Suka is four months old and still chews on everything he can get in his mouth. I’m constantly taking things away from him and replacing them with toys. He hasn’t chewed on anything potentially lethal or dangerous until this morning.

My husband came to me with a chewed up capsule in his hand and said he found it on the floor. I took a look at it to determine what it was. I didn’t recognize the letters on the capsule but it was yellow. So I pulled out my daughter’s Ritalin prescription to look at those pills and it was a match.

Now I’m freaked out that Suka may have ingested the Ritalin! It was a low dose at 20 mg, but I know ADHD meds can cause problems for dogs. Is this going to hurt him??? He was acting like his normal self, so I’m not sure he actually ate it, but I know for a fact he chewed it open. Surely he got some of it in his mouth. Assuming it was him, of course. I do have three other dogs. They’re just not prone to chewing on anything.

What signs should I watch for in the next 24 hours that there is a problem? I know I can call the vet, but I can’t until tomorrow morning, so I’m really hoping I can get some advice or peace of mind from you guys today.

My daughter is going to get a huge lecture about being a lot more careful with her pills!

Personally I think it's time for an immediate vet visit.  The following from the "petpoisonhelpline.com"

Quote :

Common signs to watch for:
   Agitation
   Aggression
   Panting
   Sedation
   Elevated heart rate
   Hypertension
   Drooling
   Vomiting
   Diarrhea
   Tremors
   Seizures
   Death

Methylphenidate is a central nervous system stimulant used in human medicine for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder/attention deficit disorder, and used in veterinary medicine for narcolepsy, cataplexy, and hyperkinesis-hyperactivity. It is very similar to amphetamines, which are used for a variety of medical and illicit reasons. Legal forms include prescription medications for ADD/ADHD, weight loss, and narcolepsy. Illegal forms of amphetamines include street drugs like methamphetamine, crystal meth, and ecstasy. This class of drugs results in over-stimulation of the nervous system. With amphetamine poisoning in dogs and cats, severe clinical signs can be seen including: central nervous system (e.g., agitation, dilated pupils, tremors, seizures), cardiovascular (e.g., elevated heart rate, high blood pressure), gastrointestinal (e.g., drooling, vomiting, diarrhea), and respiratory (e.g., panting). Aggressive treatment includes decontamination (if appropriate), IV fluids, sedation, thermoregulation (and cooling measures, if needed), electrocardiogram/blood pressure monitoring, and symptomatic/supportive care.

Poison type: Medications

Alternate names: ADD medication, ADHD medication, Ritalin, Ritalin SR, Methylin, Methylin ER, amphetamine, amphetamines

and from the National Institute of health

Quote :

Methylphenidate toxicosis in dogs: 128 cases (2001-2008).
Genovese DW1, Gwaltney-Brant SM, Slater MR.

OBJECTIVE:

To determine clinical signs and outcomes of methylphenidate hydrochloride (MPH) toxicosis in dogs; to assess effects of amount (ie, dose) and formulation (immediate or extended release) of ingested MPH on onset, duration, and severity of clinical signs; and to describe management of MPH intoxication.
DESIGN:

Retrospective case series.
ANIMALS:

128 dogs with MPH toxicosis or exposure.
PROCEDURES:

Data from an Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) database from November 1, 2001, to November 30, 2008, were reviewed. Records of dogs were searched for APCC classifications of confirmed (n = 71) or suspected (39) MPH toxicosis; dogs (18) that ingested MPH but did not develop clinical signs of toxicosis were also included. Signalment, dose, clinical signs, treatment, and outcome were evaluated.
RESULTS:

Clinical signs of toxicosis were reported in 107 of 128 (84%) dogs that ingested MPH; these included hyperactivity in 42 (33%), tachycardia in 27 (21%), vomiting in 19 (15%), agitation in 16 (13%), and hyperthermia in 13 (10%). Doses ranged from 0.36 mg/kg (0.164 mg/lb) to 117.0 mg/kg (53.18 mg/lb). Severity of clinical signs was not strongly associated with dose. More severe and prolonged clinical signs were associated with ingestion of extended-release formulations of MPH; 3 dogs that consumed these formulations (doses, 10.2 mg/kg [4.64 mg/lb], 15.4 mg/kg [700 mg/lb], and 31.1 mg/kg [14.14 mg/lb]) died. Favorable outcomes were reported for most (31/34 [91%]) dogs.
CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:

Ingestion of even small amounts of MPH can cause severe clinical signs in dogs. Monitoring and supportive care are recommended regardless of dose.

