# Dogs on Omeprazole



## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

What dose please and what weight is your dog? I keep seeing 0.25-0.5mh/lb or 0.5-1mg/kg.

He just sicked up his (raw)!dinner 12 hours after feeding and completely undigested. He did it a few hours after breakfast yesterday too. I'm concerned that he wants to re eat raw because if his stomach isn't producing as much acid it's going to sit in there for so long 

I'm wondering if raw food could cause an extra acid build up, should he go on something cooked?

Any raw feeders who's dogs are on it too?

Sorry just realised I put this in the wrong section


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Why dont you go to your vet and see if omeprazole is indicated for the problem and get the dose rate from your vet. I have it from my doctor, did not realise it was a drug you could just go out and buy.


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

I actually take Omeprazole and its to protect my stomach from other drugs I'm taking, it does reduce heartburn too. Is is recommended for regurgitation as well?


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

Blitz said:


> Why dont you go to your vet and see if omeprazole is indicated for the problem and get the dose rate from your vet. I have it from my doctor, did not realise it was a drug you could just go out and buy.


It is from the vet. But Rupert seems to be on the higher dosage and I wondered if there was anyone with a dog on a lower dose who found it helped but had less side effects. I know some people have it long term but my vets haven't tried that so can't much advice on dosage in that regard.



Siskin said:


> I actually take Omeprazole and its to protect my stomach from other drugs I'm taking, it does reduce heartburn too. Is is recommended for regurgitation as well?


It's meant to reduce acid so therefore reduces heartburn/indigestion as a consequence I believe. My vets specifically said it should stop reflux of acid, potentially because it decreases the acid sat in the stomach perhaps?

Do you take it long term? Vets said long term doesn't seem to be recommended but then said they do know people on it long term...


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## kare (Sep 8, 2014)

1 mg a kilo seems very high. The dosage for a human is 10 to 20mg so giving a spaniel sized dog same as a large human seems off. 

Ould talk to the vet about reducing the dose and finding a balance.


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## cravensmum (Jun 28, 2010)

I am on it too because of the medication I take.

I'm on 20mg a day,I have been taking them for about 8 months now.


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

GoldenShadow said:


> It is from the vet. But Rupert seems to be on the higher dosage and I wondered if there was anyone with a dog on a lower dose who found it helped but had less side effects. I know some people have it long term but my vets haven't tried that so can't much advice on dosage in that regard.
> 
> It's meant to reduce acid so therefore reduces heartburn/indigestion as a consequence I believe. My vets specifically said it should stop reflux of acid, potentially because it decreases the acid sat in the stomach perhaps?
> 
> *Do you take it long term? Vets said long term doesn't seem to be recommended but then said they do know people on it long term..*.


I've been taking them for about three years now. I take medication for arthritus which can be a bit hard on the stomach and cause heartburn. Dosage is 20mgs


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## tabulahrasa (Nov 4, 2012)

Brock was on 20mg for 3 months, he was about 35kg? (It was after he was ill, so it could have been a bit less)


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

Personally I'd be going back and having another chat with your vet 

I'm another that takes it periodically and I've found it works really quickly (I notice a difference within 24 hours of starting it) and without side effects - if it's not working and he's been on it for longer than a couple of days, I'd be going back for further advice. 


I do wonder about the raw though - if you're trying to reduce the acid then how is he going to digest this properly?


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

Mmm Rupert is on 30mg. The vet said he was working out a middle of the road dose but I think that is the highest unless his book recommends something else.

He said long term (from his book) causes growth of cells and can basically cause spread of pre cancerous cells. But this is when he thought about it and said he knows people on it long term so was pondering over it.

Rupert is OK in himself and has never had any meds after colic like this before. I will see how he goes today He had the full 30mg.

I'm wondering long term if people have teeny doses or still the 0.5mg/kg mark. Not sure what could be a placebo dose.

