My cat ate a 250mg docusate sodium stool softener. What should I do?

It is certainly possible that your kitty could have swallowed them. While there are no specific toxicities listed for cats for this medication, the most likely side effect I suspect you will see is diarrhea. Dehydration can definitely be the result of the diarrhea, so if the diarrhea seems severe it would be prudent to have Alice looked at and rehydrated by a vet. Alice received about four times the recommended dose so definitely keep an eye on her closely for any gastrointestinal upset. Hopefully you'll find the pills laying around somewhere. Hope this helps!

I suspect Harold will be fine. He may get some diarrhea or softened stool. Sometimes these human stool softeners can work too well. If he gets severe diarrhea, decreases drinking or seems uncomfortable, take him to the veterinarian immediately. Feeding him a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken and boiled plain white rice may help to counter act any GI upset that may occur. I hope this helps to point you in the right direction. Please feel free to post any further questions!

Bisacodyl (Dulcolax) is often used as a laxative for dogs, so there should be no problem other than soft stool, maybe some loose stool. Side effects such as cramps, nausea and diarrhea are common, especially if your dog takes other medications. However these should pass relatively quickly. If those side effects appear severe, have your veterinarian examine your dog and make sure there is not another problem lurking.

Hi Rose, good question! Miralax powder is easier to give and very safe. You will have better luck with it versus docusate. I suggest you start by giving them 1/8 teaspoon mixed in a bit of canned food once a day. You can increase to twice a day if needed. You can even go up to 1/4 tsp once or twice a day but start out slow. The other thing you may want to do is to try to increase water consumption by getting them a water fountain to drink from. Many studies have shown that cats prefer to drink from running water and if offered a fountain they will drink more. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

This probably won’t cause any issues. You should monitor for diarrhea and contact your vet if it is severe. It can take several hours to see the effects, but at this low dose I doubt Milo will be affected.

It is okay for cats to be on this type of stool softener long term. Double check with your vet to make sure they don't have any other recommendations, but otherwise I think you can plan on giving the Restoralax daily.

Senokot tablets (stool softeners) are safe to use in dogs and the dosage is 25-50mg per pet for small breed dogs. Your pet may experiene some soft stool but she likely will be just fine. The vomiting is likely some mild stomach upset, which can occur with just about any medication or from her ingesting something else she shouldn't have. I would recommend giving her a bland diet of boiled plain chicken and rice or cottage cheese for the next few feedings to settle her stomach and fast her (no food, only water) for at least 12 hrs following her last vomiting episode as you have indicated you have already started to do. Otherwise, if she continues to vomit, there may be something else going on concurrently, and I would suggest taking her in to your vet for an overall health check. I hope that Sophie feels better soon! She likely will be just fine, especially if her energy level is good and she continues to have a good appetite with no further vomiting episodes. Best of luck to you both and take care. : )