My dog is Limping - Can I give her pain meds?

[Hero715]

Hey everyone,

I recently adopted a rescue from a local rescue group. The new dog is about 1-2 and my dog, Hero is about 8.

They are doing great together and love to romp and wrestle. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed Hero was a little stiff and limping slightly on her right front leg.

I recently switched her to senior dog food at the recommendation of my vet for the added glucosamine, etc.

Anyways, I checked her leg and paw all over...and have continued to check it out. No signs of lesions, abrasions, cuts, etc. And she doesn't seem to be sensitive to the touch at all. The stiffness/limping seems to be mostly happening when she's been lying down for a while and gets up to walk around. Sometimes she appears to be perfectly fine.

My question is, what is the recommendation for pain medicine? I've looked online and it seems like there are contradictions as to whether it's OK to give ibuprofen. My dog weighs 55lbs.

I called my vet and they said they only recommend Rimadyl for pets for pain. A girl I work with, however, said her vet told her it was OK to give ibuprofen.

I am thinking I will just keep an eye on her and make sure it doesn't get worse...which it hasn't to this point. Also, restrict her activity for a while to let her heal.

Let me know what y'all have been told by your vets.

Thanks!

[Vela]

I wouldn't give it no. It can be toxic and extremely dangerous even a fairly low levels. Sounds like she has arthritis. Try adding a glucosamine chondroitin supplement. I also use SynFlex for my arthritic dog, she does much better on it. She is better off if you can manage her without medication for as long as possible and if medication becomes necessary, obtain it from your vet.

[dragondawg]

Hey everyone,

I recently adopted a rescue from a local rescue group. The new dog is about 1-2 and my dog, Hero is about 8.

They are doing great together and love to romp and wrestle. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed Hero was a little stiff and limping slightly on her right front leg.

I recently switched her to senior dog food at the recommendation of my vet for the added glucosamine, etc.

Anyways, I checked her leg and paw all over...and have continued to check it out. No signs of lesions, abrasions, cuts, etc. And she doesn't seem to be sensitive to the touch at all. The stiffness/limping seems to be mostly happening when she's been lying down for a while and gets up to walk around. Sometimes she appears to be perfectly fine.

My question is, what is the recommendation for pain medicine? I've looked online and it seems like there are contradictions as to whether it's OK to give ibuprofen. My dog weighs 55lbs.

I called my vet and they said they only recommend Rimadyl for pets for pain. A girl I work with, however, said her vet told her it was OK to give ibuprofen.

I am thinking I will just keep an eye on her and make sure it doesn't get worse...which it hasn't to this point. Also, restrict her activity for a while to let her heal.

Let me know what y'all have been told by your vets.

Thanks!

Ibuprofen is prone to causing kidney failure in dogs. Most doggy NSAID drugs can also affect the kidneys, although they tend to cause liver problems more often. RImadyl is extremely effective for pain, and has the highest incidence for liver failure in dogs. It can damage the liver irreversibly after one dose- low incidence but possible. I usually tell the Vet to prescribe Duramaxx, or Metacam instead if my puppies are in need of pain relief.

You could try Aspirin (10mg/lb), or Bufferin. The Vets claim otherwise but most of my dogs have become nauseated on Aspriin. Although this was the days before OTC acid blockers. You could try giving 1/2 of a 75 mg Zantac about 30 minutes before giving Aspirin or Bufferin. If puppy still gets nauseated, you could up the Zantac to 75 mg. Follow your plan of watching the dog for a few days to see if it improves. It could easily have injured itself while running around. If it doesn't improve then take the dog to the Vet and get some Xrays to see if there is any evidence of structual problems.

[borzoimom]

Hey everyone,

I recently adopted a rescue from a local rescue group. The new dog is about 1-2 and my dog, Hero is about 8.

They are doing great together and love to romp and wrestle. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed Hero was a little stiff and limping slightly on her right front leg.

I recently switched her to senior dog food at the recommendation of my vet for the added glucosamine, etc.

Anyways, I checked her leg and paw all over...and have continued to check it out. No signs of lesions, abrasions, cuts, etc. And she doesn't seem to be sensitive to the touch at all. The stiffness/limping seems to be mostly happening when she's been lying down for a while and gets up to walk around. Sometimes she appears to be perfectly fine.

My question is, what is the recommendation for pain medicine? I've looked online and it seems like there are contradictions as to whether it's OK to give ibuprofen. My dog weighs 55lbs.

I called my vet and they said they only recommend Rimadyl for pets for pain. A girl I work with, however, said her vet told her it was OK to give ibuprofen.

I am thinking I will just keep an eye on her and make sure it doesn't get worse...which it hasn't to this point. Also, restrict her activity for a while to let her heal.

Let me know what y'all have been told by your vets.

Thanks!

Okay- for 55 pounds you can give up to 3/4 of a regular 325 mg aspirin twice a day- at least 8 hours apart.
IBUPROFEN CAN KILL HER- I am shocked the vet told you that! One 200 mg tablet can be lethel.. Maybe you need a new vet..
Also- you can get glousimine tablets at petsmart. I give glycoflex 3 at the stage we are at, but we started with those tablets a few years back. It usually takes 24 hours to see improvement, but it works. You also can tell if you take them off of the glycosimine. It would be fine to add it to her food that already has it, as what she doesnt need, she will pass. But do not exceed the dose on the bottle of the tablets.

