Sam asked
My dog ate the side of the package of my birth control pills so all of the Saturday pills are gone. What should I do?
Answer
If you lost some of your birth control pills because your dog ate them, you should do two things:
- Contact your vet and inform them of the situation so they can advise you on whether or not your dog needs care.
- If possible, fill another pack of birth control pills from your pharmacy so you can take the doses your dog ate when they come due.
Depending on your specific birth control product, all the pills may be the same and contain the same amounts of hormones (besides the placebo pills). These pills are known as "mono-phasic". If this is the case, until you can have another birth control pack filled, you can simply substitute other pills in the pack for the ones the dog ate. Be sure to contact your pharmacy and see if they are able to fill another pack for you. However, your insurance may not cover it and you may need to pay out of pocket.
If you are taking a birth control pill that has varying levels of hormones (e.g. "bi-phasic" or "tri-phasic" products), be sure that you are substituting pills in the pack that contain the correct amount of hormones (typically all the pills in a single week will be the same) . Since you didn't mention the brand of birth control you are taking, contact your pharmacy so they can tell you which kind of birth control you are taking and whether or not they can fill a replacement.
Ideally, you don't want to miss doses as this increases your risk of pregnancy and other side effects, such as spotting and breakthrough bleeding. If you do miss doses, be sure to follow the instructions for "missed doses" that are included with your birth control product.
