What happens if a dog gets too much taurine

Taurine for Dogs: Do Dogs Need Taurine Supplements?

Reviewed and updated for accuracy on April 15, 2020 by Amanda Ardente, DVM

Amino acids are the basic building blocks of protein. There are 22 amino acids that are needed for proper functioning of the body.

In dogs, 12 of these amino acids are nonessential, meaning the body can make them on its own. The other 10 amino acids are essential, meaning they must be supplied by the diet.

Taurine is known to be a dietary requirement for cats and may be for some dog breeds as well.

Heres what you need to know about the amount of taurine in dog food, the risk of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) from taurine deficiency, and whether you should consider taurine supplements for dogs.

Does Dog Food Have Taurine?

Since taurine is known to be essential for cats, cat food must have taurine supplemented in quantities established by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the National Research Council (NRC).

To date, however, there are no stated requirements for supplementing dog food with taurine. The extent to which dogs may require dietary taurine is still under investigation and may be breed dependent.

Taurine Deficiency and Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Dogs

Taurine deficiency is one cause of a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), where the heart muscle thins and the chambers become enlarged. This is true for cats, and may now also be true for dogs.

Recently, studies have found a connection between DCM and these breeds of dogs:

While research is ongoing, there are theories that the onset of DCM is related to the diet, specifically, grain-free diets. However, the question remains whether the DCM occurs due to an overall lack of taurine in the dog food or other dietary factors that cause problems with taurine digestion, absorption, metabolism, and/or excretion.

How Do Vets Test for Taurine Deficiency?

Veterinarians would first need a thorough history of your dog's health, including a list of symptoms and the diet fed.

Then, your veterinarian would conduct a complete physical examination of your dog and do routine blood work, including:

Blood concentrations of taurine can be measured by a laboratory to determine whether deficiency is likely. There are normal ranges for blood-taurine concentrations in dogs, so if the measured concentration is lower than that range, taurine deficiency is probable.

What Health Issues Are Caused by Taurine Deficiency in Dogs?

Taurine is distributed throughout the body with high concentration in certain tissues, including the heart, theretinaof the eye, and the brain. Taurine deficiency may be suspected if heart disease, retinal disease, and/or cystinuria are identified via the physical exam and/or initial laboratory results.

Taurine Deficiency and Heart Disease

If heart disease is suspected based on physical exam and/or blood work (e.g., low blood taurine), then chest X-rays,electrocardiogram(ECG), and other diagnostic measures would be recommended in order to evaluate and diagnose the severity of the disease.

Taurine Deficiency and Eye Problems

Likewise, blood-taurine concentrations should be evaluated if retinal damage (problems with your dogs eyes) is found during a physical exam by your veterinarian.

Taurine Deficiency and Urinary Issues

If cysteine stones/crystals are found in the urinalysis, it is likely your dog has an issue metabolizing amino acids.

Cystinuria is more common in certain breeds, such as the following:

However, if present in any dog, it may indicate amino acid malabsorption, which can potentially be causing taurine deficiency.

Taurine Supplements for Dogs

Taurine supplementation is the treatment of choice for dogs suffering from taurine deficiency. The length of time that your dog will need taurine supplementation will depend on the severity of the deficiency and your dog's ability to maintain levels of taurine as it is ingested.

In some dogs, lifetime taurine supplementation may be required to prevent recurrent taurine deficiency. For other dogs, a diet change may be needed in addition to taurine supplementation, and if symptoms resolve, supplementation may be discontinued.

Managing Taurine Deficiency

Good nursing care is required at home during treatment of taurine deficiency.

Give all medications and supplements at the prescribed or recommended dose and frequency to avoid aggravation of the symptoms.

In the case of heart disease, your dog will need proper rest in a stress-free environment at home.

Your veterinarian will schedule follow-up examinations to monitor the treatment response in your dog. While dramatic improvement is seen in most animals, some animals may not respond completely to taurine supplementation and need further treatment.

Featured Image: iStock.com/Moyo Studio

How Important is Taurine for Dogs?

When doing research on pet food, youll inevitably come across the word taurine at some point or other and quite naturally, youll wonder just what exactly it is. Put simply, its an amino acid.

