Melatonin is a helpful supplement for us if we find it difficult to sleep. Thus, it’s not surprising to find one in many homes. Moreover, such a supplement can also apply to our pets. The only thing to note is that its usage should be under the vet’s approval.
Now, you may ask: my dog ate melatonin: what should I do now? Melatonin is a safe supplement to dogs, but only until it takes the right amount. If your dog ate a lot of melatonin, it would be best immediately to consult the vet. Moreover, some melatonin brands may contain xylitol. If your pet ingests one, take it to the vet or directly contact pet poison.
Melatonin is a useful supplement for us and even for our pets. However, such a drug can put our pets in danger, especially in large amounts.
In this article, we’ll tackle all the things you need to know about melatonin and its effects on our dogs. This way, you’ll learn how to respond if the situation happens.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
Contents
- 1 Is melatonin toxic to dogs?
- 2 Can melatonin cause seizures in dogs?
- 3 Can melatonin kill a dog?
- 4 What will happen if I give my dog melatonin?
- 5 How to recognize that your dog ate melatonin?
- 6 What should I do if my dog ate melatonin?
- 7 Dog ate melatonin with xylitol – what to do?
- 8 Charts
- 8.1 My dog ate 5 mg of melatonin.
- 8.2 My dog ate 10 mg of melatonin.
- 8.3 My dog ate 15 mg of melatonin.
- 8.4 My dog ate 20 mg of melatonin.
- 8.5 My dog ate 25 mg of melatonin.
- 8.6 My dog ate 30 mg of melatonin.
- 8.7 My dog ate 35 mg of melatonin.
- 8.8 My dog ate 40 mg of melatonin.
- 8.9 My dog ate 45 mg of melatonin.
- 8.10 My dog ate 50 mg of melatonin.
- 8.11 My dog ate more than 50 mg of melatonin.
- 9 Summary
- 10 Resources
Is melatonin toxic to dogs?
Melatonin isn’t toxic to dogs, but it can be if your pet eats more than the right amount. This supplement is famous for its use as a sleep aid.
Still, it can also be a treatment for hair disorders, cognitive dysfunction, and even separation anxieties when it comes to pets.
In general, it is safe for your dog. However, it can cause some health issues if your dog takes way more than the proper amount. Among the effects of overdosage are lethargy and an upset stomach.
Can melatonin cause seizures in dogs?
Melatonin can cause seizures in dogs, but it only happens rarely. The thing about melatonin is that it’s useful to both people and pets.
According to a study, melatonin has that anticonvulsant effect, and it can also alter the threshold. Such things may cause some seizures to occur.
For this reason, it’s essential always to be cautious if you plan on giving such an item to your pet.
As always, it would be best to consult your vet and ask for approval before giving such a supplement to your pet.
This way, you can be confident you’re giving the proper amount of this supplement to your dog.
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Can melatonin kill a dog?
It’s not likely to happen that melatonin can kill a dog. Since this supplement is generally safe for dogs to use, it would rarely cause death.
Still, it’s important to note that usage of such a drug should always be with precaution and in moderation.
When it comes to melatonin, it’s essential to follow instructions carefully. Moreover, you must give the right amount of dosage for your pet.
As always, remember that an overdose of melatonin can take a toll on your pet. Although it won’t kill your dog, it can still cause some severe symptoms to your pet.
What will happen if I give my dog melatonin?
If you give your dog melatonin, it may show some symptoms. However, it will mostly depend on the dose you provided and your pet’s tolerance and body size.
Still, the most common side effects of melatonin for dogs are the following:
- Extreme drowsiness
- Fatigue
- Digestive issues
- Increased heart rate (in some cases)
It’s a different thing, especially for dogs with existing health issues. For instance, dogs with diabetes shouldn’t take melatonin, as it may cause insulin resistance.
As always, it would be best to ask your vet if it’s alright to give melatonin to your dog.
This way, you can be confident your pet gets the right amount since it has the vet’s approval.
