Flexeril - Page 1

?Can dogs take this drug? 

No, cyclobenzeprine (the generic for Flexeril) is not used in dogs, even as an off-label product.

What are you trying to treat in the dog?

Well my 13 year old girl had problems getting up on Fri afternoon;  for no unknown reason imparticular, she lately has occassionally been stiff, etc. 

So I gave her Tramadol, l tablet and it really seemed to help her out, gentle massage and now she is good to go.  On the move again without stiffness or problems (so far so good this is Sunday AM).  I take flexeril with almost no side affects so thought I would ask if it would be safe for the dogs;  I could not find out what drug was in the stuff so would not give it to her without finding out first. 

So where could I find out what drug it is or combinations it is??  Does not matter if I cannot use it on her anyway.  Thx  Nan

Our friends 9 year old German. shepherd was just put on Meloxicam 7.5 once a day for arthritis. They have really noticed a difference in him. My husband also takes Meloxicam and it has helped him with knee pain.

Nan, tramadol is being frequently used in dogs, especially seniors with chronic pain from age-related degeneration--it's especially helpful for dogs with arthritic spondylosis, as one of the few non-opiate meds that are able to control pain of the spine in dogs. Tramadol is exactly that--tramadol. That's the generic name for the drug; it's marketed under several trade names, such as Ultram, and although it's not currently labeled for use in dogs, an off-label dosage has been established for it within the field as a result of extensive trials by board-certified veterinary anesthesiology and pain control specialists. As for where you can find out what's safe for use in dogs, I have several veterinary formularies on hand, and if I can't find anything but I know that it IS being used now, then I check further with my vets--as with human medicine, there are constant changes in which meds are used for what purposes, which ones become 'old hat' because a better option has been found, etc., so even the formularies aren't 100% up-to-date (the exception to this would be the on-line, real-time formularies that can be downloaded and maintained by licensed vets for an annual fee...those are updated all the time, just as one's virus program updates itself). Glad to hear the tramadol helped your old gal; it can be tough on the liver if used in the long term, so it's a good idea to supplement any dog that's on it with a milk thistle extract product to help protect that organ's function.

Thanks Hexe;  I plan to use it only when absolutely needed and for her the one dosage worked well; have not had to give her another one but know she has something cooking towards her rear end and it is probably arthritis.  Seems she can struggle getting up sometimes and all does not want to follow her at the same time so looks like she is straining a bit when getting up, don't want her to pull something or injure herself trying to get up.  Thx  Again,  Nan