I am concerned re raw and acidity but he isn't meant to be on these long term. I am struggling greatly to find a dry food I am happy with


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

GoldenShadow said:


> It is from the vet. But Rupert seems to be on the higher dosage and I wondered if there was anyone with a dog on a lower dose who found it helped but had less side effects. I know some people have it long term but my vets haven't tried that so can't much advice on dosage in that regard.
> 
> It's meant to reduce acid so therefore reduces heartburn/indigestion as a consequence I believe. My vets specifically said it should stop reflux of acid, potentially because it decreases the acid sat in the stomach perhaps?
> 
> Do you take it long term? Vets said long term doesn't seem to be recommended but then said they do know people on it long term...


I only take it when I have to take anti inflammatories and I try not to so I might take one every day for a few weeks then just the odd one for a few weeks. My sister has taken them for years though.
I dont think you can necessarily compare human dosage with animal. It works with some drugs but not others.


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

GoldenShadow said:


> I am concerned re raw and acidity but he isn't meant to be on these long term. I am struggling greatly to find a dry food I am happy with


Could the raw be partly the culprit though?

I'm wondering if he's over producing acid as he's struggling to digest the raw properly and then getting stuck in a vicious circle .... it might be worth trying a different food and seeing if the acid reflux stops

I know you're not keen on kibble - have you looked at wet foods for him?

I know forth glade do a duck & potato and there are many fish and potato (not all white fish) wets around.


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## Sparkle22 (Oct 26, 2013)

I have been prescribed omeprazole before, I don't take it because some of the side effects and diseases it can increase the risk of getting later are terrifying!
Wouldn't want my dog on it to be honest.

Maybe a probiotic might help?


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

kare said:


> 1 mg a kilo seems very high. The dosage for a human is 10 to 20mg so giving a spaniel sized dog same as a large human seems off.
> 
> Ould talk to the vet about reducing the dose and finding a balance.


Human doses and dog doses are different for many medications.

The dose stated is the standard omeprazole dose for dogs.


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Sparkle22 said:


> I have been prescribed omeprazole before, I don't take it because some of the side effects and diseases it can increase the risk of getting later are terrifying!
> Wouldn't want my dog on it to be honest.
> 
> Maybe a probiotic might help?


You should see the list of potential side effects on my modafenil!  All drugs have side effects, sadly.


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Sparkle22 said:


> I have been prescribed omeprazole before, I don't take it because some of the side effects and diseases it can increase the risk of getting later are terrifying!
> Wouldn't want my dog on it to be honest.
> 
> Maybe a probiotic might help?


I would rather not get stomach ulcers so I do as I am told and take mine - as do many thousands of people daily. If you read the side effects on any medication you would never take it but not taking it is usually sure to cause problems.


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

Blitz said:


> I only take it when I have to take anti inflammatories and I try not to so I might take one every day for a few weeks then just the odd one for a few weeks. My sister has taken them for years though.
> I dont think you can necessarily compare human dosage with animal. It works with some drugs but not others.


Sadly we can't find out the cause of the acid build up for Rupert. He's already had his stomach pumped once because they feared he was going to bloat and he's had colic bouts for over four years.



Lilylass said:


> Could the raw be partly the culprit though?
> 
> I'm wondering if he's over producing acid as he's struggling to digest the raw properly and then getting stuck in a vicious circle .... it might be worth trying a different food and seeing if the acid reflux stops
> 
> ...


I am not convinced raw causes the build up. He was having bouts of colic on Fish4Dogs and Nature's Harvest and that was why I gave in and switched over to raw, because I had tried everything with more commercial foods and his skin was no better and nor was the colic. Raw was my last ditched attempt at faffing with his diet 

Wet foods I just cannot find one low fat enough that isn't very high carbs (some studies say high carbs is a no for pancreatitis, there are more incidents of it on processed food fed dogs as it is) or not fish based. With wet food you have to subtract the moisture out (most are typically 70% moisture). So if the fat content is 5% with 70% moisture, you do 100-70 = 30. 5% divided by 30% *100 is actually almost 17% when its converted to dry matter like kibble. Raw is higher fat, but its 'proper' fat in the meats and low carb. But I am still a bit concerned with the acidity raw seems to need 

Wafcol Salmon and Potato is the kibble I've earmarked thanks to recommendations on here. I prefer potato to rice, but he did show a weak reaction to potato.



