Warning: Read This Before Giving Your Dog Aleve!

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Are you wondering if Aleve can be used to reduce your dog’s pain problem?

You are not alone. Many owners ask if this popular over-the-counter brand is safe enough for their pets.

Can I Give My Dog Aleve?Straight to the point:

Naproxen, which is the active drug in Aleve, is just too risky for animal use.

Even a low dose could cause a life-threatening situation. Do not even consider giving your dog this pain medication!

In fact, most vets no longer prescribe Aleve because the side effects can be quite severe.

Never Give Your Dog Aleve

This NSAID’s toxicity could put your best buddy’s life in serious jeopardy.

It cannot be stressed enough:

While Aleve is effective for pain and stiffness, it is downright deadly for dogs.

Even the newer and safer non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs require great caution, and veterinary guidance, when used on pets.

The Serious Side Effects

Aleve (also marketed as Midol) can cause fatal kidney or liver damage as well as stomach ulcers.

As little as 2mg Naproxen per pound of your dog’s body weigh could cause gastrointestinal lesions and/or bleeding.

More common complications include the following:

  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • A lack of appetite
  • Weakness and laziness
  • A pale appearance

But let’s just come right out and say it: Aleve can kill your dog.

No Recommended Dosage

Dosing Aleve is impossible to do.

Again…

Even a modest ratio, based on a dog’s body weight, can have terrible toxicity.

Naproxen, a non-selective COX inhibitor, will be absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly. It doesn’t matter if you have Aleve tablets, gelcaps, caplets, or liquid form.


Must Read: Pre-clinical toxicology studies show that Aleve was poorly tolerated by test subject dogs.


Some Alternatives To Aleve

The truth is most conventional pain medications (certainly Aleve) are fraught with high risks.

Why not look into natural remedies for general pain problems or if your dog has arthritis?

Alfalfa and Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) can help to provide some relief.

Probably the most practical option is to get a quality Glucosamine supplement — that would be a smart long-term approach.

Of course, chronic cases often call for stronger, fast-acting drugs such as Rimadyl or Tramadol. Be sure to ask your vet about those.

For Accidental Intake

Unfortunately it sometimes happens that a pet dog will accidentally eat Aleve (either a single tablet or more than a dozen)!

In such a situation, it could make sense to induce vomiting to prevent organ failure.

Providing hydrogen peroxide may head off excessive absorption. A capful is usually enough for a small dog; larger breeds may require more.

But are you facing this situation right now?

If so, stop what you’re doing and go to your vet ASAP. Do not delay in getting professional help for Aleve poisoning!

The Bottom Line

Never give your dog any amount of Aleve.

This household pain killer can literally kill your dog. Keep your supply well out of reach.

The good news:

Compared to Aleve, there are far superior treatment options for dogs dealing with aches and pains.

What Do You Think? Have Your Say Below…

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38 thoughts on “Warning: Read This Before Giving Your Dog Aleve!”

  1. 3 days ago I gave my dog Naproxen for hip pain. She is about 30 kilograms and 8 years old. Since then she has vomited 4 times, almost black, but she still wants to eat.

  2. We gave our dog Aleve and his condition is getting worse. I don’t know what to do. Now he can’t move or even drink. I think he is dying.

  3. I gave my 13 year old Husky-Lab mix 1/2 of an Aleve Saturday night for shoulder pain. Now she is at the vet with bloody diarrhea. She’s on an IV for fluids. They are thinking she has an ulcer. Hopefully she gets to come home tomorrow.

  4. I gave my dog one 220mg Naproxen Sodium per day because of pain. She’s now vomiting and I’ve stopped the pills 2 days ago. Her stool is black. What do I do?

  5. My mom’s dog had a toothache the other night and I gave her dog Aleve. His jaw was swollen and he kept pawing at his face. It almost killed him! I had no idea that dogs could not take this and I am a nurse.

  6. My 4 year old Boxer hurt his leg last night and my boyfriend was insistent we give him Aleve. I gave him a baby aspirin instead. I’m so thankful I found this article!

  7. I am so glad I looked this up. I was giving my Lab one Aleve tablet every once in a while for hip pain. Last night I gave her two because it was really bad. She ended up having projectile vomiting a couple times but seemed fine this morning. I’m praying that I didn’t do anything permanently harmful to her.

  8. My dog had arthritis in her hips. I gave her one 200mg of Naproxen (Aleve) each day and she was dead after two days. I can’t agree more: Do not give your dog any over-the-counter human meds!

  9. I have a Shih Tzu with congestive heart failure. He has been whining in the morning due to arthritic pain. I gave 1/4 of a tab of Naprosyn before I read this article, for 4 nights, and now he is experiencing black stools, lethargy, vomiting and he’s not walking. I stopped it last night and I’m so upset with myself. I’m thankful I stopped when I did but I’m sick, thinking I may have caused his demise.

  10. What can I give my 145 pound Anatolian Shepherd for occasional joint pain. I currently give her Glucosamine and Methylsulfonylmethane (MSN) and it seems to help a lot. But occasionally she has a flair-up.

    1. Have you tried coconut oil? It helps a lot with joint swelling for most dogs. It’s sort of a paste so take a spoon, spread some on and let them lick off it.

  11. Great! I should have read this first. I gave my son’s 65 pound dog 2 Aleve this morning as she is in a great deal of pain. She had a hip replacement many years ago and is 15 years old. I am now praying she will be okay. Any advice?

  12. I just found this site and it’s the best thing ever. My teacup Chihuahua, Snowflake Baby, has a fever and is coughing. I know what to give her for the coughing, but I wasn’t sure what or how much to give for the fever. I’ve heard it was okay to use any remedy that’s safe for human consumption but I’m not going to harm her due to carelessness.

