Painkillers for Dogs

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

29 Feb 2008 01:37 PM

I was hoping that the warmer weather would bring some relief for my poor Moose's hips. We had a cold snap a month or so ago, with temperatures down below freezing for about a week. I was happy because it froze all the mud. Moose wasn't so happy because it aggravated his hip dysplasia.

Now that things are warming up, I can see that Moose is still having trouble. I'm doing all the things the vet suggested:

• Keeping him off the floor and on soft surfaces to sleep.
• Making sure he's warm at night.
• Helping him lose weight.
• Making sure he gets frequent gentle exercise (we walk at least four times per day, often more).
• Using joint supplements that contain glucosamine and chondroitin.

I spent some time this morning looking at various painkillers for dogs -- wondering what my options were, and if any stood out as being better than others. Here's what I found:

• NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for dogs include Rimadyl (which Moose has taken before), EtoGesic, Deramaxx, Ketoprofen, and Meloxicam. All of these are available by prescription only. Manufacturers of these products suggest periodic blood work to keep an eye out for developing liver problems (one potential side effect of the NSAIDs).
• Corticosteroids are potent anti-inflammatory agents, but do come with lots of short term and long term side effects. These used to be the treatment of choice, but many veterinarians are using them only as a last resort these days.
• Dogs can take buffered aspirin as an anti-inflammatory and painkiller. There is a risk of stomach and intestinal upset, and a slim chance of gastric ulceration. It's best to use a buffered aspirin formulated specifically for dogs, rather than use the same medication a human would take. Palaprin6 is one type of buffered aspirin made specifically for dogs.

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Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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