Need Vet Advice regarding treatment for my dogs arthritis?

Question

My dog is a 12 ½ year old full size Blue Merle Collie. He more recently has been experiencing bad hip pain; it seems to have gotten worse as the weather has been getting colder. He has already done the 4 cortisone injections and seemed to be doing well until the weather got much colder. I had asked our vet if there is a mild pain reliever we can give him. She prescribed us Dameraxx. We have been doing some research on this drug and considering the side effects are not comfortable giving this to him. I tried speaking to the vet about alternatives, and she had not other real suggestions. I spoke with another vet who told me the first vet prescribed the drug for a reason so we should at least try it. They want us to give him this and then monitor his side effects, by then it will be too late. I would rather look for a more pro active approach. Ideally we were hoping for like a “Motrin or Tylenol Arthritis” but for dogs. Do you have any suggestion are can you offer us any alternatives?

I won't actually give him motrin or tylenol. I was just looking for something compareable to this, but that is safe for dogs to take. Sorry for the confusion.

His health other than this problem is good. He recently had complete blood work and wellness testing, which all came back good.

Answer 1

I also have a 12 1/2 year old lab with arthritis - It always bothers him more when it's cold out...

I give him 2 baby asprins in the morning and 2 at night (He's 120lbs., so probably 1 morning and night would be right for your dog). It really seems to help him!

You can't give him Motrin or Tylenol - They are both toxic to dogs and can kill him.

Answer 2

Deramaxx is a drug like motrin and tylenol that people take. You should NEVER give motrin or tylenol to your dog - they are toxic.

All 3 of the drugs listed above, as well as rimadyl, zubrin, metacam, and previcox are all Non-steroidal Antinflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS). All of the drugs approved for use in dogs require that a full bloodwork panel be run before their use to check kidney and liver function, and then also recheck bloodwork 1-4 weeks after starting the drug, and yearly thereafter to reassess and make sure the drugs do not cause harm.

If side effects occur, they will usually start with vomiting and diarrhea. If you see this, stop the medication and call the veterinarian. MOST side effects (90%) are reversible by stopping the medication alone. Only a small percentage of dogs have severe side effects that do damage.

If you are highly concerned about the side effects, then you might ask your vet about the new NSAID Previcox. Previcox has been proven in clinical studies to have the fewest side effects out of all the NSAIDS for dogs.

Please do not use aspirin. I have seen more dogs suffer side effects from aspirin than from any of the approved NSAIDS we have for them - usually severe vomiting and stomach ulcers.

For what it's worth, if aspirin, ibuprofen, etc had come out for humans in this day and age (instead of 30-40 years ago), they would likely be prescription medications, and not over the counter medications, due to their side effects (they are the same as deramaxx, rimadyl, previcox, zubrin, etc). People just think they're safer because they can get them over the counter, and this just is not true.

Answer 3

Deramax and Rimadyl are the most prescribed medicines for dogs with arthritis. I understand that you are worried about the side effects and what they could do to your dogs. Before you agree to give your dog any of there medicines you need to get a full General Health Panel and a Complete Blood Count on your dog it also would not hurt to have a urine analysis on him. Check all of these and see if they come back okay and if they do you should try at least the Rimadyl. I have seen a lot of good results on both of these drugs at a Veterinarian clinic where I was a Vet Tech. If you are not comfortable giving him these try giving him an plain aspirin. You could give him one of the low dose aspirins that they recommend for people with heart problems. Give him one of these a day for three days and then off for three days. Like all medicines this has side affects also. This could cause your dog to have ulcers and it is also going to thin his blood so if he has any problems like that then do not give him this either. I personally have used Rimydyl on my dogs and have had no problems. Good luck and hope my advice can be of assistance.

Answer 4

First of all, how is your Collie's overall health? 12 and a half is starting to get very old for a dog that size. If your animal is experiancing any other health problems than you really shouldn't be looking into drugs. But if the dogs health is good, here are some comments and suggestions.
First of all, arthritis is ALWAYS a problem when it is cold. Cold weather means more pain for your dog. Keep him in the house except for bathroom breaks, keep him comfy and don't make him do any unnecessary physical activities if it is hurting him. The meds your vet wanted to prescribe: if you are not comfortable giving them to your pet, than don't. This is YOUR baby we are talking about and you shouldn't subject him to anything that would make you feel uncomfortable. You can give your animal over the counter drugs though - just be very careful of the dosage and the type! Regular boring old aspirin is best and safe. Start out with half a tab and determine where to go from there on the dogs reactions - just remember to keep an eye on him! I wish the best of luck and many more years with your Collie.

