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by quenna on 18 August 2010 - 19:08
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by LilyDexter on 18 August 2010 - 19:08
My old GSD Lily had Rimadyl from the age of 6yrs until she was 13 when she sadly passed away. I found it was brilliant & she owed her life to it. It was particulalry good when used with Cosyquin (Glucosamine & Chondroitin).
I gave her one 50mg tab am with food & half a 50mg tab pm with food (12 hrs apart). Sometimes in the summer I could halve the morning dose. You can see if it's working by the dogs movement or reluctance to move.
When Lily was 9yrs she awoke one morning & couldn't walk, we upped the dose to two 50mg per day & eventually it got her going. It turned out to be a ruptured disc.
We have just put my current GSD on the palatable Rimadyl and again it has made a lot of difference for her.
I can't recommend it highly enough.
I gave her one 50mg tab am with food & half a 50mg tab pm with food (12 hrs apart). Sometimes in the summer I could halve the morning dose. You can see if it's working by the dogs movement or reluctance to move.
When Lily was 9yrs she awoke one morning & couldn't walk, we upped the dose to two 50mg per day & eventually it got her going. It turned out to be a ruptured disc.
We have just put my current GSD on the palatable Rimadyl and again it has made a lot of difference for her.
I can't recommend it highly enough.
by hexe on 18 August 2010 - 21:08
I've used Rimadyl on many occasions, and it is a good pain reliever/antiinflammatory drug for most dogs, but as many have cautioned, it's not necessarily for every dog--more dogs have been given added quality days to their lives because of this drug than there are those that have died from complications caused by or side effects of Rimadyl...but that's small comfort if you happen to be one of the owners of a one of the dogs that are in the latter category.
That said, from reading the adverse reaction reports for the drug, Labradors appear to be somewhat overrepresented in the dogs which have suffered serious liver complications and/or have died subsequent to taking Rimadyl. I'm not a vet, just a vet tech, but if I were a Lab owner, I would probably request the vet prescribe meloxicam for my dog--it's still in the same class of drugs, and has the same effect and some level of the same risks as Rimadyl (and Deramaxx, another drug in this class), but the incidence of adverse effects and death is significantly lower with meloxicam. While I've seen plenty of Labs have no problem with Rimadyl, it's not something I'd personally like to chance with a dog of this breed.
Meloxicam is the generic name for the drug marketed for veterinary use in the US under the trade name Metacam; the veterinary product only comes in a liquid form and injectable forms. The liquid has a taste most dogs like, so it's relatively easy to give the medication mixed into the food, or squirted directly from the dosing syringe into the dog's mouth...but it is also relatively pricey, especially for a larger dog, which is probably why it's not prescribed as often for those dogs. In the US, however, the generic form of the drug for human use is extremely inexpensive, and the smallest tablet size, 7.5 mg, can be easily halved with a pill cutter to provide a dose sufficient for a 75-80# dog; a month's supply for a dog this size only runs about $6.00 tops from any regular pharmacy, and your vet can write or call in a prescription to the pharmacy.
If you haven't already tried the glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM/Sam-E supplements, that's a good place to start; the longer you can keep the dog comfortable without having to bring in the NSAIDs like Rimadyl and Metacam, the better. You may also want to talk to your vet about Adequan injections as well; there are very few adverse effects for this drug, and I've seen it buy dysplastic dogs several good years of not needing to start on the NSAIDs, so it's worth looking into as well.
That said, from reading the adverse reaction reports for the drug, Labradors appear to be somewhat overrepresented in the dogs which have suffered serious liver complications and/or have died subsequent to taking Rimadyl. I'm not a vet, just a vet tech, but if I were a Lab owner, I would probably request the vet prescribe meloxicam for my dog--it's still in the same class of drugs, and has the same effect and some level of the same risks as Rimadyl (and Deramaxx, another drug in this class), but the incidence of adverse effects and death is significantly lower with meloxicam. While I've seen plenty of Labs have no problem with Rimadyl, it's not something I'd personally like to chance with a dog of this breed.
Meloxicam is the generic name for the drug marketed for veterinary use in the US under the trade name Metacam; the veterinary product only comes in a liquid form and injectable forms. The liquid has a taste most dogs like, so it's relatively easy to give the medication mixed into the food, or squirted directly from the dosing syringe into the dog's mouth...but it is also relatively pricey, especially for a larger dog, which is probably why it's not prescribed as often for those dogs. In the US, however, the generic form of the drug for human use is extremely inexpensive, and the smallest tablet size, 7.5 mg, can be easily halved with a pill cutter to provide a dose sufficient for a 75-80# dog; a month's supply for a dog this size only runs about $6.00 tops from any regular pharmacy, and your vet can write or call in a prescription to the pharmacy.
