[Daisy123]

Hello everyone! My dog is almost 8 and she might have arthritis. The vet thinks she needs to take Rimadyl for life. She is doing much better on the medication. My concern is will taking medication benefit her in the long term or should I see how she does without taking it? She is also takes Dasuquin.

Is your dog taking Rimadyl? How old is your dog? Do you think medication can effect a dogs life span? Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[SwimDog]

I used it for a long period for one of my dogs and then we switched meds to help another health problem and that drug ended up being better for his pain management. You can ask your vet about other options and/or seek out a vet who specializes in pain management.

There are side effects to long term use in many medications, however we know that chronic pain is a welfare issue and could potentially cause other health/behavior issues. I don't want my dogs to be in pain.

 

[3 goldens]

I would try stuff like joint aids first--like glucosamine, etc. I know rimadyl has caused many many deaths and I would only use it as a last resort. I understand some like metacam are not quite as dangerous, tho still bad. That is why I would try other stuff first and leave those powerful meds until last resort, later in life. Research different joint products.

 

[Rainheart]

Depends... how is she doing on a day to day basis? Is she having trouble getting around? Getting up and down stairs? Is she having more good days than bad? Or more bad days than good? Has she had bloodwork recently? If not, the veterinarian will want to do that before starting an NSAID to be sure her liver and kidneys will be able to handle it. Some people will start out giving it on the days where they seem like they need it more (and not everyday). You are already giving Glucosamine, so that is good. Consider supplementing with fish oil as well. Adequan is also something I always suggest... I love the stuff and it cannot hurt.

 

[rabernet]

Our bridge girl, Diamond was on Rimadyl for her last six years of her life and did well with it. I could tell the difference if she even missed one day of it.

 

[kwhit]

Chance has been on Rimadyl for the past 9 years. Without it, he can hardly walk. I've tried him on other meds but he didn't tolerate them at all. I have blood work done every 3-6 months to keep a very close eye on his liver. He's had no issues so far, but every dog is different.

I know that the medication could shorten his life, but the quality of his life, (being pain free), is so much more important to me than having him live longer but being in pain. Everyone has to make whatever decision feels right to them. It's never easy to make such important choices for our pets...

 

[Daisy123]

Thanks for all your comments! She was stiff and limping before the medicine but it was off and on. I am taking her back to the vet soon for blood work to check her liver function. She is not stiff or limping at all now!

How old was your dog when they started Rimadyl?
Did you get any x-rays to determine if your dog had arthritis?

 

[rabernet]

We did not get x-rays with Diamond - she was 9 when she started on it. Her last senior panel bloodwork showed all her organs were functioning very well at her last senior wellness visit about 10 months before we finally had to help her to bridge in February.

 

[GoldenCamper]

Most people I know give NSAIDS (Rimadyl or many others) on a as needed basis. Some dogs do great on them for years, some (like mine) have not.

They do not necessarily need to be given on a daily basis, depends on a individuals dogs situation.

My boy almost died after the second pill of Deramaxx and had to home cook for him forever after that. X-rays confirmed bone spurs, arthritis etc. I took to acupuncture and laser treatments and they did more for him than any NSAID ever did.

My girl had blood in her stool on day 3 taking Rimadyl after surgery, Tramadol saved the day.

NSAID's can be a blessing or a nightmare. I'm not a fan of them obviously.

 

[Daisy123]

Wow GoldenCamper that sounds awful. Luckily Daisy hasn't had any adverse reactions. Do you think I should have her x-rayed?

 

[Jennifer1]

My 15yr old lab is on rimadyl. I only give him 1/2 of his allowable dosage.
He has elbow arthritis really bad. The x-rays looked like shards of glass around his joint!
He was on rimadyl just for bad days until about 2 years ago. Now he gets it every day, and barely limps with it.
I have his full blood panel done every 6 months.

 

[GoldenCamper]

Wow GoldenCamper that sounds awful. Luckily Daisy hasn't had any adverse reactions. Do you think I should have her x-rayed?

