My epileptic dog threw up phenobarbital. Is a missed dose okay?

I probably would not give another dose if he spit up the material 45 minutes after receiving the phenobarbitol, especially if you are not sure it was actual vomit. Monitor for additional signs and call your vet if you have any concerns. So sorrry that Harley has lung cancer.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Opie will be fine. He may show signs of sedation, lethargy and sleepiness for 8-12hrs but there should not be any more worrying signs. Please, continue with the next dose of phenobarbital as normal.

Unfortunately you do not mention the weight of the dog which received the phenobarbital. A normal dose would be 2-3 mg of phenobarbital per kg (2.2 lbs) of dog. If your dog is much smaller than 6 kg (13lbs) then you need to watch it closely for the next few hours. Your dog will most likely get very sleepy. If it sleeps so deep you cannot wake it up or if you think it is not breathing properly, you will need to take it to the emergency room. If the ingestion occurred within the last hour and the amount ingested was a significant overdose, you should consider taking your dog to the emergency vet so that vomiting can be induced to get the drug out of the system. Also if your dog has liver disease, please take it to the emergency clinic.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. 30mg of phenobarbitone twice a day is not a very high dose for Gum Gum's weight therefore you can give her another tablet now. It will not cause any problems even if it was a double dose for this evening. You should continue with other medications as normal.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Molly should take phenobarbital to avoid further seizures, which is a priority in this situation. You should continue with the dose she has been prescribed. Many dogs are lethargic after the first few doses of phenobarbital but then are back to normal. Please, get in touch with your vet on Monday to confirm that Molly is on the right dose of phenobarbital. If the lethargy and lack of appetite persists, your vet will likely decrease the dose or change the medication. Molly will probably stay on anti-seizure medication for life.

While toxins could cause vomiting there are many more common causes ranging from a bowel obstruction to intestinal parasites. An overdose of phenobarbital would not cause vomiting: I would expect to see sedation or difficulty vomiting. If she had a seizure that is atypical for her, or if her vomiting continues I would recommend taking her to the veterinarian later today. I would recommend withholding food until you can see the vet. A little water should be okay but don't let her gulp an entire bowl.

If you are suspicious that Tootsie did not receive much, if any, of her evening phenobarbital dose, I would consider just giving her an extra half of a dose, or 0.35 ml in this case. However, if there is a chance that she received most of the dose, it would be best to skip this dose and administer her next dose at the normal time.