How to recognize that your dog ate melatonin?
If your dog ate melatonin without your knowledge, it could be quite challenging to tell if your pet doesn’t show any symptoms. Still, pets that ate melatonin usually show some side effects from the supplement.
Thus, if you want to know if your dog ate melatonin, you can observe your pet and look for the following symptoms:
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Seizures
- Loss of coordination
- Confusion
- High blood pressure
If the symptoms continue to show even after a day or two, it would be best to contact a vet right away.
While melatonin is generally safe, it would be best to have your pet checked up to ensure its safety.
What should I do if my dog ate melatonin?
If your dog ate melatonin, it needs immediate response to avoid putting your pet’s life at risk. For this reason, you can’t take the situation lightly.
Here are three simple tips you can do if your dog ate such a supplement.
Prevent your pet from eating more melatonin.
The last thing you’ll want is for your pet to eat more of this supplement. Thus, you should remove any remnants from the area.
Dogs usually find such things in your private rooms and near cabinets where you store them.
Wherever the product came from, ensure the area is secure and no more remnants.
Understand what happened.
Understanding what happened is crucial in this kind of situation. Since melatonin can be dangerous if taken in large amounts, it would be best to gather all the information you can get.
This way, you can give it to the vet for a more accurate and quicker diagnosis.
Melatonin supplements can put your pet at risk if taken in large amounts. For this reason, you need to know more about the incident so you can assess how grave the situation is.
Here are a few questions that you need to answer and understand from the scene.
- How much melatonin did your pet eat?
- How long has it been since it happened? (the sooner you knew, the better)
- Did your dog consume other items aside from the product?
Getting such information would make you understand how worse the incident is. Moreover, it will help you report what happened if you visit the vet and ask about what happened.
Take your pet to your vet.
An immediate call to your vet upon learning about the situation would give you an expert’s advice on what to do.
As long as you give every piece of information you can gather, it will help diagnose your pet’s condition.
Moreover, your vet will give you some directions on what to do and what to observe with your dog.
Your vet will more likely ask you to take it to the clinic right away or call the pet poison helpline to get immediate assistance.
Your dog may show signs of health issues as a side effect upon taking the supplement. Among these are vomiting, diarrhea, loss of coordination, and even seizures.
Thus, it would be best to contact a vet or the pet poison to immediately respond to the situation.
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Dog ate melatonin with xylitol – what to do?
Some melatonin supplements contain xylitol, which is an artificial sweetener. While it may be safe for us, it can be lethal for our pets.
Thus, if your pet ate melatonin with xylitol, contact your vet right away and take your dog to the clinic.
The thing about xylitol is that it can be lethal to our pets, even in small amounts. Thus, it would be best to contact your vet right away and have your pet checked as soon as possible.
Lastly, don’t try to induce your pet to vomit. While it’s the right thing to do, it can harm your pet if you don’t know how to do it. It would be best to take it to the clinic and let the vet do it instead.
Charts
Melatonin may be safe in small amounts. However, it can cause some severe symptoms depending on the amount your pet takes. Here are some of the usual side effects, depending on the amount of melatonin your pet eats.
My dog ate 5 mg of melatonin.
If your dog ate 5 mg of melatonin, it’s already a bit high in terms of dosage. Still, it shouldn’t cause that much of an issue.
If you have a small dog, it can already have severe side effects. However, if your dog is a bit large, it can still tolerate that amount.
For this reason, you may want to keep an eye on your pet and observe for side effects in the following hours.
My dog ate 10 mg of melatonin.
If your dog ate 10 mg of melatonin, it would be best to contact a vet right away.
Even if your dog is a large one, 10 mg of this supplement may already be a bit overboard.
Your pet may tolerate such an amount if it gets divided into three parts and taken the whole day with intervals. However, if your dog takes 10 mg all at the same time, it can cause severe side effects.
Experts say that 6mg of melatonin is already enough for dogs weighing more than 25 lbs.