If you haven't already tried the glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM/Sam-E supplements, that's a good place to start; the longer you can keep the dog comfortable without having to bring in the NSAIDs like Rimadyl and Metacam, the better. You may also want to talk to your vet about Adequan injections as well; there are very few adverse effects for this drug, and I've seen it buy dysplastic dogs several good years of not needing to start on the NSAIDs, so it's worth looking into as well.
by momosgarage on 18 August 2010 - 22:08
hexe, I had a equine vet recomend Adequan for dogs. He swears by it for use with racing horse and said the affects would be just as good for a dog. Same vet also said that Type II Collagen was more effective than glucosamine. He even went so far as to say that Tildren also might be worth trying. However as far as I can tell Tildren is only used for horses and not dogs. Any experience with these above items?
by momosgarage on 18 August 2010 - 22:08
hexe, I had a equine vet recomend Adequan for dogs. He swears by it for use with racing horse and said the affects would be just as good for a dog. Same vet also said that Type II Collagen was more effective than glucosamine. He even went so far as to say that Tildren also might be worth trying. However as far as I can tell Tildren is only used for horses and not dogs. Any experience with these above items?
by Cathy Sikes on 19 August 2010 - 02:08
I have given Rimadyl to my German Shepherd/Collie mix and he has acted like a puppy when he walks. However, just recently he has been labored breathing and my most recent xrays shows he has sludge in his liver. I took him off the 50mg Rimadyl and he is no longer labored breathing. We have him on Denamarin and Ursodiol which seems to be working for my 14 year old.
I have taken Bullwinkle to laser treatments where they run a laser up and down his arthritic joints which draws blood to the specific spot and this worked absolutely wonderful. The laser treatments are non invasive and not very expensive.
It is like a wand they rub on the skin which apparently heats up the arthritic area. You may want to check into that.
I am now going to check into Adeuan, metacam, and metoxicam. As was stated several times, Rimadyl is hard on the liver and that is why I put off using in for so long. If used, it is very important to keep blood work current on the liver.
I have taken Bullwinkle to laser treatments where they run a laser up and down his arthritic joints which draws blood to the specific spot and this worked absolutely wonderful. The laser treatments are non invasive and not very expensive.
It is like a wand they rub on the skin which apparently heats up the arthritic area. You may want to check into that.
I am now going to check into Adeuan, metacam, and metoxicam. As was stated several times, Rimadyl is hard on the liver and that is why I put off using in for so long. If used, it is very important to keep blood work current on the liver.
by Spooks on 19 August 2010 - 06:08
My 7½ year old GSD has severe HD and has been on Metacam since 2006 together with CLO, High Strength Glucosamine/Chondroitin and Green Lipped Mussel Extract.
She was also diagnosed with chronic arthritis in her right shoulder a few months ago which was making her hopping lame, we gave her Tramadol to help with the pain, restricted her exercise but after 4 weeks there was no improvement, even the Tramadol didn't seem to help and she was getting really cranky and off her food a bit..
My vet advised stopping Metacam for 2 days then start a course of 4 x Cartrophen injections [one a week], restart the Metacam for a week, then have 4 sessions of acupuncture. The result has been astounding, she bounces around like a much younger dog showing no signs of the arthritis and is able to build up a lot more muscle than she had before.
I can highly recommend Cartrophen and especially acupuncture.
She was also diagnosed with chronic arthritis in her right shoulder a few months ago which was making her hopping lame, we gave her Tramadol to help with the pain, restricted her exercise but after 4 weeks there was no improvement, even the Tramadol didn't seem to help and she was getting really cranky and off her food a bit..
My vet advised stopping Metacam for 2 days then start a course of 4 x Cartrophen injections [one a week], restart the Metacam for a week, then have 4 sessions of acupuncture. The result has been astounding, she bounces around like a much younger dog showing no signs of the arthritis and is able to build up a lot more muscle than she had before.
I can highly recommend Cartrophen and especially acupuncture.
by momosgarage on 19 August 2010 - 14:08
Cartrophen and Adequan are the same product. Adequan is the one prescribed in the USA. Cartophen is prescribed in Canada and Europe. Any experience with Tildren? How about Type II Collagen versus glucosamine?
by momosgarage on 19 August 2010 - 14:08
Cartrophen and Adequan are the same product. Adequan is the one prescribed in the USA. Cartophen is prescribed in Canada and Europe. Any experience with Tildren? How about Type II Collagen versus glucosamine?
by momosgarage on 19 August 2010 - 15:08
Cartrophen and Adequan are the same product. Adequan is the one prescribed in the USA. Cartophen is prescribed in Canada and Europe. Any experience with Tildren? How about Type II Collagen versus glucosamine?
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