blood vessels. It’s approved for use in human males 18 years and older. These pills contain a substance that’s called sildenafil. Sildenafil is sometimes prescribed for dogs, too, but for different reasons.

In veterinary practice, sildenafil is used to treat dogs that have pulmonary hypertension. This is a type of high blood pressure that affects arteries in the lungs and the heart. So, this is usually prescribed for dogs that have respiratory problems (COPD, chronic bronchitis, etc.) or chronic mitral value disease, or one that suffers from blood clots.

The dose usually prescribed for dogs is between 0.5 to 3 mg per kilo of body weight, given every 8 to 12 hours. Sildenafil is a less expensive treatment compared to other medications available to treat this type of hypertension in dogs.

Sildenafil at Higher Doses in Dogs is a Problem

Your dog could suffer some ill effects from taking an overdose of Viagra, depending on how much of the medication he’s eaten. Possible side effects can include:

• Tachycardia (increased heart rate)
• Increased blood pressure
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Lethargy
• Weakness
• Skin flushing (turning a reddish color)

If you suspect your fur baby has eaten Viagra tablets, then you’ll need to call the vet as soon as possible.

Diagnosis & Treatment of Overdose of Viagra in Dogs

The vet will ask you some questions such as when your dog at the tablets, and how many of the pills did he eat, and what is the dose of the pills. They will need to determine how much of the medication your fur baby had, and how long ago he ate the pills.

If your dog has recently eaten the pills, then the vet may try to induce vomiting to get the medication out of your dog’s system. However, if the tablets were eaten a few hours before, your dog may need to be hospitalized.

In this case, the vet may decide to give your dog IV fluids, and then monitor his cardiovascular function. This will monitor your dog’s heart rate and blood pressure; the vet may also use an electrocardiogram to monitor your canine companion’s heart function.

We’re happy to let you know that the prognosis is very good in dogs that receive quick medical treatment after eating Viagra pills.