  13. Man, thank you for this article. I feel so bad for my dog and her pain that I almost tried this. The internet is truly a blessing!

  14. Christina says:

    Well I’m glad I looked here. I was thinking about giving my Lab an Aleve for hip dysplasia just because I have it on hand. My Lab is 12 years old and something like that would surely kill him. Thank you and I’m sorry to those of you who lost your friend and I hope your friends get better to those who are sick.

    1. Hi Christna. I’m happy to hear you avoided giving Aleve to your dog. Thanks for sharing your story.

      1. Christina says:

        Well the sad thing is my Lab, Bud, is having a hard time even getting up. We keep him in the house all day and night. He has never been a house dog but will not use the bathroom in the house. He is the best dog ever, very smart. It’s going to kill me to have him put down but I know it’s coming sooner than I want to believe.

        1. Have you taken him to the vet? How old is he? There are some really great geriatric medications for dogs now. Get a prescription!

        2. Like James said, they have some great meds for canine arthritis relief these days. An arthritic dog I had a few years ago took Tramadol, via prescription, for pain on his bad days. The difference was very noticeable.

  15. I am so grateful for this site. My 12 year old Golden Retriever twisted his shoulder/leg when he tripped last night and was limping. My husband told me to give him an Aleve and I almost listened to him. You just saved a dog, my precious dog. We need to get get warnings on these medications about animals and more will be saved. Thank you.

    1. Thank you for the kind words Toneen. So glad this site has saved someone’s dog!

  16. I gave Duke, my 10 year old dog, Aleve gel caps due to severe leg and neck pain. The dose was 1 Aleve at 2am, then another at 5am. His symptoms became worse. He could barely move and the Aleve did not help the pain at all. Rather, he is now in an animal hospital on an IV for 72 hours already. They have to continue to monitor his blood work for Kidney damage.

    The bill is running into an extreme amount of money on our credit card. We are not sure Duke will live, still praying for him. I never knew this would harm a dog so severely. Please do not give your pet any medication without a vet consultation. I am so upset over this. I wish this company would put a warning on the bottle.

  17. Thank god I found this site. I was literally just about to give my 14 year old German Shepherd Aleve for his arthritis and joint pain because I ran out of his prescribed Tramadol. Thank you so much!

    1. Hi Liz. I appreciate your comments. Glad you found it helpful and avoided something terrible. Made my day!

  18. I gave my Lab puppy 1 Aleve tablet for about 4 days. She then started vomiting. I took her to the vet and she had a perforated stomach, needed emergency surgery. Three days later she is doing better, but still recovering, so do not give Aleve to your dog!

    1. Bruce once again thank you for trying to get the word out. No Aleve, period!

  19. I gave my dog Aleve and now she is vomiting all over the place. The vomit is brown and looks like diarrhea. I will never buy Aleve for anything ever again!

    1. Rhonda I wish you had read this information prior to giving your dog Aleve. I hope she’s okay now. Please let us know!

  20. Don’t do it! I found my dog “Duke” dead under my back porch. It all happened suddenly. Less than an hour ago he was running and playing. This is all because of Aleve. Don’t give your dog Aleve, ever!

    1. Bre, I’m sorry for your loss. Thank you for helping to put the word out about this. You’ve probably prevented this from happening to some other dog. Cannot stress enough the importance of being a well informed pet owner.

  21. I have a 6 year old Lab/Pit mix, and he just started getting arthritis in his back leg. An employee of a local pet store recommended Aleve to help with the pain. I gave him one Aleve a day, 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 at night, for 4 days.

    He stopped limping as much, so it looked like it was helping. Then that 4th night, he couldn’t keep food down. I took him to the vet who said one more dose would have killed him.

    He has an ulcer bleeding in his stomach, and one more dose could have caused liver and kidney failure. He’s an 80 pound dog, and it was only 4 Aleve. He almost needed a blood transfusion, and now he’s on 3 different kinds of medication and spent 3 days and 2 nights at the vet’s office.

    Don’t ever give your dog Aleve, and more importantly I’ve learned, don’t ever listen to someone who is not a vet.

  22. I gave my German Shepard one Aleve and the next day a Naproxen. I messed up big time. I was trying to stop his hip pain and I fear I have really hurt him. He won’t eat now. He has diarrhea and vomiting. We went to the ER vet and without a lot of money there is nothing they will do. I pray he will be okay and that someone else reads this before they give something like this to their dog.

  23. We gave our Lab some Aleve for joint and hip arthritis. After only about 10 days he became weak so we stopped. He continued to become weaker and weaker until he died last night. Don’t risk it! We believe it killed him. Wish I would have called the vet first.

  24. I gave my dog Aleve. He did have diarrhea and vomited. I don’t know what to do. I’m a college student and he lives at home with my mom. She won’t take him to the vet because she doesn’t have the money. It makes me cry. I wish I had money to help! He has stiff pains in his neck. Nighttime is the worst for him because he yelps in the middle of the night when he moves.

  25. I gave my dog a 1/2 tablet of Aleve for a leg injury. Now she has worse problems including vomiting and bleeding in her stomach. Do not believe everything you read on the internet. I did and it has caused more problems for my poor dog. She is hopefully going to be okay after visiting her vet.

  26. My dog had 3 pinched discs, 4 times in the past. Her 4th was on Saturday and no way a vet was open so I gave her crushed (less than 1/4 of Aleve) and mixed olive oil with cayenne rubbed on her back. The next morning she was doing much better. I’m surprised they say not to give Aleve to dogs.

    1. I have had a friend lose a dog to Aleve. He was vomiting blood just a short while after taking it. He died.

    2. Anonymous says:

      It could be because your dog didn’t ingest it, so it never went to her stomach! It seems most of the problems with Aleve are caused by the effect it has on their stomachs.

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