Sparkle22 said:


> I have been prescribed omeprazole before, I don't take it because some of the side effects and diseases it can increase the risk of getting later are terrifying!
> Wouldn't want my dog on it to be honest.
> 
> Maybe a probiotic might help?


He's already on one. Pro Texin Pro Fibre pellets one scoop twice daily. I do my best to keep him off medication, he is steroid free the vast majority of the time but with the likes of Antepsin not being available I don't know what other choice I have at the moment.



Shoshannah said:


> Human doses and dog doses are different for many medications.
> 
> The dose stated is the standard omeprazole dose for dogs.


Thanks for clarifying Shoshannah.



Blitz said:


> I would rather not get stomach ulcers so I do as I am told and take mine - as do many thousands of people daily. If you read the side effects on any medication you would never take it but not taking it is usually sure to cause problems.


The thing with Rupert is that a big acid build up causes him to become very distended if left, and that's when he is at a higher risk of bloat. If that happens even once he is at risk of it again and again. My uncle's newfie had it once, then again, then again and was PTS the third time. As much as I don't like the side effects of Omeprazole if its that or the risk of bloat I know which I'd rather go for...


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## SixStar (Dec 8, 2009)

As pro-raw as I am, I would definitely try him off of it again if he were mine. I wouldn't be convinced that the acids needed to digest and process the bones wouldn't be contributing to matters.


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

SixStar said:


> As pro-raw as I am, I would definitely try him off of it again if he were mine. I wouldn't be convinced that the acids needed to digest and process the bones wouldn't be contributing to matters.


What holds me back is studies which show dogs are much more likely to suffer from pancreatitis if they are fed a processed food. Similarly, high fat and high carb diets seem to increase the incidence of it too. They think he had another bout of that when he had his stomach tubed in April, and that is the only suggestion anyone has ever given me for why he gets an excess build up of acid.

He did routinely colic on kibble/wet. The best he ever was was when he transitioned onto raw whilst having Pro Fibre pellets. His Nutriscan results showed so many weak reactions to different things, kibble seems to have most of them in.

He is on a very soft raw diet these days. No lamb or venison bones etc. Chicken carcass is about as adventurous as he gets. My vets aren't supportive of taking him off raw at the moment (they used to be less keen on it, but seem to have changed..!).

ETA: I have contacted the people who did his Nutriscan test to see if they can advise anything in particular what with the numerous weak reactions. I consider Dr Dodd's Liver Cleansing diet too but the main ingredient is white fish. Maybe home cooked could be the way to go...


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## Lilylass (Sep 13, 2012)

GoldenShadow said:


> Wafcol Salmon and Potato is the kibble I've earmarked thanks to recommendations on here. I prefer potato to rice, but he did show a weak reaction to potato.


Ahhhhh Maisie reacts to Potato which, with her other food issues, does complicate things a lot. I've found that most of the fish /sensitive foods seem to use potato as the filler - finding a fish & rice kibble is quite difficult!

If he has reacted to potato in the past, then I personally wouldn't feed it again with his other issues as you'd not know what effect it could have.


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

For anyone interested this was Rupert's Nutriscan results. Weak reactions mean the clinical significance can't be determined. They recommend you retest every year I think so may redo it next year and see what comes of them then. Just a bit wary of anything that had anything but a negative reaction (have contacted them for advice also).


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Food trial?


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## ScoobyDoo (Jacqueline) (Nov 27, 2015)

*First of all I want to say I'm not a vet. My dog has allot of issues and what I type is from online research or experience with my Pet only*

.

"Omeprazole" is designed for humans and is only approved by the FDA for use in human medicine." Vets can legally prescribe it. There is an approved version with "Omeprazole ingredients" in it for horses but this one must not be given to dogs.