ETA: one other comment from the NIH - "The peak concentration was reached within 1-2 h." so if he did get any into his system you should be seeing signs very soon. The good point to this is that since you caught it quickly the prognosis is good.

Strangely enough, that brings me some comfort to know that the signs would be immediate. I had to go to work (that's why I can't call the vet until tomorrow morning) so I asked my husband to keep an eye on Suka in case he has a bad reaction to it. If he did, my husband would've called me immediately, and now that it's been three hours without a phone call, I can safely assume Suka is fine and acting normally.

But just to clarify, will he be fine since he hasn't had a bad reaction to it in the last three hours?

So I just called my husband to check on Suka, and he said Suka is acting like his normal self. I'm going to see if I can call the vet office on my lunch break to get more information about it to be on the safe side.

whitehusky3 wrote:

Strangely enough, that brings me some comfort to know that the signs would be immediate. I had to go to work (that's why I can't call the vet until tomorrow morning) so I asked my husband to keep an eye on Suka in case he has a bad reaction to it. If he did, my husband would've called me immediately, and now that it's been three hours without a phone call, I can safely assume Suka is fine and acting normally.

But just to clarify, will he be fine since he hasn't had a bad reaction to it in the last three hours?

I am not a pharmacologist - so take my comments with a grain of salt - from what I quoted and some other quick scanning of the topic there should be no long lasting effects. Like with a human, it's absorbed, does it's thing (which would probably mean a super hyper puppy - could you really tell the difference ) and then dissipates gradually out of the system.

It's possible that he got a taste of it and decided that he didn't want any more - ritalin (say a few commenters on the web) is bitter.

Unless your dog just inhales pills many dogs won't take a pill that isn't coated in something because they are bitter. Pills are gross. Even my hound mix won't take a pill that isn't wrapped in something unless it's a flavored pill. I thought Kenzi had ate a whole bottle of benedryl one time because the bottle was mauled and all the pills were gone. They ended up having rolled under the various chairs in the room and others had been stomped into the carpet while she was playing with the bottle. Some had signs of her having them in her mouth as the coating was messed up but she had obviously spit them out. I would continue to monitor for the symptoms that Al posted for at least 24 hours in case he absorbed it a little differently. Dogs have a higher metabolism than humans so it should be long gone out of his system even if he did get a pill by now.

I was doing some digging around online as well, and other than one article by someone who says it's sometimes prescribed to dogs to treat certain conditions (I left a comment about that), everything states it is toxic and needs treatment. I'm not sure he ingested it, so I don't want to rush him to the vet if he's not having a reaction. The powder must've fallen into the carpet after he chewed the capsule open. I'm sure he'd be very sick at the moment if he had swallowed any of it. My husband said he's fine and acting normal, so I'm not going to let myself stress out about it since it's been a few hours without a reaction.

Those pill bottles may be childproof, but it doesn't keep the animals safe if it falls on the floor and no one picks it up. My daughter is definitely getting an earful when I get home tonight!

Actually, now that I think about it, it's possible it wasn't chewed on at all, although it certainly looked like it. My husband had stepped on the pill (that's how he found it) and heard it crunch. A chewed up capsule wouldn't make a crunch sound because it would've already been taken apart. Only an intact one would make a sound like that. It's entirely possible it was in the state it was in because it broke apart when it was stepped on. All the powder would've fallen into the carpet then. I might be worrying about nothing!

I wanted to update everybody about Suka. He's doing fine. I'm not entirely sure he was the one that chewed on the capsule that was found on the floor, but all of our other dogs are doing fine also. In actuality, I'm not even sure the capsule was chewed on. The important thing going forward is that everybody is more careful about their medication and making sure that it's secure and they pick up any pills that may have dropped onto the floor. I spoke with my daughter and I explained to her that a lot of people medications are toxic to dogs and can kill them, and while she insists that she did not drop a pill on the floor, she will be more careful going forward.

I am very relieved that none of the dogs got hurt, and I hope this is something I don't have to deal with in the future.

Glad to hear everyone is doing good

Just noticed this - glad everything is ok.

Have some family experience with ADHD. Funny that some of the characteristics of those with ADHD are similar to some Husky characteristics - then I came across this. Very odd :-)

http://colorgenetics.info/canine/newly-found-mutations-linked-adhd-siberian-huskies

just cot up, i'm happy to hear he good well and everything is okay.