Depending on how much attention you paid in your biology lessons, you may or may not already know that amino acids are known as the building blocks of life.

Essentially, theyre molecules used by the body to form the proteins necessary for good physical health taurine is just one of them and its present in most mammals bodies.

What does taurine do?

So what does taurine do exactly? Basically, when theres enough taurine circulating around the body, it performs a vital behind-the-stage role, quietly aiding in the healthy function of the nervous, digestive and immune systems.

As such, there can be some nasty side effects when theres a deficiency often, a shortage can lead to eye problems, cardiovascular issues and even kidney dysfunction.

Taurine isnt something humans need to worry about its naturally found in many common foodstuffs, such as meat, fish and dairy, as well as on the ingredient list of many energy drinks.

Our livers can even produce their own supply from other amino acids, which means that vegetarians and vegans neednt fret too much if theyre bypassing the traditional sources.

Do dogs need taurine?

Similar to humans, dogs are generally better at producing a sufficient amount of taurine themselves, along with the assistance of a meat-heavy diet. Thats why taurine isnt usually added to dog food.

For cats, its a completely different state of affairs. Their bodies need a substantial amount of taurine, but they lack the same ability to create their own supply.

To meet this requirement, cat food is not only packed full of meat or fish, but its also supplemented with taurine levels set by regulatory bodies. You should be able to see this fact on the front of most packaging.

Can dogs have a taurine deficiency?

Pet nutrition is a constantly moving field of research and new findings about taurine levels in dogs are being made all the time. For example, recent research has established a link between taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in certain dog breeds¹.

These breeds include Golden Retrievers, American Cocker Spaniels, Doberman Pinschers, Great Danes and Irish Wolfhounds (its also believed some dogs among these and other giant breeds can have a genetic disposition to taurine deficiency). DCM in dogs is a hot topic it causes the hearts muscles to weaken and if left untreated, it can lead to heart failure.

It was an over-occurrence of this nasty medical condition in cats that led to the decision being made to enrich all cat food with taurine, so nutritionists and scientists are open to the possibility that a similar precaution might need to be taken in the future when it comes to dog food.

Another genetic disease, cystinuria, can also cause health issues. It prevents the proper absorption of amino acids, which may lead to kidney and bladder stones.

How can I give my dog enough taurine?

If youre the parent of one of the aforementioned dog breeds, there are several ways you can be proactive in ensuring your dog doesnt suffer from a worrying dip in taurine levels.

Much like cats, a strong diet is always the first line of defense. It can be difficult to find out the exact amount of taurine in dog foods, but you cant go wrong by ensuring that recipes contain as much high-quality meat as possible.

You can also look into supplements to boost your pets taurine intake. These usually take the form of powders or pills, and are easy to give to your dog.

Reassuringly, your dogs body has a very high upper limit when it comes to taurine, meaning that its extremely unlikely that theyll suffer an overdose instead, their bodies should process the excess and get rid.

I think my dog might have a taurine deficiency

Its crucial you speak with your vet before making any big changes to your pets diet. The symptoms of taurine deficiency which may include excessive panting, collapse, blood in the urine, pain during urination, and pelvic and abdominal pain arent unique to the condition.

Your vet will be able to run blood tests and physical examinations to see whether your dog is suffering from a taurine deficiency or if there are other reasons behind any symptoms. Your observations will also be key to diagnosis, so keep note of the symptoms.

Theyll also be up to date with the latest scientific thinking when it comes to dogs and taurine, and advise accordingly. If a taurine deficiency is detected, dont freak out this can usually be monitored and managed over your dogs lifetime to lessen the risk of certain health conditions developing.

So how important is taurine for dogs? The answer is quite, but in most cases, your dogs body will be able to take care of producing healthy levels of the amino acid by itself, provided the food you put in front of them is heavy on meats and other proteins.

You can give your dog the best chance of getting enough taurine by putting only the very best recipes in their bowl and doing this will only have a beneficial impact on many other aspects of their health as well its a win-win, really.

