My dog has swallowed a statin, will this be a problem to my dog?
Are statins poisonous to dogs? Well, the good news is that human statin pills are almost always non-toxic to dogs, even when a dog eats a few of them at one go. Common examples are atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol, Lescol XL), lovastatin (Mevacor, Altoprev), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor), simvastatin (Zocor), and pitavastatin (Livalo).
Statins are a very common class of drug which are prescribed by doctors to help lower blood cholesterol levels in humans. They help prevent such conditions as heart attacks and strokes. Since they are a very common drug that may well be left lying about the house it sometimes happens that dogs get hold of them and swallow them. Owners sometimes urgently contact me for advice in this sort of situation. But as I have said above this is usually nothing to worry about.
What symptoms might you expect if your dog swallows statins?
What symptoms might you expect if your dog swallows statins?
The reason they are so safe is that dogs lack the enzyme which humans have which metabolises cholesterol so that the statin drugs can exert their effect. In my experience, most accidental ingestions do not cause any noticeable adverse symptom of any sort. The worst that can happen in this sort of situation would normally only be a mild transient bout of vomiting and/or diarrhoea. And should this occur it will normally just pass on its own over a 24 – 48 hour period.
How can I be sure that statins will not harm my dog?
Are statins poisonous to dogs? As confirmation of my clinical experience, I can tell you that the ASPCA poison control site says: “Zocor and the rest of statins (cholesterol-lowering agents) have very wide margins of safety when taken as a one time dose. Even large ingestions are likely to only cause mild vomiting.
What should I do if my dog swallows my statins.
Given the above, if you find yourself in the position where your dog has swallowed a statin drug there is probably nothing to worry about. You will be taking very little risk in just observing your dog for a few hours and then contacting your local vet in the unlikely event that adverse symptoms set in.
However, if you have a small dog and it has swallowed a large number of statins then you may want to induce vomiting as a precaution. Please follow this link for directions on how this can best be done: LINK
Further Reading.
Are statins poisonous to dogs? Please follow this link for further information on this topic, plus other common hazards: LINK