My dog ate 15 mg of melatonin.
If your dog ate 15 mg of melatonin, it’s also a little too much for its body.
Thus, you may expect your pet to show light symptoms such as drowsiness and disoriented movements.
To make sure your pet is safe, contact a vet right away and ask for direct instructions on what you should do.
My dog ate 20 mg of melatonin.
If your dog ate 20 mg of melatonin, it could also cause your pet to show some severe symptoms.
If you have a small dog, it would be best to contact your vet right away. This dosage is already too much for large dogs and even for people. Thus, it can cause severe effects on your pet.
My dog ate 25 mg of melatonin.
If your dog ate 25 mg of melatonin, contact your vet right away and prepare to take your pet to the clinic.
Even if your dog is a large one, 25 mg of this supplement is already way overboard.
Experts say that 6mg of melatonin is already enough for dogs weighing more than 25 lbs.
My dog ate 30 mg of melatonin.
If your dog ate 30 mg of melatonin, it could induce severe symptoms immediately after taking the supplement.
For this reason, it would be best to contact your vet right away. Your vet may ask you to take your pet to the clinic or call pet poison to assist you.
This way, you can keep your pet safe and prevent the situation from getting worse.
My dog ate 35 mg of melatonin.
Since 10 mg is the largest safe dose, 35 mg can already be dangerous to your pet.
For this reason, expect your pet to show some severe symptoms such as seizures, confusion, vomiting and diarrhea, and others.
As always, contact your vet right away and have your pet checked as soon as possible. Leaving your pet unattended may cause the situation to get worse.
My dog ate 40 mg of melatonin.
If your dog ate 40 mg of melatonin, it’s already four times more than the right dose you should give. Thus, it can cause severe symptoms to your pet.
As soon as you know what happened, take your pet to the vet. It would be best to contact your vet as quickly as possible.
If your vet isn’t available, consider calling pet poison for immediate assistance.
My dog ate 45 mg of melatonin.
While it’s not likely to cause death, 45 mg of melatonin can still put your pet at risk of severe symptoms.
As always, take your pet to the vet and have it checked up as soon as possible. While melatonin may not cause much harm, its symptoms can put your pet at risk if left unchecked.
My dog ate 50 mg of melatonin.
If your pet ate 50 mg of melatonin, it could be quite worrisome for your pet. Don’t wait for signs or symptoms and immediately take it to the vet.
Moreover, it would be best to contact the pet poison for immediate assistance. This way, your pet gets treated and soon as possible, and you’ll prevent it from getting worse.
My dog ate more than 50 mg of melatonin.
If your pet eats more than 50 mg of melatonin, contact your vet right away or call pet poison as soon as possible.
Even if your pet shows no signs of symptoms or complications, taking it to the clinic and having it checked is a must.
This way, you can be confident your pet gets treated from overdosage. Leaving your pet unchecked can put its life at risk.
In general, you should prevent your pet from taking in too much in a single dose. Ideally, you can follow these guidelines:
- If your pet weighs less than 10 lbs, give it 1 mg of melatonin.
- If your pet weighs less than 10-25 lbs, give it 1.5 mg of melatonin.
- If your pet weighs less than 26-100 lbs, give it 3 mg of melatonin.
- If your pet weighs more than 100 lbs, give it 3-6 mg of melatonin.
As always, consult a vet and ask for his approval before giving your pet some melatonin. This way, you can be sure you’re giving your pet the right amount of this supplement.
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Summary
Although melatonin is a safe supplement for us and our dogs, we need to use it with caution. We and our pets only need small amounts of such. Thus, going overboard with its usage can cause severe symptoms.
As always, the best way to avoid such incidents is by preventing your pet from accessing it. Moreover, it would be best to understand the proper amount of dosage. This way, you can ensure your pet avoids the risk of its effects.
Lastly, before giving such, make sure you have consulted a vet and have his approval with the use. This way, you can be confident your pet receives the proper and safe amount.
Resources
Image credits – Canva
