If you gave your dog Denamarin more than once today and are panicking if it can negatively impact your precious pooch’s health, we’re here to tell you that your fur baby will most probably be fine. In case you’re wondering, ‘Can a dog overdose on Denamarin? You’ve come to the right place!
It is unlikely that your pooch will face any severe health risk when fed more than the recommended dose of Denamarin. That said, if the overdose on the supplement is long-term and your dog is showing abnormal symptoms, please take your dog for a vet consultation as soon as possible.
When your dog is on prescription medicines or supplements, it is always better if you educate yourself a bit on the health issues as well as the treatment plans advised for your doggo. In this post, we will discuss everything you need to know about Denamarin, its composition, dosage, as well as side effects. Let’s start by discussing whether or not you can feed your pooch Denamarin twice a day!
Can You Give Denamarin Twice a Day?
The dosage of Denamarin depends upon the weight of your pooch, and while you can give Denamarin twice a day, it is recommended to break the daily dosage into two halves and feed your dog accordingly. However, if you’re feeding your dog the supplement as part of a treatment plan prescribed by a vet, you must ensure that you’re following the dosage as recommended by the medical expert. Normally, this supplement is fed on an empty stomach, and the pooch should only be offered food after at least an hour of consumption.
Denamarin is one of the best dog supplements that has been proven effective by studies as a preventative supplementation and treatment against liver complications. According to Dr. Carrie Jurney, the Founder of Jurney Veterinary Neurology, pet parents can start by feeding their pooch Denamarin twice daily and reduce the dosage in the long run.
For the convenience of pet owners, Denamarin comes in various sizes, and the manufacturers mention the recommended doses depending upon dogs’ weights on the label so that parents can easily purchase the appropriate size for their pooch. The general thumb of the rule is a pooch weighing 12lbs or below should be fed a small-sized Denamarin supplement that typically contains 90 mg of Silybin or milk thistle daily.
Can Denamarin Make a Dog Sick?
Denamarin is a combination of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) and Silybin phosphatidylcholine, the synergistic combination of which helps your pooch’s liver health. These compounds induce antioxidant production, stop liver cell lysis, and actively help repair damaged liver cells. This supplement is one of the most commonly prescribed liver supplements by vet doctors, but is it devoid of any flaws?
SAMe has been tested for side effects in dogs and cats and has been approved as a completely safe ingredient. On the other hand, while Silybin has shown side effects such as headaches and gastrointestinal problems in primates, it has been proven completely safe among dogs. However, there are rare instances of complaints of lack of appetite and diarrhea in pooches while on Denamarin, and while it isn’t a medically alarming situation, a vet consultation is recommended as soon as possible. Also, if your pet is allergic to Denamarin and they show severe allergic reactions to the supplement, they might require immediate medical care.
Moreover, many pet parents might worry that feeding Denamarin on a full stomach can make their pooches sick. However, please note that an empty stomach helps the body absorb the supplement better, thus allowing it to work efficiently. So, if sometimes you forget to give your pooch the required dose of Denamrin, feed them the supplement more than required, or on a full stomach, it won’t be a big medical issue as long as you get the routine back on track from the next dose.
Are There Any Side Effects to Denamarin?
While the supplement protects the liver cells and even repairs the damaged ones, many pet parents might rightfully be skeptical about the side effects of feeding their pooches this supplement. Fortunately, besides minor gastrointestinal issues, no harmful or lethal side effects of Denamrin have yet been documented. However, while Denamarin is well tolerated in dogs, it is still imperative for pet parents to be wary of messing up with the doses.
Although very rare, there are some digestive issues that your pooch might suffer from while on Denamarin, for instance, lack of appetite, diarrhea, and vomiting. If your pet has overdosed on the supplement and is displaying any worrisome symptoms, it is always prudent to take your pooch to the nearby vet quickly. Having said that, please note that no cases of severe side effects or serious hospitalization due to Denamarin overdose have been recorded yet.
Moreover, although rare and not necessarily a ‘side effect,’ some dogs can be allergic to this supplement. Milk thistle, one of the ingredients, is a herb related to the ragweed and daisy family. So, if a pooch suffers from a ragweed allergy, there are high chances they may be allergic to Denamarin as well.
Can Denamarin Be Given Long-Term?
If your vet has prescribed Denamarin long-term for your doggo, you should definitely feed them the supplements until their prescription ends. As no severe side effects to Denamarin have been recorded, this supplement can be fed to pooches with weak liver health long-term. However, if your pooch is healthy and their liver health is great, there’s no actual need to feed them Denamarin unless they are taking the supplements to prevent future liver complications.
In the case of dogs with declining liver health, many vet doctors recommend feeding Denamarin twice daily, and the supplement takes about 15 to 30 days for its efficacy to be evident. However, this supplement can also be prescribed long-term in low doses, even after recovery, to maintain and strengthen your pooch’s liver health. So, it is completely fine to feed Denamarin long-term to your doggo unless suggested by an expert otherwise.
However, in the case of healthy dogs, supplements are ‘supplemental,’ and you really don’t have to feed your pooch Denamarin long-term unless suggested by a doctor to do so. That being said, if your pooch runs a higher risk of getting liver complications, for instance, if they have diabetes, are being fed fatty foods, or are under prescription painkillers, long-term Denamarin helps to maintain liver strength among such pooches.
Conclusion
As Denamarin is a supplement with minimal or almost non-existent side effects, the answer to the query, “Can a dog overdose on Denamarin?” is – not really. That being said, in dogs with an allergy to Denamarin or if the dog is already showing gastrointestinal complications as a side effect of this supplement, Denamarin overdose can require urgent medical attention. Therefore, we’d recommend you take no risks when it comes to supplements and medications and only follow a doctor’s advice and prescriptions.
