Need some doggie medicine help.

[Dave Harris sctchbld]

I hope that we really can talk about anything here. Any Vets ( animal Dr.) here?

I have a Shepard-Akita -Chow mix dog. he is about 15 years old & weighs just over 30 Lbs.

Tank is in pretty good health except for artharitous (sp?) I was recently advised that Ibuprofen would give him a lot of pain relief & enable him to move much better. I gave him one 500MG dose a couple of days ago & it really did work wonders for him. He was like ten years were gone from his age. the results are still evident today. My question is, can I give him an Ibuprofen every 2-3 days without any problems coming from it?

[Ralph]

Hi Dave,
I'm not a vet and I don't play one on TV but I am a pet owner (cats) and was moved to do a little searching. Not to scare you but I hope this helps. Hopefully we also have a vet or two on the forum.

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Ralph

[Dave Harris sctchbld]

Thanks Ralph.
I already did a little searching myself & found I AM NOT going to give Tank any more of it. I'll get something from the vet to help him insread. Thanks again!!

[yellowlynn]

Dave, I'm not a vet, but I do have 3 dogs. I have a 10 yo Boston Terrier w/arthritis. The vet prescribed Rimadyl, a 25mg chewable tablet. I suppose you could ask a pharmacist if there is an OTC equivalent. I'd send a couple but email isn't trhe same as snail mail.

Lynn

[MountainMan]

Don't use human ibuprofen - it can destroy the dog's kidneys.

The canine form of ibuprofen is relaprofin, but there are newer drugs available.

[jim currie]

you might try some alfalfa pills they help humans don't see why it wouldn't help dog.
Jim

[MountainMan]

you might try some alfalfa pills they help humans don't see why it wouldn't help dog.
Jim

Dog physiology is not synonymous with human's. One drug they can handle is aspirin. I treated my lab with a baby aspirin prn for arthritis pain for a long time...after clearing it with the vet. He died old, comfortable and happy.

[train1]

We have 2 Bernese Mountain Dogs and we give the older one a LAKOTA ( the brand name stuff) tablet each evening with her meal. She is getting old but loves her activity. You can use either the human or the special Canine Lakota ( available in Health Food stores) they both work the same.

[Dave Harris sctchbld]

THANKS Everybody!!

Some great help here-- I have an APPT. with the vet. at 4 today so I will get something to help Tank with & it will the proper type meds. Thanks again. I'll let you all know how he gets on>

[Charlie B]

Dear Dave
I'll second the baby aspirin. My mothers pug was having seizures and she was afraid she was going to lose him. the vet suggested she try the baby aspirin. the seizures stopped and he is once again very playful for a 10 year old pug.
You do have to be careful because some human things can kill dogs, raisins and chocolate are two of them.
Charlie

[Russ Bellinis]

Our rotweiller/lab mix has arthritis in his hips. The vet recommended we give him dog food containing gluecosamine (spelling?). It seemed to work wonders. He used to limp regularly. Now he only limps when he has been running too much. If we force him to rest for a day or so when he starts limping the limp goes away.

[nachoman]

I wonder if baby asprin would help my sister's shepherd.

[Squidbait]

For dogs with regular, old-agey-type osteo-arthritis, low-dose aspirin (the kind you take daily to stave off heart problems) is a good choice. For an older dog, with a possibly delicate tummy, you can get enteric-coated low-dose (81mg) aspirin. One a day with food should keep your pooch more mobile.

As for glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, the jury's still out. A large meta-study (they analyzed the results of 37 published studies of the effects of glucosamine and/or chondroitin) found that:

Trials of glucosamine and chondroitin preparations for OA symptoms demonstrate moderate to large effects, but quality issues and likely publication bias suggest that these effects are exaggerated. Nevertheless, some degree of efficacy appears probable for these preparations.

(emphasis mine)

So basically, while they're not going to do you any harm, don't expect miracle cures. YMMV, of course, and there's always the placebo effect.

[Dave Harris sctchbld]

For dogs with regular, old-agey-type osteo-arthritis, low-dose aspirin (the kind you take daily to stave off heart problems) is a good choice. For an older dog, with a possibly delicate tummy, you can get enteric-coated low-dose (81mg) aspirin. One a day with food should keep your pooch more mobile.

As for glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, the jury's still out. A large meta-study (they analyzed the results of 37 published studies of the effects of glucosamine and/or chondroitin) found that:

Trials of glucosamine and chondroitin preparations for OA symptoms demonstrate moderate to large effects, but quality issues and likely publication bias suggest that these effects are exaggerated. Nevertheless, some degree of efficacy appears probable for these preparations.

(emphasis mine)

So basically, while they're not going to do you any harm, don't expect miracle cures. YMMV, of course, and there's always the placebo effect.[/quot



Squidbait: Placebo effect? Tanks pretty smart & he understands english pretty well--- BUT I doubt that telling him "this stuff will make you feel better" would work well at all !!

Thanks for all the input everybody--- I got rimadyl from the Vet & it has helped tank immensely.
You guys are the greatest!!! THANKS AGAIN.

[Dave Harris sctchbld]

So basically, while they're not going to do you any harm, don't expect miracle cures. YMMV, of course, and there's always the placebo effect.[/quot



Squidbait: Placebo effect? Tanks pretty smart & he understands english pretty well--- BUT I doubt that telling him "this stuff will make you feel better" would work well at all !!




Well , I might have been wrong about Tank not understading about "Placebo" ---his Rimadyl is the ONLY pill I have ever given him that I didn't have to hide in food or something -- at first I wrapped in some food but after a few days as soon as he saw me getting it out of the bottle he was right there trying to get it straight from my hand--- ever since then I just give it to him & he eats it right up. Either he figured out thats what is making him feel better ,or it tastes REALLY GOOD.