A guide to taurine a dietary supplement for some dogs

Taurine is a word that frequently pops up in the ongoing research about grain-free diets and DCM in dogs. We felt it was important to include the most recent research and explain why taurine is mentioned.

Heres what we know so far

Some dog breeds like Newfoundlands developed taurine deficiency when they were fed a commercial diet containing lamb and rice. A few other dogs on a vegan or vegetarian diet developed a taurine deficiency which led to heart disease. Recently, certain grain-free dietsTrusted SourceU.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Government agency.Go to source were found to cause some dogs to develop DCM as well.

Theres still research being done on these various diets to determine whats causing heart disease in certain dogs. Some of these diets didnt contain taurine. So its possible that a taurine deficiency may have been the cause of the heart disease.

Yet, most dogs with DCM dont have a taurine deficiency when their blood is tested.So taurine isnt likely the cause of several grain-free diets causing DCM in dogs.

Theres also discussion that these diets contain a moderate amount of peas and legumes which may be a factor in the development of DCM. Well update this article as research develops on the topic.

What the experts are saying

According to the Tufts Veterinary School, For the vast majority of dogs, we do not yet know what is causing this disease. There are definitely some dogs with DCM that have low taurine levels, many of which will improve with taurine supplementation and change of diet. For dogs that have normal taurine levels, however, other nutritional deficiencies may be present.

Experts from Tufts Veterinary School also note, Some nutritional deficiencies can affect the hearts normal function, so an insufficient amount of these nutrients (or reduced bioavailability) in the diet could cause heart disease. Diet-associated DCM could also be due to an ingredient in the food that is toxic to the heart.

The FDA and many other researchers are still actively studying this issue so they can give pet parents and veterinarians a more definitive answer.

What Happens If You Give A Dog Too Much Wormer?

Its essential to keep your dogs deworming medication up to date. If your dog becomes infected with worms, it can have serious health consequences. But, it is equally critical that you give the correct dosage of deworming medicine to your dog.So, What Happens If You Give A Dog Too Much Wormer? Naturally, there will be side effects.

Let us see what all you should know before you begin deworming your dog.

In this article, we will cover:

• What Happens If You Give A Dog Too Much Wormer?
• How Often Should You Deworm Your Dog?
• And more

What Happens If You Give A Dog Too Much Wormer? 6 Adverse Effects

If you give your dog too much wormer, they may develop unpleasant side effects that range from moderate signs like drooling and vomiting to severe signs like seizures, ataxia, blindness, and heart arrhythmia. It is best to consult your veterinarian if you think your dog had more than recommended dose.

Although most deworming medicines come with instructions for dosage and have a safety margin if you unintentionally give more, overdosing on dewormers is potentially risky. Why?

Anti-worming medications have incredibly toxic ingredients that are used to get rid of parasites and worms in your dog.

Because these treatments are so powerful and possibly dangerous, giving them to your dog in greater doses than suggested might produce a series of unpleasant symptoms. Too much quantity of some types of wormers can cause organ damage, organ failure, and even death.

As a pet parent, here is what you should be aware of so that you can treat your furry friend at the earliest:

1. Drooling

Drooling is a common trait among dogs. Almost all dogs drool periodically. However, you must know if there is something wrong when your dog is excessively drooling.

If you see your dog releasing more saliva from its mouth than it normally would after feeding dewormers, it is an indication that your dog has been administered an incorrect dosage or has an allergic reaction.

2. Vomiting

Generally, vomiting is common after giving dewormers to your dogs. It could be because of the taste of the medicine, allergy, or even an overdose.

If you see your dog vomiting, ask your vet to prescribe medicines. Typically, vomiting stops within 24 hours if nothing is serious. However, if your dog continues vomiting for 2-3 days, immediate medical intervention is the need of the hour.

3. Seizures

Your dog is most likely suffering a seizure if it appears disoriented and falls on its side on the floor after consuming deworming medications. It is because the overdose has caused poisoning in your dog.

Other signs that indicate your dog is having a seizure are- foam in mouth, drooling, unconsciousness, chomping tongue movement, and stiff body.

