Unwatched Whelp Ingests Toxic Amount of Pain Relief Medication

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — When you have a puppy in the house, you know you have to watch them constantly. If you look away for even a moment, it seems like they always find trouble – especially if they’re named after a Housewife.

“I took a long, 15-minute shower,” explained Jim Wren, who lives in Columbia, South Carolina with his Italian Mastiff Phaedra, who is named after Wren’s favorite ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ cast member Phaedra Parks. “When I got out, I realized that Phaedra had opened a drawer with her big paws and chewed open a bottle of my grandmother’s old naproxen. When I saw it was naproxen, I knew we were going straight to the veterinarian.”

Naproxen, an over the counter NSAID, is commonly used for osteoarthritis, inflammation and pain control. While safe to use for humans, naproxen is very poisonous to dogs and cats, as it has a very narrow margin of safety. As little as one 220mg tablet can cause very serious symptoms, including death, in both dogs and cats.

Wren took Phaedra to Four Paws Animal Clinic in Columbia.

“Naproxen should never be given to your dog or cat,” advised Dr. Renee Schmid, a senior veterinary toxicologist and director of Veterinary Medicine at Pet Poison Helpline. “Naproxen can result in severe gastrointestinal ulcers and acute kidney failure in animals, even in low doses.” Symptoms include abdominal pain, lack of appetite, weakness, vomiting, pale gums, lethargy, bloody stools, diarrhea, increased drinking and urination due to kidney failure.

“When we got to the hospital, the veterinarian initially thought Phaedra wouldn’t make it,” said Wren. “She was going into renal (kidney) failure, and I told him let’s do everything we can do. It all but killed her. All I could do was be with her.”

The medical team immediately ran bloodwork to help assess Phaedra’s condition, which showed kidney damage was already occurring. Phaedra was also anemic, which was likely due to bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. They then contacted the toxicology experts at Pet Poison Helpline and spoke with a veterinary toxicologist who discussed the concerns with this expected large ingestion as well as current symptoms and bloodwork results.

Treatment recommendations made by Pet Poison Helpline’s veterinary toxicologist included intravenous fluid therapy to help the kidneys recover, medication for gastrointestinal ulceration and protection, an anti-emetic to prevent vomiting, and monitoring Phaedra’s red blood cell count and kidney values closely, as a blood transfusion might have been needed. Fortunately, Phaedra responded well to the treatment, and she was able to recover.

“The anemia and kidney injury Phaedra had would have been fatal if it weren’t for the aggressive care and heroics of the veterinarians and staff at Four Paws Animal Clinic,” Dr. Schmid added. “Fortunately, Phaedra’s owner was able to know what medication she had ingested, so appropriate treatment recommendations could be made, and her life could be saved.” 

For the next three weeks, Wren monitored Phaedra at home and took her back to the hospital for further blood tests and treatment. She was placed on a special diet and given medications to take at home. She is back to full health and continuing to create mischief.

“People should reconsider things when they get a big dog,” added Wren, who had only had small dogs before adopting Phaedra. “She’s a big bully. She can open three-foot tall trash cans, get into drawers and surf counters. She’s good at the drama.”

Pet Poison Helpline created Toxin Tails to educate the veterinary community and pet lovers on the many types of poisoning dangers facing pets, both in and out of the home. All the pets highlighted in Toxin Tails have been successfully treated for the poisoning and fully recovered.

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About Pet Poison Helpline
Pet Poison Helpline®, your trusted source for toxicology and pet health advice in times of potential emergency, is available 24 hours, seven days a week for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. Per incident and subscription service options are available. We are an independent, nationally recognized animal poison control center triple licensed by the Boards of Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Pharmacy providing unmatched professional leadership and expertise. Our veterinarians and board-certified toxicologists provide treatment advice for all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species. As the most cost-effective option for animal poison control care, Pet Poison Helpline’s fee of $89 per incident includes follow-up consultations for the duration of the case. The company also offers pethelpline^(SM) and pethelplinePRO^(SM) subscription services directly to pet lovers. Based in Minneapolis, Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information, including a chat feature for pet owners, can be found online at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

Contact: Curtis Steinhoff
Pet Poison Helpline®
(602) 300-8466
csteinhoff@petpoisonhelpline.com

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