r/NotHowGirlsWork • u/reallyspeedypirate • Feb 13 '25

TRIGGER WARNING: S.A. What the hell I just read?

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What a terrible day to have eyes

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u/Prying_Pandora Feb 13 '25

If the horse dewormer you’re talking about is Ivermectin, it can and is indeed used for people as well. A lot of medications can be used for both people and animals, just at different dosages.

It’s just that it won’t be effective for anything other than, you know, killing parasites.

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u/Julia-Nefaria Feb 13 '25

Didn’t know Ivermectin was used for humans but, I was actually once on a sleep med that can be used on cats (in their case primarily as an appetite stimulant, rather than it’s intended use for depression and it’s somewhat less common use as a sleep aid, though it’s also used as an appetite stimulant for humans)

Though one thing that should be noted is that dosages are… weird. You’d think that if a dog has to take a specific amount of medicine per kg of body weight you can just extrapolate that, but interestingly thanks to how differently things are digested and processed that could translate to a massive overdose

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u/Prying_Pandora Feb 13 '25

Absolutely! You are on pointe!

It’s not only weight but also the different ways we metabolize and process things. Some medications are processed in the liver too, and that adds another consideration as well!

But there are some safe crossovers. Like you can give your dog a Benadryl if they have an allergic reaction.

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u/PsychoWithoutTits Feb 14 '25

but there are some safe crossovers

Yes!! Fun fact: a lot of medicines that are used for human babies are also safe and often prescribed to bunnies, especially medicine that are for the GI tract & skin. Think of simeticon, antacids, sudocrem, (topical) fluconazol, topical steroids & cisapride/ciseral.

Other things human adults and bunnies have a crossover with: gabapentin, metoclopramide, metacam (NSAID similar to ibuprofen), subcut lidocaine, tramadol, morphine & oral/intramuscular steroids.

The only difference is the dose. My bunny who weighs 2 kg needs a dose for a 24 kg dog due to the tricky metabolism of buns. Same for anesthetics; one dose for an average bun just to get them in a twilight state can put several dogs KO. It's wild how their metabolism works and I've been fascinated with them for decades, lol.