Prefer Vets to answer: Dog hurt, what can I give him for pain that I already have in my cabinet?

Question

My dog that weighs about 10 lbs got into a fight over night. I gave him a bath and checked his wounds. They are just tooth holes from other dogs, but he is obviously in a little pain because they are around his neck.
They look ok. They aren't very large and they are not bleeding anymore.
I need to know what I could give to him to help with the pain. I have Tylenol, and Tylenol that contains Diphenhydramine HCI.
I also have some other medications in my medicine cabinet. I would just like to know what and how much to give to him. I can cut tablet into pieces if necessary.
He is acting fine except for the stiffness.
Thank you in advance for any information.

I knew of the baby Aspirin being safe, but I wondered if there were any better alternatives.
Thank you for all of your answers so far.
I was unaware that Tylenol was harmful. That is why I asked, I did not want to hurt my dog. The nearest vet is a couple of towns away in the next big town. That is why I am trying to help him here. I know a vet would be more helpful, but I live far away from one.

Answer 1

First off, the damage that can kill isn't usually visible. If a bigger dog grabbed your dog by the neck and shook, he could very well have internal bleeding, head trauma, and a host of other issues, including possible spinal involvement. You need to get your dog to a vet to be evaluated. I thought my dog just had a simple tooth mark to the head, but they would up putting her on oral antibiotics because of the risk of infection. The tooth mark almost went down to the skull, and if it had gotten infected, could have killed her.
Call your vet to find out exactly what to give your dog for pain. Tylenol is deadly to dogs; the only safe pain reliever is aspirin, but I don't know the dosage. If he has internal bleeding, aspirin could make it much worse, so don't give him anything until he gets evaluated by a vet. Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine, and won't do anything for pain.
Hope your dog fees better soon...

Answer 2

do not give your dog tylenol or ibuprophen or the like, they contain chemicals that dogs can't digest and can cause stomach ulcers and your dog to bleed internally. a 10lb dog that has been attacked needs to be seen by a vet. even though you only see 2 small holes there might be damage to the tissue and nerves under the skin. it might look fine right now but a nasty infected abcess might form by the end of the long weekend, then you'll be fighting an infection. your dog needs to be seen by either your vet or an emergency clinic that can flush out the wounds, and give your dog antibiotics and dog approved pain meds. do not give your dog anything out of your medicine cabinet unless a vet has laid hands on the dog. how old is the dog, if you give him some things it can make it worse and possibly kill your dog.


yes baby aspirin is safe for most dogs, but we don't know the age or other important medical info about the dog that could make giving aspirin dangerous. call your vet and your vet will know what questions to ask as to wether or not aspirin will be safe.

Answer 3

At 13, virtually anything could be going on - and that is a huge weight loss, although over what period of time? At this good age, don't you feel your old boy is worth having a health check, so he spends whatever time he has left in comfort? This sort of weight loss suggests any number of fairly serious things might be going on, the first most obvious probably being cancer. He might not apparently be in pain, but some dogs are very stoic, and may be masking any real discomfort he's in. And once it becomes 'an emergency' it may be that there won't be anything that can be done for him. How much does a vet check-up cost? Once you know what's going on, you can make your decision about what further treatment, if any, you can realistically give him.

Answer 4

I'm not a vet but I have two dogs and I have taken them to vets for similar reasons. You can take an aspirin and crush it up in his food for the pain. Since you have a small dog one aspirin would be enough. Children's aspirin will work just as well as aspirin for adults. One in the morning, one at night. If your dog tends to leave a Little food then he wouldn't get all of the medicine. So to be sure he does, just take a piece of cheese and wrap the pill in it. You don't have to crush it doing it this way because most dogs won't even chew the cheese, they just bite once or twice (if that) and swallow. The pain however is not a bad thing. The pain is a reminder not to do what he did to get bit. Sounds harsh but dogs recover much faster than we do.

Answer 5

You really should go to your vet for any pain medication you are going to give to your dog. Tylenol and Ibuprofen can be toxic if they are given in the wrong dosage. It will be worth it to speak to your vet first, instead of possibly harming your dog.

Also, what if your dog was in a fight with a sick animal? That is how rabies can be contracted. Besides, even if it doesn't look bad now, why wait to see if it can get worse?

Answer 6

DO NOT give your dog advil or tylenol. They are both VERY TOXIC for dogs.

You can get dog asprin at any pet store.

You can also try a cool compress if there is swelling - or a warm compress if he seems to be stiff.

You should really see a vet asap.

Hope that helps. I'm not a vet - but I've been a shelter volunteer for years.

Answer 7

He will be OK. If there aren't any tears that need to be stitched, you can keep the wounds clean using a Q-tip and hydrogen peroxide. He really needs a shot to stop all the inflammations but it will work it's self out without the shot.

Wash him & shave hair away from wounds and doctor each one, then you can see what you are dealing with. If you can't do this then take him to your Vet.

Answer 8

Buffered aspirin are safe to use for dogs. I hope you put antibiotic on his wounds or you're also going to be dealing with an infection. You should use neosporin (or something like it) 3 times a day.

Answer 9

Baby aspirin and bacitracin on the wounds until you get the dog to a vet. Soon!

Answer 10

No Tylenol!! It's toxic to their livers!

You can give half a low-dose (baby) asprin (one half of an 81 mg tab), but you really should get that wound checked by a vet so that it does not become an abscess.