My dog takes Zantac for IBD. Is this a lifelong medication for dogs?

I'm so glad that Elfi is doing well on Tagamet. Tagamet is commonly used long term without side effects. The only concern we have is that it does affect liver metabolism of other drugs, so if Elfi was to be put on any other drugs, your veterinarian would need to know that Elfi was on Tagamet to make sure there aren't any interactions. I am unsure how Tagamet is supplied over the counter in the UK. Here in the US we have a hard time finding it in a syrup formula and usually only find it in tablets, so you may have to have your veterinarian help you with that. I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The answer to this really depends on the dog. A lot of dogs are able to wean off the medication if the appropriate behavioral training and work has been done. However, it’s totally safe if it’s really helping Sadie, you can keep her on the medication for the rest of her life. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Indigestion / reflux can be a life long problem so Pepcid AC may need to be given for the rest of Darby's life. Changing food to a hydrolyzed protein diet such as Hills Z/D or Royal Canin Ultamino may also help reduce the reflux as it may be dietary related. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It is ok for Lily to remain on those antacids long term. I suspect there are reasons your vet considers the surgery to be risky (brachycephalic breed, senior age, complicated nature of the surgery, possible bloodwork issues). It is great that they have stopped the vomiting. Putting her on an intestinal diet that is easy of the GI tract such as Hills i/d dry and canned or Royal Canin GI dry and canned may help as well. Good luck!

In the long term, there is a thought the chronic famotidine use may decrease some nutrient absorption and lead to excessive gastric acid production with possible esophageal acid reflux if it is discontinued. However, most internal medicine specialists still preferentially recommend famotidine over other antacids (such as omeprazole/Prilosec) for chronic use as it is a bit more "mild" in its mechanism of action. I know you mentioned changing foods, but consider discussing a diet trial with a hydrolyzed "hypoallergenic" diet with Brody's vet. If he has a degree of a food allergy or inflammatory bowel disease causing his vomiting and skipping of meals, these hydrolyzed diets fed for 2-3 months can remove a lot of antigenic stimulation in the GI tract and potentially prevent a lot of GI upset.

This is a rather big overdose, but this drug is relatively safe to overdose. Signs of an overdose can be vomiting and muscle tremors. If you don't see any of these after eight hours, then she will be fine. If you do see vomiting and tremors, then it's best to take her to the vet for treatment and monitoring. It's most likely that she will be OK. Just check on her every so often and make sure she has plenty of water available. I hope that helps and Abby gets better soon.

Hi, it really depends on the underlying cause. If it's just abdominal indiscretion or a tummy upset, ranitidine could help reducing the acid production. It should be given at 2 mg/kg twice a day. Brandy should be starved for 3-4 hours and then a bland food of chicken and rice or gastro-intestinal food such as https://amzn.to/2S4UPRk . It is essential to understand wether Brandy could have ingested a foreign body, that would also cause vomiting, but would possibly require a surgery. Other differentials could be systemic illness such as kidney or liver disease or infection sepsis/pyometra. Start with symptomatical treatment but if not progress is made within 24 hors, she should have further investigations. She should be seen sooner if any deterioration should occur or if vomiting should occur multiple times a day.