When Metacam stops working......what next?

[Queen of Poop]

Sasha has been on Metacam for a while now. I don't think it's working for her any more. She is not comfortable to sit in one place for any length of time and is almost constantly moving from spot to spot to spot. And she looks at me like, mom, I hurt. Wondered if anyone knew of anything to use when metacam doesn't do the trick any more.

Figured I'd ask so I'd have some suggestions for when I talk with the vet.

Thanks ahead of time.

[Catty1]

I've read here about another drug called Rimadryl. Some dogs have bad side effects from it - but other dog owners here can tell you way more about it.

Maybe adding a good glucosamine product would help her too.

Head pats and scritchies to Sasha. :love:

[Moesha]

My dog is on Deramaxx for her arthritis pain. She takes 1/4 of a tablet once a day. I noticed that a friend of mine has her dog on the same medicine at 1/2 a tablet once a day. My dog Maddie weighs 35 pounds. I'm not sure which of her dogs is on the medicine or how much it weighs.

[Catlady711]

Rimadyl and Duramaxx are similar products to Metacam (NSAID's). Rimadyl can have nasty side effects which is why we don't use it where I work. We do use both the other meds though.

If the Metacam is no longer working for your dog, and the dog is very old or has a terminal illness it's possible your vet may prescribe Tramadol. That is a very potent pain killer but normally only used for short term unless it's for a terminal or ancient patient that nothing else will work anymore.

Tramadol has it's share of side effects also, and dosing may take a couple times to get it nailed down but it may buy some time. My cat Dusty was on that for a short time before she went to the RB. Even though it's not approved for use in cats (very little is) it did help her when nothing else worked anymore.

It's worth at least asking your vet about, or if they prefer to use something similar.

Good luck.

[shepgirl]

i had a dog on Rimadyl and I had to take him off after 2 weeks, he kept vomiting and I knew his liver was being affected. Our drugstores carry an aspirin just for dogs, our vets will tell us to just go to any drugstore and ask for it and they will know. Seems to work as well as the stronger meds, side effects are nil, they are coated. Bonus is they are not expensive.

[Queen of Poop]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and comments. I will use them all when I confer with the vet about what to do now. I'm sure there has to be something she can have that won't conflict with her thyroid meds.

Sasha is 14 years old. I don't expect her to make next Christmas, but I want her remaining time with me to be as pain free as possible.

[Freedom]

There was something called the Senior Dog Study, in which Rimadyl failed miserably for aged canines. If you volunteer with Small Paws Rescue as I do, and ANY of your foster dogs (any age) get Rimadyl, you do not get reimbursed.

We can use Metacam and Tramadol.


Please let us know how things develop.

[Emeraldgreen]

How many units are you giving her for each dose? I haven't given it to a dog for years but I think it is usually one unit per kg (2.2 pounds)?
It might be that your vet will suggest you increase the dose. I had my RB dog on it and it helped her be able to walk for the last two years of her life. Without it, she was quite lame. My vet allowed me to increase her dosage later on. It's not good for the organs but she was 15/16 at the time and I was trying to give her quality of life. Maybe your vet will let you know if there is a bit of room for increasing the dose. :)

[Louie and me]

Louie aged 13+ was on metacam for a long time but eventually we had to start giving him tramadol as well. He takes metacam once a day and tramadol twice daily. He tolerates the medicine well and other than sleeping even more than before seems much more comfortable. In fact on Christmas eve he insisted on taking me round the block for a walk and even though it is only about 600 yards, he had not done that for a couple of months. Now that was the best Christmas present I could have received.
Good luck with Sasha.

[lv4dogs]

Tramadol is good for pain but has no anti-inflamatory abilities. Long term rimadyl can sometimes affect the liver & kidneys (as well as other things but those are the most common).
A great all natural anti-inflamatory is omega 3 (fish oil, 3 works better than 6 & 9 do).
Good luck & let us know how it goes.