Is there a pain killer that is safe for dogs that will help with temporary pain such as a sore muscle?

Question

I have a large dog that is about 3 years old who has a sore leg when she runs too much. It's not hip displaysia.

I noticed a couple Ibuprofen answers. FYI, it causes internal bleeding in dogs and IMMEDIATE DEATH to cats. Probably not a good idea.

Yes, I just put her on a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement and it seems to really help. It is also worse when it's cold, so I think you may be right about arthritis.

Answer 1

Yeah, Ibuprofen is definitely not the way to go.

I have sled dogs, and occasionally my older guys need some relief after a run. We will give a tablet of buffered aspirin, or in more severe cases we give Rimadyl

There is also a product on the market called Metacam which is excellent, however it is still kind of expensive. It's a liquid, and comes with a syringe that is measured by weight, so if you know how much your dog weighs, it's easy to draw up the right amount. Much easier to give, too.

Torbay is right about getting an ACL check -- this seems to be a pretty common problem in medium- and large-sized breeds. If you've ruled everthing out, however, it may be arthritis (possible in a young active dog, even only 3 years old).

Do you have her on a glucosamine supplement? If she exercises regularly, and this is a common occurance, glucosamine could really help.

Good luck!

Answer 2

you could try ice packs (are placed in the freezer) or a hot pack that you place in the microwave for a minute or two. They sell these everywhere: Walmart, Walgreens, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc. You could also try taking a warm bath or if you have really caring compassionate relatives or friends, ask them if they could massage you. But if your muscles are extremely sore, and bothering you all night, then you should take the pain killers anyways. When my muscles are sore, I usually stick a hot pack in the microwave for a minute and then wrap it around wherever the pain is. It really helps sooth the pain.You might like using a cold pack more, I don't know, but you should try both.

Answer 3

It's probably the knee that is causing problems. If it's an ongoing thing after she goes on longer runs/walks it could be getting worse. Also, if it's primarily one leg, then I would say it's more than sore muscles and more likely the knee.

We had a large shepard male who had to have knee surgery when he was about 4 years old. He limped everytime after we took him for a long walk.

If you don't have insurance for you pup, I'd suggest getting some prior to diagnosis in case there needs to be surgery. It should cover the cost of the surgery.

Good luck. I hope your pup fells better.

Answer 4

It is not normal for the leg to be sore when the dog runs. Something is wrong. It could be the knee...like an ACL. Sometimes they do not tear completely, and can still cause pain. It could be a lot of things. It should be checked out. Giving aspirin can cause its own problems also.

Answer 5

Definitely a vet question. My vet prescribes Bufferin (buffered aspirin) and for pain sometimes Rimadyl. Depending on the problem there are different pain medications for different symptoms and problems. There's also Deramaxx.

Answer 6

my vet told us to give my boxer witch was 80lbs 1 aspirin 4 times a day but i only gave her 1 full strength aspirin a day. but she was in a lot of pain at the time, i would recomend just giving it a baby aspirin for a sore muscle. good luck hope your doggie feels better

Answer 7

I would suggest you phone the VET and ask them. You don't want to harm your dog by taking medical advice from people who are not trained in such matters.

Answer 8

According to my vet, buffered aspirin is safe. You can also massage your dog's leg with a moderate amount of pressure - that also seems to help.

Answer 9

The vet could give you Deramax or Rimidyl. Both are good. I've used them on dogs with cancer, hip displasia and a strain/sprain leg. Both pills also have meds combined in it for inflammation. Good luck

Answer 10

Rimadyl is a pain pill for dogs. It only masks the pain though. Try finding something that will help at the source of the problem, so this doesn't happen anymore.