What Can You Give a Dog for Arthritis?
Mу dog іѕ 11 1/2 yrs. οld аnd I thіnk mау hаνе arthritis.
Iѕ thеrе something over thе counter thаt I сουld give hіm аnd hοw much οn weight guidelines.
I’m nοt sure hοw much hе weighes rіght now, bυt probably 80 lbs οr more.
Alѕο hοw οftеn аnd dο I give іt wіth food.
I саn’t afford a large vet bill rіght now.
Thank уου fοr уουr hеlр.
MH
Good news.
For your veterinarian to diagnose Arthritis it will not be a large vet bill.
Take your geriatric dog to the vet and let them decide what is best for him.
Of course you can let some stranger on YA give you advice that could cause potential life threatening issues (like bleeding ulcers) and then certainly face a large vet bill.
ADD: You can tell the quality of your answers this way.
TYLEONOL SHOULD NEVER EVER BE GIVEN TO A DOG.
IT is toxic even in small amounts.
No vet would EVER suggest to give it.
That is EXACTLY WHY you go to a vet and not strangers on YA, who clearly do not know what they are talking about.
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By: Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD
Updated March 2, 2005
The Hazards of Ibuprofen
People pop over-the-counter and prescription pain killers so routinely that they often assume that these pain relievers are safe for a dog suffering from arthritis. They’re not. Pet owners who give non-prescription pain relievers like ibuprofen to their dog or cat can jeopardize their health and lives.
Over-the-counter pain relievers like Ibuprofen can have serious side effects for a dog. Over-the-counter pain relievers like Ibuprofen can poison a dog or cause serious or deadly complications such as heart failure, liver failure, kidney disease, dehydration, diarrhea or urinary obstruction.
Jill A. Richardson, Veterinary Poison Information Specialist for the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center states that “Less than one regular strength ibuprofen (200mg) could cause stomach ulcers in a 10lb dog, and about six could cause kidney failure.”
Never give a dog ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, Nuprin), naproxen (Aleve), or acetaminophen (Tylenol). Even a child’s dose is safe can be fatal. These pain relievers can cause severe, even fatal, stomach ulcers and kidney damage in dogs.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, drug poisoning is the most common small animal poison exposure.
A dogs body does not utilize or tolerate Ibuprofen the same way a human body does, so the drug that relieves pain in humans can poison a dog or build to toxic levels in a dog.
In one review of ASPCA Animal Poison Control data, ibuprofen was the most common drug involved in drug exposure to dogs and cats. Dogs were the animals most commonly poisoned by Ibuprofen, and most exposures were acute.
The NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) Ibuprofen is commonly used in humans for short-term management of pain and fever and for long-term control of arthritic pain.
In humans, ibuprofen taken at standard dosages appears to have a wide margin of safety. In a dog, ibuprofen has a very narrow margin of safety. Ibuprofen metabolizes slowly, which increases the risk that toxic levels will be reached.
Try glucose-amine. It’s for humans but works great for dogs. Look at the bottle to see how much to give. Also, junior strength Tylenol is great. One pill once a day.
they sell dog aspirin for pain at walmart and most animal stores like petsmart. i give it to my dog who also has arthritis and he gets up faster. looks like hes in alot of pain when he gets up from laying down if i dont give it to him. unfortunatly there isnt much we can do for them. if the dog aspirin doesnt help much, you can give them human aspirin, just cut the pill in half. treat them as if you were treating a child in pain. it wont hurt them. my dog is also about 80 lbs, works great.
What I gave my girl before I took her to the vet was glucosamine/chondroitin (from Sam’s club) and Omega 3/6/9 capsules which have a mix of fish oil/borage/etc. and occasionally ester-C.
When the vet saw her and added a prescription medication, he asked what I was giving and upped the dosage to the proper amount for a large dog!
each morning in her breakfast:
2 glucosamine/chondroitin (1500mg/1200mg – as I recall in each tablet)
4 omega 3/6/9 (either 1000 or 200mg per capsule I believe)
two times a week in her breakfast:
1 ester-C tablet (don’t recall… maybe 500mg or 1000mg per tablet)
That dosage would be right for your dog’s size as well.
It takes a while to get the levels up, so don’t expect instantaneous results. After a few days you should see some improvement. If he has a lot of trouble after a week at getting up to walk after lying down, then I recommend you have your vet check him.
chew chew was wrong to tell you to give tylenol. Don’t give that without your own vet’s permission. -!-
There are quite a few treatments out there for arthritis that are over the counter, however, I am with UHave2Be on this one…you really should have him evaluated by the vet first for a few reasons.
Usually the vet will only charge an exam fee. If they want to do more, such as xrays, etc, you can always decline. The vet can give you a pain medicine to give when the pain gets bad. I always have Metacam on hand to give my dog (a 14 yo German Shorthair Pointer) in case she seems particuluarly sypmtomatic. the vet will also have an accurate weight for your dog. Then you can accurately give the proper amount of glucosamine, chondriotion, Omega 3s etc.
Good luck with your old guy.
ETA: NO TYLENOL…unless you actually want a dead dog instead of an arthritic one. It can be lethal in dogs. This is exactly why we are encouraging you to go for a simple vet visit. There are some knowledgeable people who answer around here and some real idiots. It is hard to weed out which is which sometimes.
A regular office visit is enough to diagnose arthritis.
I use a glucosamine/MSM/glucosaminoglycan supplement with my dog called Glyco-Flex III. My dog gets 1 full tablet per day, with food. She’s 42 pounds and the vet recommended I use a supplement that contains 1000 mgs of glucosamine and 1000 mgs of MSM per day. Glyco-Flex III was the only one I found that gave the entire dose in one pill. Shop around on-line for the best price. (The 120 tab bottle gets me through 4 months, will probably get you through 2-3.)
You want to talk to your vet before starting one of these supplements though for dosage and because they are contraindicated in dogs with hyperglycemia or clotting disorders.
I also use Grizzly Salmon Oil for Omega 3 fatty acids. These act as general anti-inflammatories throughout the body, so they can ehlp a bit with arthritic pain as well as providing many other health benefits. I get this online as well as it’s much less expensive than buying it in a pet store. It comes in a pump bottle and the amount to use is listed right on the package. For an 80 pound dog, you’d use 4 pumps a day on his food. A 1 qt bottle should last you about 4 months.
If your dog is at all overweight, this would be an excellent time to cut his food back and take some weight off him to ease the stress on his joints. This is not only FREE, it may save you money and will make your dog more comfortable!
Please do not give your dog human medications without consulting your vet. Aspirin carries a high risk of Gastrointestinal bleeding and degrades cartilage, so it’s not a good choice for long-term pain relief in dogs.
Tylenol (acetaminophen) and ibuprofen are also inappropriate for dogs. Stay away from them!
Your vet may prescribe an NSAID like Metacam, Rimadyl, Deramaxx or Etogesic. None of these are inexpensive, but they are safer for your dog than aspirin and also more effective for pain relief. Rimadyl and Etogesic have generics available though.
Here are some links on why you don’t want to use acetaminophen or ibuprofen!
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/acetaminophen-toxicity-in-dogs/page1.aspx
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/ibuprofen-toxicity-in-dogs/page1.aspx
You should definitely try a natural course of action. Liquid Glucosamine would likely be very beneficial to your pup. Liquid absorbs more effectively than pills and capsules. You normally notice a difference in 2-4 weeks. The liquid is easy to add to their food and it is a small amount. Please read the link I am sending. This liquid glucosamine has had wonderful results with dogs and cats.