Can You Give Aspirin To Your Dog?

Author WDF Staff | Last updated: Jun 09 2023

If you are a dog owner, you know how much we hate seeing our dogs in pain. There is nothing worse than not being able to help your dog. They cannot say they are in pain, but their body language clearly lets us know they are enduring it. Luckily, there are some human medications dogs can use to treat pain.

Aspirin for dogs is a useful tool that will help you ease your four-legged friend’s suffering. Before you decide to pop one into their dog bowl, there are some things you should know.

Can dogs take aspirin?

The shortest possible answer to that question is - yes. Dogs can take aspirin for pain. Vets often advise dog owners to give their dogs aspirin if their dogs have osteoarthritis or suffer from any kind of musculoskeletal inflammation. Aspirin for dogs has anti-inflammatory properties and can help ease the symptoms of these issues.

What is aspirin?

Aspirin for dogs falls into the category of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID. There is a long list of NSAIDs that are safe for dogs to use. NSAIDs are excellent for treating fever, pain, and different sorts of inflammations. It is vital to keep to the recommended aspirin dosage for dogs, and the vet will let you know the safe dosage for your dog.

Aspirin has anticoagulant properties, and it will prevent your dog’s blood from clotting. Make sure your dog doesn’t have any wounds at the time you are giving them aspirin. All NSAIDs have certain side effects, so make sure you talk to your vet and ask if aspirin is safe for your dog.

You can read about more ways to help your dog deal with pain here - How to help your dog deal with pain.

Is baby aspirin for dogs safe?

The key difference between “regular” and baby aspirin for dogs is that the “regular” aspirin has a bigger dosage of the active ingredient. Baby aspirin for dogs has a milder effect and is just as safe as the regular one. For example, aspirin’s active ingredient is called acetylsalicylic acid, and regular aspirin contains 325mg of it. Baby aspirin for dogs contains 81mg of acetylsalicylic acid, so it is a better fit for smaller dogs.

It doesn’t matter whether it is regular or baby aspirin for dogs; they have one thing in common: they can be dangerous if not given the proper dosage. Aspirin or baby aspirin for dogs can cause severe side effects, so don’t ever give your dog aspirin without talking to your vet first.

Aspirin side-effects

Every vet you talk to will warn you about using aspirin for dogs. They will let you know the correct aspirin dosage for dogs, and you should stick to it. That is not all; vets will consider different things about your dog to determine whether aspirin is a safe option for them. Some of those things are:

How old your dog is
What is their size
Underlying medical issues (dogs with kidney or liver problems shouldn’t take aspirin)
Interactions with other drugs dogs are taking
Potential allergies your dog may have

Humans have given aspirin to dogs for a long time, and vets have noticed some common side effects in dogs. Some dogs can take this medication better than others. We cannot stress enough how important it is to follow your vet’s guidance on proper aspirin dosages for dogs. Some of these side effects are:

Ulceration
Black stool
Diarrhea
Mucosal erosion
Vomiting

Aspirin in dogs - overdose

These are the milder and most common aspirin side effects noticed in dogs. Some are a lot more dangerous and can happen if the dog ingests too much aspirin. Aspirin and baby aspirin for dogs can cause an overdose. If you are medicating your dog with this drug, you should know what the signs of aspirin overdose in dogs are:

Vomiting
Loss of appetite
Hemorrhage
Diarrhea
Acid-based abnormalities
Seizures
Coma
Death

You can clearly see that aspirin for dogs is no joke, and there is no room for error if you give your dog aspirin. Be careful about the safe aspirin dose for dogs, and ensure your dog can’t reach it alone.

Aspirin dose for dogs

It doesn’t matter which drugs we are talking about; the dosage part of medicating is the most important. You have to be extra careful when measuring the recommended aspirin dose for dogs and make sure you don’t overdo it. It is better to be safe than sorry. The FDA has not approved the usage of aspirin for dogs, so there are no official guides on the proper aspirin dose.

When vets recommend it, they usually recommend giving your dog between 5 and 10 milligrams for every pound of body weight. To make it more clear, this is what the exact aspirin dose for dogs should look like;

aspirin dose for dogs