Pet Arthritis News

Posts Tagged ‘pet arthritis relief’

Today, there are several different types of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that can help ease the pain and suffering of dogs that develop arthritis.  Commonly referred to as NSAIDs, these drugs can greatly enhance an arthritic dog’s ability to move about freely.  In turn, the animal is freed from the emotional frustrations that often goes hand in hand with the pain of creaking joints and help it to enjoy a standard of life that is much more pleasant.

These same drugs can also be used successfully to help a pet deal with pain that occurs after some sort of surgical procedure. By using the NSAID precisely according to your vet’s instructions, recovery will be much more pleasant for your dog. Often, the drug can be tapered off as the dog continues to heal, thus eliminating the chance for any type of addiction or unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

Some of the NSAIDs approved for use in the United States include etodolac, melozicam, deracoxib, and firocoxib.  The choice of drug will often depend on the exact symptoms manifested by the dog, as well as the pet’s age and general health.

As helpful as NSAID drugs are for dogs, there is also some degree of risk involved with their usage.  Side effects can be mild and temporary with many pets.  If this is the case, your dog can be given the drugs for extended periods of time under the close care and direction of your vet.  However, some dogs will experience severe side effects that are far worse than the original joint pain.

Vets and owners of dogs taking NSAIDs should carefully lookout for whether the drug is causing the animal to experience any type of emotional discomfort.  Often, this will manifest in the development of rapid mood swings, indicating the presence of some form of depression.  In like manner, if the pet begins to experience a general sense of apathy and fails to respond favorably to food, it may be time to adjust the dosage or look towards another form of treatment.

It is important for any dog currently being treated with NSAIDs to be tested regularly for any type of kidney or liver problems.  Your veterinarian will take blood and other fluid samples to make sure the drugs are not creating additional health issues for your pet. Dog owners should particularly watch for the development of diarrhea or any sudden changes in bowel movements, as this often indicates that the medication is causing some type of internal damage.

For quick relief from temporary circumstances that cause your dog mental agitation, benzodiazepines is often the drug of choice.  Benzodiazepines can help your dog cope with sudden noises or the appearance of strangers that can fill an anxiety ridden dog with fear.  As your dog begins to experience fewer anxiety induced episodes, you gradually reduce the administered dosage and eventually cease using the drug altogether.

If your dog suffers from some perpetual mental anguish, other forms of medications can be called into use.  Tricyclic antidepressants can be very helpful for dogs that experience bouts of severe anxiety when their owners leave the home.  Also, dogs that develop nervous habits or compulsive behaviors may benefit from the use of one of the several selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors currently formulated for pets.  In situations where the dog seems to have lost some degree of mental acuity, monoamine oxidase inhibitors may help to restore at least a portion of the animal’s alertness, making life a little more enjoyable for both pet and owner.

With numerous drugs available to address physical and emotional discomforts of your pet, there is little reason your dog to be in any type of pain.  If administered to your veterinarian exact specifications, doggie pain medication will bring lasting relief and allow your pooch years of health and happiness.

Leslie Silver

http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/pain-relief-medication-for-dogs-1269006.html

Looking for topical pain relief medication for your dogs, look here.

My Boston Terrier is 13+ and gets stiff in his back legs after he’s been sitting for a while. I’ve looked in pet-supply places, and doggy pain relievers are SO expensive!

I used to give 81mil coated aspirin to my dog and it was OK at first then it started to upset her stomach.Baby aspirin did the same thing and didn’t seem to help her.
I found Joint Maintenance by Hartz and it has been wonderful for her.It comes in two strengths according to your dogs weight.

Any store that carries pet supplements should have it . I get mine at Wal-Mart.It is more costly than aspirin but worth the $8 a month to me.

Looking for cream that are safe for pets with arthritis, find it here.

Sorry this is a very log story but I will try to shorten it as much as I can.

Sat 24th Oct I took my golden t to the vet as he seemed off his food and was a bit listless. Vet examined him – found nothing – sent me home and told me to come back if he didn’t get better.

Thurs 29th Oct – In the morning dog was looking slighhtly unwell and having difficulty walking so I made appt for that evening and went to work. He has arthritis and I gave him pain meds and got neighbour to check on him regularly. Got home from work a few hours later to take him to my vet and to my horror the dog could not stand. Rushed him to vet where we could not even get him out of car. Vet examined him in car (which I thought was odd as surely a vet should have a stretcher or some way of getting sick dogs out of a car), gave hiim a steroid injection and advised me that if the steroid injection did not work I would have to return the next day to get hiim put to sleep. No bloods were taken and although a physical exam was done it was not a great one as it was done in the car in a dark car park with no space. I took dog home and thank god he started to recover.
As advised by vet I returned on Monday with Jasper who had been fine all weekend and seemed to have his appetite back and was quite perky, It was yet another vet at this appt who physically examined him and all she could come up with was it might be Addisons and I should bring him back in a couple of weeks for a test as he could not be tested there and then as the steroids he had taken would affect the result. No other tests were offered.

I was furious that nothing seemed to be being done for Jasper and immediately went home and arranged a consult with a different vet. The new vet has ordered full blood tests which have come back normal and given him a really thorough physical examination.

I feel extremely upset with the first vet practice as I feel they did not want to do anything for Jasper. At no point did they offer to admit him to hospital or run any checks yet they were suggesting if the one steroid injection did not work I had no alternative to euthanasia.

The dog is 12 so yes he is old but until the collapse the only medical problem he had was arthritis which was being managed with glucosamine and cartrophen injections. He is a bit slow now but he still enjoys his walks and while he can’t jump in the car or go upstairs anymore he can still walk ok.

Also I have told the surgery a number of times that Jasper has pet insurance so cost isn’t an issue for me and so this can’t be explained by me not wanting to pay for the treatments.

I am VERY emotional about this and I just wanted objective opinions from people not emotionally attached to my dog. Am I right in thinking more should have been done for him when he collapsed.
What can I do about the treatment I have had? So far I have written a VERY strongly worded letter of complaint to the practice manager.
To the people who think the dog has died – he hasn’t – he seems a lot better now.

Those who say I should have asked for tests – I am not a vet – I pay the vet to tell me what tests are useful not so I can go to the vet and tell them what tests he needs. The point is they didn’t suggest any as they just didn’t seem interested to do much, telling me that if a steroid injection didnt work there was no hope.
I did tell the vet on Thursday through the crying fit I just wanted her to make him better. She should then have told me what it would take to do that if it could be done.

The Vet should have atleast recommended blood work on day one. Whether or not you declined to have it done or not would be your business. Vet’s are supposed to recommend this stuff A) because a complete blood count will tell them alot about what is and isn’t going on inside the body and B) if they don’t atleast recommend it and document they recommended it and you declined it, they could be liable. In the future, don’t be afraid to ask for these things to be done. In general, pets over 5 to 7 yrs of age should be having blood work done annually and exams done twice a year. I’m glad your dog is doing better! I’d find a new Vet in the future. Get copies of his records so you have them when you go to a new Vet.

Pet Arthritis