[Vela]

Just for clarification, her vet didn't tell her to give the dog ibuprofen, someone she works with said HER vet told her that. =)

[borzoimom]

Just for clarification, her vet didn't tell her to give the dog ibuprofen, someone she works with said HER vet told her that. =)

whew... thank you... ( lowering the blood pressure...)

[applesmom]

I'm really shocked that knowledgable pet owners would actually recommend exact dosages of over the counter medications for an 8 year old dog without knowing anything of her health history. Opinions based on personal experience are one thing. But even those opinions should always be followed by "Don't give her anything without checking with your vet first!

Even a licensed vet with years of veterinary school under their belts won't prescibe medication for a dog they've never seen!

[borzoimom]

The vet already said rimadryl. Which is a very strong pain killer. That has much more side effects than aspirin as you know...

[mr.chiwawa]

I wouldnt give her any. I would try more of a holistic approach. Like a heating pad but on low heat. Also if you massage her leg when she first stands up might help. It could be just a knik in the muscle as well. Thats what happened to my little one.

[applesmom]

"I called my vet and they said they only recommend Rimadyl for pets for pain.

She didn't say the vet had actually recommended Rimadyl for Hero or that Hero had been seen and evaluated to determine the true cause of the limping.

Everyone that has had a little more experience in animal care than the average pet owner has a responsibility to be very careful about offering any sort of medical advice.

We're all here because of our love of animals. The last thing any of us would want to do would be to inadvertantly cause harm to someone's pet by giving advice that would be better coming from their vet...

[Vela]

Well I quit giving my dog any meds, including Rimadyl. The glucosamine and SynFlex has worked wonders. She is still stiff but not three-legged lame. Those are safe supplements to use so I would recommend those. I have given Ascriptin before as well, buffered aspirin, but it didn't work well enough to make it worth the risks.

[mr.chiwawa]

Very much so but a little heat and massage wont kill a dog!! It would be like if you had a cramp and put a little heat on it or massaged your leg until it went away You got your point across so no need to puh it further

I'm really shocked that knowledgable pet owners would actually recommend exact dosages of over the counter medications for an 8 year old dog without knowing anything of her health history. Opinions based on personal experience are one thing. But even those opinions should always be followed by "Don't give her anything without checking with your vet first!

[applesmom]

Very much so but a little heat and massage wont kill a dog!! It would be like if you had a cramp and put a little heat on it or massaged your leg until it went away

You got your point across so no need to puh it further
I'm really shocked that knowledgable pet owners would actually recommend exact dosages of over the counter medications for an 8 year old dog without knowing anything of her health history. Opinions based on personal experience are one thing. But even those opinions should always be followed by "Don't give her anything without checking with your vet first!

Push it further than what?


Massage can hardly be considered an OTC medication.

[dragondawg]

I'm really shocked that knowledgable pet owners would actually recommend exact dosages of over the counter medications for an 8 year old dog without knowing anything of her health history. Opinions based on personal experience are one thing. But even those opinions should always be followed by "Don't give her anything without checking with your vet first!

Even a licensed vet with years of veterinary school under their belts won't prescibe medication for a dog they've never seen!

How many examples do you want of online Vets who freely give the dosage for aspirin?

Smith and Foster

Smith and Foster placed several references to stomach irritation in their article. That is a widely known side effect of aspirin in dogs. And no you wouldn't want to give aspirin to a dog with a previous history of an ulcer. Presumably the original poster would shy away from such a suggestion if their dog had previous ulcer problems. Common sense.

A lot of medicating your own dog is a combination of doing your own due dilligence along with common sense. Part of that due dilligence might be to contact your Vet. In fact my assumption is that the original poster will confirm with their Vet anything they read if they have never tried it with their dog before. The other major part is for the dog owner to educate themselves.

So, applesmon where do you want to go with this? Should the standard reply to any medical problem post be hugs and kisses, or something about prayers?

For example is the suggestion of massaging any different? After all there might be an undiagnosed fracture or joint problem that could be made worse. But then again massaging isn't in the same class as a OTC drug so it gets a free pass? What else should be given a free pass- unproven holistic treatments? Should any reply to a health problem be totally neutral with no information in it?

[applesmom]

How many examples do you want of online Vets who freely give the dosage for aspirin?

Smith and Foster

Smith and Foster placed several references to stomach irritation in their article. That is a widely known side effect of aspirin in dogs. And no you wouldn't want to give aspirin to a dog with a previous history of an ulcer. Presumably the original poster would shy away from such a suggestion if their dog had previous ulcer problems. Common sense.

A lot of medicating your own dog is a combination of doing your own due dilligence along with common sense. Part of that due dilligence might be to contact your Vet. In fact my assumption is that the original poster will confirm with their Vet anything they read if they have never tried it with their dog before. The other major part is for the dog owner to educate themselves."

So, applesmon where do you want to go with this? Should the standard reply to any medical problem post be hugs and kisses, or something about prayers?

For example is the suggestion of massaging any different? After all there might be an undiagnosed fracture or joint problem that could be made worse. But then again massaging isn't in the same class as a OTC drug so it gets a free pass? What else should be given a free pass- unproven holistic treatments? Should any reply to a health problem be totally neutral with no information in it?

Perhaps you should re-read the quote you just posted since Smith and Foster also suggest confirming anything one reads with their own vet.

"A lot of medicating your own dog is a combination of doing your own due dilligence along with common sense. Part of that due dilligence might be to contact your Vet.

In fact my assumption is that the original poster will confirm with their Vet anything they read if they have never tried it with their dog before.
The other major part is for the dog owner to educate themselves."