My dog ate cough drops and is vomiting. What should I do immediately?

One of those cough drops in a 15 lb dog is likely not an issue. The symptoms to look for if it were an issue would be GI upset (vomiting and diarrhea). The important thing is to make sure that they are not sugar free as xylitol is toxic to dogs. These do not seem to be sugar free from the label. . If you notice any lethargy, inappetance, vomiting or diarrhea, bring your dog to your vet for fluids, anti nausea medication, anti-diarrheal medication etc. as indicated. There will likely will be no symptoms. Inducing vomiting for one menthol cough drop would not be worth the risk of aspiration. Offer plenty of water in the meantime and put the rest of the cough drops in a safe place! Good luck!

Oh no, that's not good that Spencer ate a whole bag of Luden's cough drops! I would take him into a vet immediately. If they were sugar free, they could contain xylitol, which is highly toxic to dogs and can be fatal. Many cough drops contain ingredients that may cause GI upset in dogs, such as sugar, methol, and eucalyptus oil. The best thing to do is having him seen by a vet right away, and bring the bag with you so the vet can check the ingredients and treat him as needed. I would find an ER vet in your area to bring him into now; if there isn't one, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Good luck, I hope this helps!

It really depends on the type of cough drops eaten, because some can be harmful, while others would be safe. Please post this question again with more information, so we can better help you. If you can take pictures of the cough drop packaging, that would be great. Specifically, we need to know the name of the cough drop and the ingredients.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Sugar Bear. I have looked up the ingredients of this cough drop, and luckily it doesn't contain xylitol, which is highly toxic to dogs. The rest of the ingredients like menthol, eucalyptus oil, colors and flavors cause GI upset. I'd keep a close eye on her for now. If you see vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or a loss of appetite, please take her into an ER vet immediately. I hope this helps!

No need to be concerned about this amount being ingested. At much higher doses, this can cause a blood toxicity, but he would probably have to eat much more (30-100x more) than this in order for there to be a concern. I hope that helps and all is well with Wolverine.

There is nothing else you need to do except feed him only boiled rice and chicken for the next day or two if you can, as the wrapper may have irritated his esophagus/stomach going down and a bland diet is always recommended when there is Gastrointestinal irritation to help the GI mucosal lining heal. It’s great that he vomited up the wrapper as it is no longer a risk for an obstruction in his intestines. Just monitor for normal eating, drinking and activity level but call your veterinarian if he continues to vomit, especially within 1/2 hr after eating, doesn’t pass normal stool within 2 days while on only boiled rice and chicken, strains to defecate, or has diarrhea. Good luck!

I am sorry to hear about your concern for Missy! With these ingredients we would not expect any toxic effects but we could have some mild gastrointestinal upset if she has a sensitive stomach. The ingredients that sometimes are present in cough drops and can cause more serious side effects include benzocaine and xylitol, but from your label you attached these cough drops don't appear to contain these ingredients. I would watch for vomiting and if it occurs, contact your veterinarian.