For immediate assistance, you need to time its seizures and lay your dog away from furniture that could harm it in any way. Make sure you are calm and take it to the vet as soon as possible.

4. Heart Arrhythmia

According to the PetMD Editorial, Heart Arrhythmia is irregular heartbeats. It means your dogs heart might beat too fast, too slow, or even skip beats. It occurs when your dog is significantly overdosed by drugs.

If your dog suffers from it, the vet will conduct an ECG or EKG and X-rays to know the problem exactly. After examining all the scans, they will treat it. In some cases, your dog might require hospitalization.

5. Ataxia

Ataxia is the incoordination in the dog. If the wormer overdose has affected your dog greatly, you will see your dog is facing difficulty in walking as it constantly stumbles and falls down.

According to Tammy Hunter, DVM, and Robin Downing, DVM at the VCA Hospitals, ataxia can be treated by vets with supportive care and pain management. Vets will schedule regular checkups for such dogs to analyze their progress.

6. Blindness

We know this sounds really scary, but it is true that your dogs can go blind from wormer toxicity. Your dog can become partially blind, intermittently blind, or worst, completely blind due to this.

The major indicators of blindness in a dog are enlarged pupils, redness and cloudiness in the eyes, bumping into things, and being unable to find food and toys.

How Often Should You Deworm Your Dog?

The main factor that determines the oftenness of deworming your dogs is the risk of infection. If you live in an area where parasitic infections are common, your dog will need more deworming sessions than usual.

Otherwise, in low-risk households, deworming usually takes place after conducting fecal tests on your dogs. Depending on the fecal results, your vet can come up with a plan to deworm your dog.

However, generally, the puppies go to the vet for deworming every two weeks once they turn two weeks old. After that, as your puppy turns 12 weeks old, they are dewormed every month.

Then, when your dog reaches six months, its immune system has developed enough to keep them worm-free if your vet administers deworming medicine once every three months.

Finally, as your dog becomes an adult, they are dewormed once a year to prevent infestations from heartworms, tapeworms, and other parasites.

How Many Deworming Tablets Are Safe For My Dog?

Different dogs can handle drugs differently. Thus, its important to remember that anthelmintic and vermifugal medications can be quite hazardous to your dog if you administer them inappropriately.

According to a study conducted by RA Lovell, ivermectin and piperazine toxicity is responsible for causing ataxia, behavioral disturbances, tremors, mydriasis, weakness, apparent blindness, hypersalivation, and coma within 24 hours of taking the medicine.

As a result, its critical that you only take them on prescription as advised by your veterinarian as they will be able to guide you best about how many deworming tablets are suitable for your dog.

Can I Feed Wormers After Meal To My Dog?

Although there is no best time to feed deworming medicines to your dog, you can still feed wormers after meals to your dogs.

We propose giving it to them in the morning after breakfast or after their stroll so that nausea after taking medication does not disrupt their daily routine.

You will also be more likely to be around to keep a check on the dog afterward in case it experiences any other side effects.

Furthermore, when existing worms within your dog come into touch with the drug, they emit toxins, and these poisons might create a sense of unease. This sensation does not last long, but it can be minimized if your dog has been properly fed beforehand.

However, this information should always be included in the instructions that come with the prescription, and that should be followed more strictly than the advice weve shared here.

Certain dewormers function better on an empty stomach. Then the preceding advice is erroneous. Always pay attention to the label!

Is Deworming Fatal For My Dog?

Its highly unusual that a dog would die after worming treatments. Most worming medicines are checked at a variety of dosages to get the correct dosage for dogs.

Your dog is more likely to die from an active worm infection than from the worming medication itself. The American Kennel Club quotes that if worms in dogs are not treated timely, they can cause severe health concerns as they damage the internal organs of your pet.

Generally, puppies die more often due to parasite infestations than dogs as they are weak and underdeveloped. One such worm infection is from roundworms.

Roundworms are present in puppies since birth. If left untreated, they are responsible for poor growth and the death of newborns.

Also Read: Can I Give My Dog Dewormer If He Doesnt Have Worms?

What Is The Right Age To Deworm Your Dog And Puppy?

