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Can my dog take paracetamol for pain, or are there better options?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Can I give my dog paracetamol

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

Veterinarian

Published on April 3rd, 2015

Paracetamol is not the best pain killer for your dog. You can use it at a dose of about 10-20mg per kg of body weight but there are better options for pain relief that you can get from your local vets.

42Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on July 18th, 2018
You can give paracetamol it just isn't the safest. I has a narrow safety margin, meaning you can easily overdose them on it. The common dose is 5 to 8 mg/kg twice a day. Even at the high end of 8mg/kg, 500mg twice a day is an overdose for a 49kg dog.

49kg x 8mg/kg = 392mg and you are giving 500mg. In my opinion it is too much.

I personally would not use it because we have so many other better options available. I suggest you talk to your vet about using a drug like carprofen or meloxicam which are MUCH safer.

Hope this helps. Best wishes.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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