Answer 5

The only thing my vet ever suggested we could use at home to medicate for a dogs arthritis was asprin. Anything else and we are getting meds from the vet to use instead, but our dogs is rather mild so far.

Problem is, you shouldn't do this without a recommended dosage from your vet and it sounds like your vet is set on the meds he has perscribed. I would call the vet, tell them those meds just are NOT an option and you want to know what you can buy over the counter at the local pharmacy. If your vet isn't helpful with your wishes, I'd be finding a new vet.

Answer 6

I have a gsd with arthritis and I also have it so I can pretty well tell when and what will set off the pain as I feel it too.
Fortuneately,my vet does'nt believe in drugging animals unless it's absolutely necessary.So here's what I do.
When the dog starts limping or acting like it's in pain break out a heating pad set it on medium and lay it on the area that hurts for 10 minutes or so.You'll obviously have to hold it there.Move the pad around so the heat is'nt constantly in one spot.After that massage the hips for 10 or 15 minutes.Pull gently on his legs to straighten them out and then push them gently up under him.Do this 3 times daily.
Exercise is very important.If the dog just lays around because you feel bad he's in pain the joints get stiff and the pain is worse so walk him a couple of times a day.Don't push him into going far as you'll do more harm than good.If it seems he's in alot of pain try walking him from your house to the nearest corner and back home 2-3 times today.Tomorrow try going a little farther.Add a little distance every day.But keep him off of concrete or asphalt.Believe me it's very hard to walk on.There's no give to it and it drains your energy quickly.
You can give him a Bayer aspirin for pain.But you can't give it for more than 3 days running as it also will possibly cause liver damage so I use it very sparingly and only when it's absolutely necessary.It also has to be given by weight.My dog weighs over 100#s so he can have 2 aspirin 3 times a day if needed.So far one seems to help and I have only had to give it twice in a days time on one occasion.
I give him 750mg.of glucosomine/450mg.chrondroitin twice a day and 1000mg.of fish oil also twice daily now that winter is here with a vengence.Until it got cold he took a lower dosage of glucosomine/chrondroitin.
If it's possible get your dog in water.We have a cattle trough for them to swim in during the summer.They get the exercise without putting the stress of their own weight on the joints.We built steps up to the rim so he can walk up and jump in.And we set concrete blocks in the water so he has steps to go up to get out rather than jump.
Your dog is older than mine so don't expect him to respond immediately but within a couple of weeks you should see noticeable improvement.
I've also put a pillow between his legs so when he's laying on his side the legs are evan with the hips.And make sure he's not laying on hard surfaces.Provide him with alot of soft places to lay.

Answer 7

Glucosomine and Chondroiten are often given to dogs with arthritis. The dog version is in most larger pet stores over the counter. I asked my vet about the human variety, and she said if I decided to use that, she would go over the doses with me and the brands that are better for animals. Apparently the fillers in some brands are better for animals. She also recommended baby aspirin for mild pain. But you really need to check with a vet as to doses and brands on the Glucosomine and Chondroiten. Baby aspirin is baby aspirin...just be sure it is aspirin..Motrin or Tylenol is bad for dogs.

Answer 8

Try chondroitin and glucosamine. You'll have to administer it every day , say 1/4 to 1/2 capsule depending on how big he is. I give my cat 1/4 capsule twice a day). It takes time, but it helps relieve some of the symptoms of arthritis. It is not a pain medication. It actually helps restore the bone tissue. Try it.

Answer 9

We had the same problem with our yellow lab--we give her a regular asprin once a day now--this can be moved up to twice a day--i believe its one asprin for every 35 or 40 lbs==we also give her two pills a day --one in morning one at supper of glucosamine HCI 1500 mgs --chondroitin sulfate 1200 mgs -these are the same pills a human takes- we have found what we are doing helps the dog very much-- good luck and I hope this helps your dog

Answer 10

Sorry to hear about your dog. Please check out ww.cetylm.com that product did amazing things for my dogs. I was able to take him off Rimadyl and this one has no side effects. Take a look at the video they have under the dog section it is very explicit.

Deramaxx has severe side effects which could result in death. The most common are kidney or liver failure as well as internal bleeding. If you decide to go that route, make sure to monitor your dogs condition closely and look for anything that may be different such as loss of appetite. If you see blood in his stool, stop Deramaxx immediately and take him to the vet asap.