Puppies are more vulnerable to worm infestations than adult dogs. Thus, they need more frequent deworming treatments. It is because adult dogs have a fully developed immune system. Also, they do not eat everything they come across on the streets.

Thus, deworming starts when your pet is still a puppy. Veterinarians begin deworming when your puppy is two weeks old. After that, deworming is continued on a regular basis as per your vets advice.

Can Dogs Have An Allergic Reaction To Wormer?

Dewormers can have side effects on dogs occasionally. Dogs tend to lose appetite, vomit or have diarrhea for a few hours after taking the wormer. Since these symptoms do not last long, you need not worry much.

But, in rare occurrences, some dogs have an allergic reaction to the wormer medicines administered orally. Indicators of an allergic reaction include pale gums, difficulty breathing, convulsions, and collapse.

According to Dr. Jennifer Kvamme, DVM at PetMD worm preventive medicines like ivermectin and milbemycin can cause swollen face, itchiness, incoordination, and seizures in your dog even if given an adequate dose.

If you see any such unusual behavior in your dog after taking the medicines, it is best to speak to your vet as sometimes the allergic reaction can turn severe and cause death.

4 Home Remedies For Deworming Your Dog

If you want your dog to have a worm-free body, your dog must get the appropriate diet in addition to deworming doses. So, here are four food options that you must inculcate in your dogs diet to solve the problem of worms in the long term:

1. Coconut Oil

Ringworms, tapeworms, giardia, and other parasite infestations are very common in dogs. Coconut oil works by converting the lauric acid present in the oil to monolaurin. This way, it treats the parasites and worms without killing good bacteria in your dogs gut.

Add one teaspoon (for small dogs) or one tablespoon (for big dogs) of coconut oil to your dogs food daily to get rid of toxic parasites without using harmful drugs.

Also Read: Coconut oil for dog razor burn? Is It Effective? +7 Benefits & Tips

2. Carrots

Carrots are abundant in nutrients like pro-vitamin A, vitamin B, C, D, and K, calcium, iron, and riboflavin. The pro-vitamin A in carrots is responsible for killing the worm eggs in your dogs stomach.

So, grate a raw carrot and add two to four teaspoons of it to your dogs bowl as a treat. We are sure your dog will love the crunchy snack.

3. Pumpkin Seeds

Raw or cooked pumpkin seeds are safe for your dogs as they have tremendous health benefits. Pumpkin seeds have the amino acid cucurbitacin that will paralyze the intestinal worms in your dogs.

Once a day daily, give your dog a quarter teaspoon of ground or whole seeds per ten pounds of body weight until the worms are flushed out of your dogs system.

4. Kefir

Deworming medicines can hamper the growth of good bacteria in your dogs digestive tract. These bacteria aid digestion and make sure your dog releases firm stools. Thus, kefir restores the good bacteria in your dogs system.

You can serve kefir separately or mix it in your dogs food as per your choice. Give one teaspoon or one tablespoon to small breeds and three tablespoons to large breeds daily.

Dos and Donts Of Deworming Your Dog

Lastly, there are some dos and donts of administering deworming medicines to your dog that you must look at:

1. Dont Deworm Only One Pet

If you are a pet parent to more than one dog, you might wonder if deworming one of your dogs would do the trick for the rest of the pack. But, this is not true.

The pets that do not get dewormed could become a source of parasites that can put the health of all your canine friends at risk.

2. Do Make Sure That Your Dog Swallows Wormer

Generally, a dog spits or throws out the wormer as soon as you administer it orally. At times, they even vomit after a while. It happens because the deworming medicine tastes bitter, dogs do not like the taste.

So, make sure your dog swallows the medicine completely. Otherwise, your efforts will be futile. Additionally, you can try to use anti-parasite creams meant for topical use to avoid such situations.

3. Dont Medicate Your Pet On Your Own

One of the most common mistakes pet parents make is buying the deworming medicine on their own without consulting the veterinarian. We will never recommend this at all.

Your dogs veterinarian advises the wormer after carefully examining their lifestyle, underlying health conditions, age, and breed. This way, they can choose the best wormer for your dog. So, you must take their advice into account.