Kidney failure and arthritis medication?
My dog has been experiencing kidney failure for approximately a month and a half. While he’s been handling that fairly well, he’s seemed to develop arthritis or some sort of pain in one of his front arms, which makes it difficult to walk. The vet suggested limited amounts of Metacam, despite being potentially harmful to the Kidneys. I know in taking it, it will likely decrease his lifespan, but I don’t think he should live in this sort of pain. Until the pain issues arose, my dog still ate plenty, didn’t mind walks, and barked as much as he always did. Is the Metacam likely to drastically reduce his lifespan, or would it only slow him down a little? Is there anything else that could work in this situation, he needs some sort of moderately rapid pain relief.
And yes I know about Glucosamine, but the vet said it would take a long time so see any sort of reaction to that, and I’m not sure I want my dog to suffer that long for something we aren’t sure will work.
Ask your vet about Adequan injections.
Adequan is wondeful without the side effects of other anti inflamatories.
I have known two dogs with severe arthritis that bounce back with this drug. However it will not be as rapid as what you might need. It will have NO adverse effects on his kidneys.
Here is some information on it for you:
http://www.luitpold.com/canine/faq/faq.htm
That being said, I am sure your vet has told you that dogs with kidney failure do not do well for long periods of time (like cats can). This may be why he is suggesting the Metacam.
I know what you are going through, many many years ago I lost my Bloodhound, Hank to Kidney failure. We were battling disc disease in his neck at the same time and prednisone was the only thing we could treat him with (before there was metacam or any of the other newer drugs).
I did the subcutaneous fluids on him, which was very easy and did help give him a great quality of life for longer then I would have been able to without it.
Wow. This is a tough one. I lost my dog to kidney failure brought on from an NSAID drug. So many of the arthritis medications are really hard on the liver and kidneys. You already know the kidneys are not only weak, but in failure. If you attempt this medication, please have the vet draw frequent blood work to check the kidney function. Working with your vet, you may be able to get a safe dose, but this will be like playing Russian roulette with your dog’s health.
If your dog is elderly and in chronic kidney failure, it sadly is a terminal condition. You have to educate yourself about your options and pick what will give your dog the best quality of life. Good luck and make sure you do the blood work.
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My dog went into kidney failure taking piroxicam for its cancer fighting properties. She had a compromised liver (bacterial hepatitis) and her body could not tolerate the medication. She had kidney failure within 2 weeks of taking the medication and passed away 6 weeks later. Please be careful…