Ibuprofen Toxicity Calculator
Your dog swallowed ibuprofen? It damages kidneys silently — check the dose now.
⚠️ Cats: this calculator is for dogs only. Cats are poisoned at roughly half the dog dose (Merck Veterinary Manual) — if a cat swallowed any ibuprofen, skip the calculator and call your vet now.
Liquid ibuprofen instead? Multiply the concentration on the bottle (children’s suspensions are often 20 mg/mL) by the mL swallowed to get total mg, then divide by your dog’s weight in kg to get mg/kg — and compare with the bands in the result above.
Sources — the dose bands on this page were checked against all three:
How to use
- Enter your dog’s weight in kg.
- Pick the tablet strength and how many tablets were eaten (count a half tablet as 0.5).
- Read the dose estimate — then call your vet regardless.
About this tool
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nurofen) is a human painkiller with a narrow safety margin in dogs. It blocks the prostaglandins that protect the stomach lining and keep blood flowing through the kidneys — so poisoning hits the gut first, then the kidneys, and at very high doses the nervous system.
The published dose bands differ slightly between references: a 2022 study in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine defines gut signs above ~25 mg/kg, kidney risk above ~100 mg/kg and nervous-system signs above ~400 mg/kg, while the Merck Veterinary Manual reports acute gut signs at 100–125 mg/kg and kidney failure at 175–300 mg/kg. This tool always uses the most protective (lowest) published value for each band, and says so.
All calculations happen in your browser. No data is sent or stored anywhere.
FAQ
How much ibuprofen is toxic to a dog?
Gut signs (vomiting, diarrhea, ulceration) are reported from ~25 mg/kg. Kidney injury is the big danger: a 2022 JVIM study puts the renal band above 100 mg/kg, and the Merck Veterinary Manual reports kidney failure at 175–300 mg/kg. Above ~400 mg/kg, seizures and coma are possible; above ~600 mg/kg the dose can be lethal. For scale: one regular 200 mg tablet is already 20 mg/kg for a 10 kg dog.
I gave my dog ibuprofen for pain — what now?
Do not wait for signs. Call your vet or poison control right away and say how many milligrams and when. Kidney damage develops silently over 1–3 days, so “he seems fine” is not reassurance. Never give ibuprofen to a dog for pain — ask your vet for a dog-safe alternative.
How long until signs appear?
Vomiting and diarrhea can start within a few hours. Kidney failure typically develops over 24–72 hours, which is why vets re-check blood work over several days.
Should I make my dog vomit?
Only if your vet instructs you to. Never induce vomiting on your own.
What about cats?
Cats are roughly twice as sensitive — toxic at about half the dog dose (Merck Veterinary Manual). Do not use this calculator for cats: any ibuprofen in a cat is a “call the vet now” emergency.
Is paracetamol (acetaminophen) the same thing?
No — a different drug with a different poisoning: it attacks red blood cells and the liver, and is especially deadly for cats. Do not use this calculator for it; call your vet for any painkiller ingestion.
