Updated September 25, 2026. Fact-checked against veterinary sources; review by a licensed veterinarian is in progress. See our editorial policy.
Quick answer: If your dog swallowed extra meloxicam (Metacam, Mobic, or a generic), call your vet, an emergency clinic, or a pet poison hotline right away, even if your dog seems fine. Meloxicam overdoses can cause stomach ulcers and kidney damage that may not show for a day or more, and early treatment works much better than waiting for symptoms. Don’t make your dog vomit unless a vet tells you to.
What to do right now
- Call for help: your vet or nearest emergency clinic, or a pet poison hotline: ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661. Hotlines charge a consultation fee.
- Have the details ready: the product and its strength (the packaging or bottle), how much was taken, when, and your dog’s weight.
- Don’t induce vomiting at home unless a vet specifically instructs you to.
- Don’t give any other pain medication, including aspirin or steroids, which increase the risk of ulcers.
How meloxicam overdoses happen
- Dogs chewing into flavored chewable tablets or a bottle of liquid
- Getting a human meloxicam tablet, which contains far more than a small dog’s dose
- Measuring errors: using the wrong syringe, mixing up the dog and cat products (they come in different strengths), or two family members each giving a dose
- Combining meloxicam with another NSAID or a steroid such as prednisone
Signs of meloxicam toxicity
Stomach and intestines (often first)
- Vomiting, sometimes with blood or “coffee ground” material
- Black, tarry stool, or diarrhea
- Not eating, drooling, or belly pain
- Pale gums, weakness, or collapse, which can mean internal bleeding or a perforated ulcer (emergency)
Kidneys
- Drinking and urinating more, or much less, than usual
- Lethargy, vomiting, and bad breath
Very large overdoses
Can also cause tremors, seizures, or coma.
Signs can take hours to days to appear, and kidney damage may only show on bloodwork. That’s why vets treat based on the amount swallowed, not only on symptoms.
How vets treat it
- Decontamination: if it was recent, your vet may make your dog vomit and give activated charcoal to reduce absorption.
- Stomach protection: acid-reducing medication such as a proton pump inhibitor, and often sucralfate or misoprostol to help prevent or heal ulcers.
- IV fluids to protect the kidneys, usually for 48 hours or more after a large ingestion.
- Bloodwork: kidney values checked at the start and repeated over the next few days.
- Treating complications such as bleeding, anemia, or kidney injury, which may need hospitalization.
With prompt treatment, most dogs recover well. Delayed treatment raises the risk of ulcers and lasting kidney damage.
Preventing dosing mistakes
- Use only the syringe that came with your dog’s product, and read the dose by your dog’s weight exactly as your vet prescribed.
- Never use a cat product for a dog or the reverse. They have different strengths.
- Keep one person in charge of doses, or use a written log on the fridge.
- Store chewable tablets and liquid out of reach. Dogs find flavored medication appealing.
- Never give human meloxicam, ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin unless your vet prescribes it.
- Don’t combine meloxicam with other NSAIDs or steroids. If switching drugs, your vet will usually recommend a gap between them.
- Give it with food, and stop and call your vet if your dog vomits, has black stool, or stops eating.
- Keep up with the bloodwork your vet recommends for dogs on long-term NSAIDs.
Frequently asked questions
How much meloxicam is toxic to a dog?
It depends on your dog’s weight, health, and other medications. Even modest overdoses can cause stomach ulcers, and higher amounts damage the kidneys. Rather than trying to calculate it yourself, call your vet or a poison hotline with the details.
My dog got a double dose by mistake. Is that an emergency?
A single accidental double dose is often lower risk, but call your vet the same day for advice, especially if your dog has kidney disease, is elderly, or takes other medications.
Can I give my dog human Mobic?
No, not without your vet’s direction. Human tablets are much stronger than many dogs’ doses and are easy to overdose with.
Sources
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug toxicosis in animals
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: NSAID poisoning in pets
- Pet Poison Helpline: Meloxicam
- US FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine: Get the facts about pain relievers for pets
This article is for general education and is not a substitute for care from your own veterinarian. Learn about The Pet Vet and our editorial policy.