In saying this I have found reflux did stop after giving my dog this "Omeprazole" medication prescribed by the vet. However I want to reduce the dose in all medications and are unsure which ones maybe causing side effects in my dog (If any).

Does anyone know if it is safe to reduce from Omeprazole 20mg once a day and change this to once every two days for a 35kg dog?

My concerns with medications,

My dog originally went to the vet for acid reflux which all his life was thought to be "Bloat", since going to the vets he has been given "Omeprazole", "Prednisolone" which is a steroid, Gabapentin, and a paste for his GI Tract but I can't remember the name of it and we discontinued its use. He has been in and out of emergency and advice given to me from regular vets seem to be incorrect or conflicting with other vets and he also lost allot of weight which I believe is from muscle loss. I know my dog and have decided to take vets advice but I am taking the final decision for now on with what he takes and since this I am getting some improvement but allot of work still needs to be done and I still maybe fighting a losing battle.

I am not taking any decisions lightly and am proceeding very carefully.

Since going to the vet for reflux my dog has deteriorated rapidly, I believe the "Prednisolone" gave my dog muscle deterioration and possibly bone density issues which in result gave him a nerve issue in his back. My dog could not get up and down at all and required lifting up, he also could not walk properly and was in allot of pain. I have done allot of research on natural food "Herbs, Veg, some seeds) but only ones that are safe for dogs and some organically grown from my garden and I make a meal up for him every day with boiled chicken, brown rice, sardines, salmon & Tuna. (He eats better than me) Reducing his steroids and feeding him healthily has given him some strength back and he can now stand up and lay down 75% of the time.

However internally is still an issue as he does have a lump on his spleen and he is breathing heavily. I think his tongue is a little redder in colour than usual but his gums are a good colour. I am trying to work out if his spleen is cancerous or if the combination of medication he is on is giving him side effects.

Please note: Before the regurgitation issues there was no other signs of discomfort or weakness. I have already spent about 4.5k on vet bills and I am out of money. The only options now with vets are extremely expensive and may not have any positive result. I guess I am hoping its partly medication related and I need to experiment if not I may have to make the decision to let him go.

If anyone has any knowledge on these medications or any advice on reducing them gradually or any other possible solution please let me know. The vets agreed for me to reduce the "Prednisolone" to 1/2 tablet every two days then I can stop it if I wish. I may stop them after tomorrow but I want to monitor him tonight first to see any positive or negative effects.

*Foods that I have researched online that seem safe for dog consumption are:*

Cold water Fish (Preferably not canned)
Halibut, Salmon, Sardines, Mackeral
Anchovies
Blue green Algae
Marine Phytoplankton
Caviar
Krill Oil

Marjoram
Oregano

*(be careful with some variety of nuts/seeds)*

Walnuts 
chia seeds
flax seeds
Brussels Sprouts
Hemp seed
Sachin chi seed

Sunflower seeds

Sesame seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Coconuts

Figs

Ginger

Kidney beans

Lightly cooked vegetables

Oats

Small amounts of lean meats

Sweet potatoes

Dates

Legumes - Beans

Lentils

pu'er tea

*Foods that you should not give to dogs*

Avocados

Baked Beans

Cherries

Chocolate

Coffee

Grapes

Rasins

Tomatoes - I am told not to feed tomatoes but then also was told it's the tomato plant itself not the tomatoes that's bad. I am unsure at this stage

I hope this information can help and please remember I am not a vet and this is from online research only

Thank you


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

Ziggy was given 10mg when she was having some reflux, and she weighed 10.8kg - she had grumbling pancreatitis. She was also given Lypex and moved to a low fat diet, has improved a lot and regained some weight (back to 11.5kg which I think is fine for her).
I specifically asked the vet if her stomach acids would be reduced so she was unable to properly digest raw food and he said no, she'd still be able to have raw - though she's mainly on a low-fat dry now to make sure the fat content is below 10% which would be difficult or impossible with raw.


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

You'll need to ask your vet about changing drug doses, it would not be safe or ethical for anyone here to give advice.


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