Quote Originally Posted by 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!
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.