The consequences of taking your pets medicines One tragic example was from the US where a couple took chloroquine that was used to treat their pet aquarium fish thinking it would prevent them from becoming infected with the COVID-19 virus. Both became ill and sadly, one died.

Some parents have been tempted to treat their children's head lice with remedies- external site designed for use on the family dog or cat. These products can be harmful to children and adults, including if they are swallowed or come into direct contact with your skin or eyes. Products for animal use are likely to be formulated differently to products for human use.

Animal medicines may be made with different strengths of active ingredients, different dosage forms or different excipients (non-active ingredients), including ingredients that could cause allergic reactions in some people. There can be severe unintended consequences if you use these animal medicines to treat your condition.

Despite the risks, it hasn't stopped some people from taking their pet's medicines. A 2016 survey of antibiotic use in the US found that about 4% of adults had reported using their pet's antibiotic medication- external site (this wasn't even the focus of the study and was information volunteered by participants).