Can I give my dog or cat Tylenol (acetaminophen)?

Under a vets care, Tylenol (acetaminophen) can be used for fever and mild pain in dogs, but is fatal to cats and should NEVER be given to them.

Dogs can be sensitive to acetaminophen, too. Acetaminophen can cause liver damage in both dogs and cats and lower the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood. In fact, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and aspirin resulted in roughly 10,000 calls to animal poison control centers in 2008.

Always get specific pet medicine instructions from your veterinarian. Do not attempt to extrapolate dosing from humans to pets; always ask your vet for the right dose.

Keep all forms of acetaminophen and other over-the-counter (OTC) medications (tablets, liquid, capsules) out of reach of your pet. And remember, acetaminophen is often combined with other OTC medications, like cold and flu treatments, so keep them out of reach of pets, too.