Dogs get arthritis and it is a debilitating and common disease for
people as well. The human medications for treating dog arthritis are
very similar and some can be used for dog arthritis treatment. Just
remember there are always exceptions waiting to catch you off guard, so
be especially careful. I want to show you which ones you can use and
which ones to avoid (and there are plenty).
Anti-Inflammatories
The list of human anti-inflammatories is very long and I will not list them here. Avoid any except the ones I mention below.
Please
remember that the anti-inflammatories specifically developed for dogs
are much better. They have been tried and tested many times over and
have a track record of safety. For the cat owners also note that there
are no safe doses for most of these medications for cats so please use
veterinary alternatives.
Aspirin
Aspirin
in all of its various forms is a very common medication for humans and
dog arthritis. The dosage of buffered dog aspirin is 10 to 25 mg/kg by
mouth every 12 hours and best taken with food.
The
problems with aspirin is its long washout period. The washout period is
the time that you have to wait before you can safely administer another
anti-inflammatory, which for aspirin (even after a single dose) is 1-2
weeks. The other problem associated with aspirin use is its tendency to
create stomach ulcers which have a high occurrence rate with long term
use, also even with buffered aspirin.
Meloxicam
Meloxicam
is best recognized by its medical trade name Mobic as well as a few
other generic medications. In the veterinary profession the equivalent
drug is Metacam. Meloxicam is a highly effective anti-inflammatory and
is given in these dosage amounts:
On the first day give a dosage of 0.2 mg/ per kg weight by mouth accompanied with food, and administered once daily.
After the first day give 0.1 mg/ per kg weight by mouth accompanied with food, once daily.
The
only problem with Meloxicam human tablets is you need to be almost
exact with the dose and the tablets are usually 7.5mg and 15mg. tablets
and don’t always divide into a even dose for the canines weight. Metacam
is a liquid so dosing is accurate and easy to measure.
Etodalac
Etodalac
is a good anti-inflammatory its medical trade name Lodine, or in the
veterinary world as Eto-Gesic. For treatment of pain and inflammation
associated with osteoarthritis dose at 10-15 mg/ per kg weight once
daily. With small dogs it is very hard to dose accurately. Etodalac.
Etodalac cannot be used with any kind of aspirin.
Pain Killers
Acetaminophen + Codeine
These
two human drugs come in many forms one such form is Tylenol. They seem
to work better together and recent evidence suggests that acetaminophen
is also synergistic as with the anti-inflammatories. The dosage
combination is (60 mg) codeine and (300 mg) acetaminophen made in tablet
form. Tylenol is given at 1 to 2 mg/ per kg weight of the codeine by
mouth every 8hours.
The problem with
acetaminophen is that it has caused much toxicity in dogs and it would
be fair to say it is not as safe a drug as it is for humans. I would
speak to your veterinarian before using for your dog and never use it in
cats.
So When Do I Use These Drugs?
The two common situations that I see a need for people to reach for these human medications:
In
an emergency or late night situation. Maybe you’re out of drugs or your
dog isn’t on dog arthritis medication but suddenly needs something for
discomfort. Maybe he needs a little extra and Tylenol is the safest
option but always ask your vet first.
Cost. The human
generic forms of meloxicam can be lesser and It is the same drug but
dosage wise can be inaccurate because the tablets can only be divided up
in various ways and amounts. The dog version (Metacam) is best because
it is in a liquid form which allows for easier and accurate dosing.
Use
the prescribed drugs when possible - the safety data is available and
you can always get assistance from your veterinarian. When using human
drugs do it sparingly and on advice from your veterinarian to help your
dogs arthritis.
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