Also sold as Aleve, Naprosyn, Anaprox, Naprelan, generic naproxen
At amounts a dog can reach in a normal household, this needs a vet or poison-control call straight away rather than watching and waiting.
No. Naproxen deserves to be treated as more dangerous than ibuprofen, not less: it stays in a dog's system far longer, so a single tablet keeps acting long after a comparable dose of another NSAID would have cleared. Vets do not prescribe it to dogs. Any exposure is a call.
Call a vet or poison control now. Do not wait for symptoms.
ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661. A consultation fee may apply.
Part of Pain relievers and NSAIDs on our medication safety hub.
Part of our guide to My Dog Ate Naproxen: Why One Tablet Can Matter.
Do not wait for symptoms and do not wait until you have filled in the form below. Call first, then use the checklist while you are on the phone.
Available 24/7. A consultation fee may apply.
Exposure details to have ready
These are the questions a veterinarian or poison-control operator will ask. Fill in what you know and leave the rest blank. This tool does not estimate a dose or a risk score: medication risk depends on the exact ingredient, strength, and formulation, so the assessment has to come from the clinician on the call.
- Keep the package, blister pack, or prescription bottle. The strength and the full ingredient list are what make the advice specific.
- Do not induce vomiting unless a veterinarian or poison-control professional tells you to. It is the wrong move for several medications and can cause harm on its own.
- Do not give milk, food, salt, hydrogen peroxide, or any home remedy on your own.
- Do not give a second dose of anything to make up for one you think was missed.
- Count what is left in the packet, so the number missing can be worked out.
Your exposure summary
Read this down the phone or paste it into a message to your vet. It stays on your device; nothing here is sent to DogSafe.
Why Naproxen is dangerous
Naproxen is a long-acting NSAID. In dogs its effects persist considerably longer than in people, and repeated recirculation through the gut keeps re-exposing the stomach lining to it. The consequences are the NSAID pattern, ulceration of the stomach and small intestine and reduced blood flow to the kidneys, but sustained over a longer period, which is why relatively small exposures are taken seriously.
Part of the Ibuprofen guide
For related dog-safety questions and product-by-product answers, see the complete ibuprofen guide.
Why naproxen is not interchangeable with ibuprofen
Owners often reason from one over-the-counter painkiller to another. That reasoning fails here: the two drugs behave very differently in a dog, and naproxen's long persistence means an exposure that sounds modest can matter more. Advice you have read about ibuprofen should not be applied to an Aleve tablet.
Extended-release and combination versions
Naprelan and similar products release drug over many hours, which changes both the timing of signs and how long a vet will want to watch. Some combination products pair naproxen with a stomach-protecting drug or an antihistamine. Read the ingredient panel and say which version it was.
What poison control will ask you
Your dog's weight; the exact product and its strength in milligrams per tablet; how many are unaccounted for; how long ago; whether it was an extended-release or combination product; what else your dog takes; and what signs you are seeing. Have the packet in your hand when you call rather than trying to recall the strength.
Signs to watch for
Vomiting, sometimes with blood; black tarry stools; loss of appetite; belly pain; increased thirst and urination; lethargy, weakness, pale gums
Related items
Check the exact item or ingredient before assuming two similar exposures carry the same risk.
What to do next
Call first, then find the packet, count what is left, note the strength and the time, and keep the packaging for the appointment.
🚨Step-by-step: what to do in the first 10 minutes →Available 24/7. A consultation fee may apply.
A closer look at naproxen
Naproxen is a long-acting NSAID. In dogs its effects persist considerably longer than in people, and repeated recirculation through the gut keeps re-exposing the stomach lining to it. The consequences are the NSAID pattern, ulceration of the stomach and small intestine and reduced blood flow to the kidneys, but sustained over a longer period, which is why relatively small exposures are taken seriously. The details below use the specific facts for this exposure, rather than treating it like every other medication question.
1. Start with the exact exposure
For a closely related comparison, read Ibuprofen. There is no home dose, and the searches for one are the reason this page exists. Dogs have their own licensed NSAIDs; naproxen is not among them. After an exposure the useful facts are the tablet strength, the number missing, your dog's weight, and the elapsed time.
2. Use the facts to decide whether to monitor or call
Another helpful reference is Acetaminophen. Nothing to manage at home. Call a vet or poison control promptly, before signs appear. Because the drug is long-acting, the monitoring period a vet advises is often longer than owners expect. Immediately, for any suspected amount. Go straight in for vomiting with blood, black tarry stools, belly pain, sudden thirst, weakness or collapse.
3. If the details are uncertain
Follow the first 10 minutes guide. Call first, then find the packet, count what is left, note the strength and the time, and keep the packaging for the appointment.
FAQ
There is no home dose, and the searches for one are the reason this page exists. Dogs have their own licensed NSAIDs; naproxen is not among them. After an exposure the useful facts are the tablet strength, the number missing, your dog's weight, and the elapsed time.
Nothing to manage at home. Call a vet or poison control promptly, before signs appear. Because the drug is long-acting, the monitoring period a vet advises is often longer than owners expect.
Immediately, for any suspected amount. Go straight in for vomiting with blood, black tarry stools, belly pain, sudden thirst, weakness or collapse.
There isn't one to give at home, and this page will not print a figure. Naproxen is not a dog medication: vets reach for NSAIDs licensed for dogs instead. If your dog needs pain relief, that is a conversation with your vet, not a dose to work out from a human packet.
Call and let a professional decide. Because naproxen is long-acting and potent in dogs, a single tablet can be significant depending on the strength and your dog's size, and the early stomach and kidney effects are not visible from outside.
- Merck Veterinary Manual — toxicoses from human analgesics in animals (naproxen: prolonged half-life in dogs, gastrointestinal ulceration)
- FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — get the facts about pain relievers for pets
- Pet Poison Helpline — top 10 human medications poisonous to pets
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Toxicoses from human analgesics in animals
- FDA: Get the facts about pain relievers for pets
- Pet Poison Helpline: Top 10 human medications poisonous to pets
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control