It comes down to how far you want to go to find problems. I can't say other than it is good to know. The snowball effect on our minds with any given potential problem sucks. Our Goldens keep on smiling and living for the day and sometimes we suffer more than they do.

If she is doing fairly well don't push it. Just my opinion. Been there done that with the specialists. It changes things.

 

[kwhit]

Chance has been on it since he was a year old. I adopted Chance knowing he has elbow dysplasia, but went ahead with X-rays when I got him to check the severity of his condition. The orthopedic surgeon from UC Davis said it was so severe that surgery, at that time, was not an option. He told me the best I could do was a combination of Rimadyl and Tramadol to manage the pain. He hasn't had to take Tramadol for quite awhile since he's gotten older and is generally pretty mellow.

I do the same as Jennifer1 in that Chance gets 1/2 of his recommended dosage, which he does great on. I've been doing his blood work every 3 months for about the last 2 years because of his age.

 

[Dallas Gold]

Be sure to get frequent blood analysis of your dog on Rimadyl to check for enzyme elevations. In addition, check the stool. If it is dark, your dog might be bleeding internally from the NSAID- that is a life threatening emergency.

We ended up putting two of my hip dysplasia rescue dogs on it, on an as needed basis only. We found that acupuncture helped both the most and really only needed rimadyl occasionally, after a lot of activity.

Our Toby had double cataract surgery and his ophthalmologist put him on Rimadyl. He started experiencing digestive issues on it, so I talked to our vet about acupuncture helping his eye inflammation. She felt it was worth a try. A few months later his ophthalmologist noticed the inflammation was gone, dropped the rimadyl and told us to keep up with the acupuncture. We are still doing it 4 years later. He is over 11 now.

Please check into acupuncture and other non-drug therapies that might be available in your area. As far as expense, we found that monthly acupuncture sessions were much cheaper than a month of Rimadyl.

ETA: consider adding fish oils as well as we've found them very helpful with reducing inflammation.

 

[kwhit]

Chance gets a few supplements daily. I've found this to be the best fish supplement so far:


Answers Raw Pet Food Company: Fermented Fish

 

[Jennifer1]

Yes, my guy gets adequan shots and fish oil and glucosamine along with rimadyl

 

[LUCKYme]

Hi! I am so sorry to hear you might be having some arthritis issues with your dog. Seeing them in pain is very sad but I am happy to hear you are getting some relief with Rimadyl! First, yes I would definitely get x-rays. It is important to know what exactly the problem is because there are some treatment options that will vary given the appropriate diagnosis. Second, stay on top of the blood work, we recommend a 6 month rotation between a full (senior) blood panel and then just a kidney and liver test. Lastly, if your dog isn't showing any negative side effects I wouldn't be concerned.

My dog Lucky has been on Rimadyl since he was three and he is almost eleven now. He has been on varying dosages as initially his hip dysplasia was horrible and then we had a hip replacement and now its his elbow. We are on a combination of Rimadyl and Tramadol. Literally one week ago we had his blood work done and he is completely healthy. Before ever increasing your dosage I would wear out the more "holistic" options such as laser therapy and adequan injections.

Just remember every dog is different, if Rimadyl is working well for your dog then keep up with it. Allowing your dog to live pain free is the best gift you can give him.

 

[GRluver]

I am personally not a fan of Rimadyl as I have seen to many negative reactions to it. I am a huge fan of Previcox (NSAID) and Tramadol as a multimodal pain regime. Glucosamine and Chondroitin as well as fish oils are also a great compliment to those. Best of luck.

 

[CAROLINA MOM]

Member IowaGold who is a Vet put some information together for the members about supplements for Arthritis-

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...supplements-etc-arthritis-joint-problems.html

 

[Daisy123]

Update: I just has Daisy's NSAID bloodwork checked today and she is doing awesome on Rimadyl. The vet said her bloodwork looked beautiful. She hasn't limped or had stiffness since starting the medication!