Rimadyl (Carprofen) for my Dog

[bogey21]

My German Shepherd is now 11 years old and is having trouble with joint issues, arthritis, etc. When I talk to people I meet at the local Dog Park I get 3 opinions regarding Rimadyl (Carprofen). Some say it works wonders. Others see no benefit. And a third group says it can have serious side effects.

I started using it today figuring I have little to lose as my guess is that my Buddy has less than 6 months left if I don't do something. But I am open to opinions from any of you who have found it successful, worthless or whatever.

George

 

[Phydeaux]

Have you tried asking your vet?

 

[rhonda]

I have no personal experience with Rimadyl for dogs but the risks sure seem high. Have you explored Adequan Canine with your vet? I've been using Adequan IM, the equine version of the drug, on one of my off-track racehorses with great success. Good luck on your research!

 

[geist1223]

We used Carprofen for Andrew (our Corgi) for his last couple years. It really helped. The last year he was on 2 pain killers and 1 anti-inflammatory. They made his life so much better. Then last December he looked at me and said: "Dad I love you but I am done." So our Vet came to our house and he went to sleep surrounded by our other Corgi, the two cats, and us.

 

[ronparise]

Millie is our 17 yo cockapoo. As with many of us older folks she has arthritic joints. For pain she gets a drug cocktail, gabapentin, rimadyl, and amantadine. She also gets a booster shot of Adequan every so often

I dont know that she needs all this but it seems to work, she still walks every day, We bring a stroller in case she punks out, but most days she doesn't need it

 

[klpca]

Miss Mia took Rimadyl in the last few years of her life but had to stop when she began to suffer from some side effects. She was then switched to Tramadol/Gabapentin. See this thread:http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/old-old-arthritic-dog-what-to-do.246689/

Best of luck to you and Buddy.

 

[presley]

I have no personal experience with Rimadyl for dogs but the risks sure seem high. Have you explored Adequan Canine with your vet? I've been using Adequan IM, the equine version of the drug, on one of my off-track racehorses with great success. Good luck on your research!

Adequan has been the only thing that has helped my dog with a bad shoulder. Xrays show his bad side has a smaller arm than the good side and moderate arthritis in the shoulder and elbow. We've done pretty much every treatment (laser, acupuncture, chiropractor). My vet is suggesting that I don't get an MRI (which is what I suggested) because he said I'd first have to have a CT scan, then the MRI which dogs need to be sedated for and then most likely surgery would be recommended and he said I'd be paying at least 10K. I think the MRI alone is around $3500, but he said the treatments would be the same no matter what the MRI shows.

We do the Adequan shots at home. It hasn't resolved the issue, but he doesn't limp every day when we keep up his shots. He went from walking an hour every day to having a limp and not wanting to walk about 4 months ago. It's been driving me batty because he is only 9 years old and he is a small dog. He should only be half done with his life.

I just started him on DGP and 1-TDC (both over the counter) in addition to his shots. It looked like he wasn't limping much for 3 days, but it's really too early to tell if those things are helping at all. He has never yelped in pain. The vet said the next thing to try is tramadol, but this particular dog does really bad with sedative medications and will whine all day because he feels like he is trippin.

 

[1st Class]

There are other options. Our vet recommended Cosequin many years ago for our elderly dog (he lived comfortably to age 17!) and we continue to use it today on our dog in the same situation. It is the canine equivalent to glucosomine and condroitin used in humans and I've not noticed any side effects. Ask your vet for a recommendation. FWIW, the literature on Rimadyl states that it is not for long term use. Cosequin can be used indefinately.

 

[bogey21]

After weighing the potential side effect ramifications I put my 11 year old German Shepherd on Rimadyl a couple of days ago. His ability to get around and his activity level have improved dramatically. I don't discount the potential for severe side effects but figure the risk is worth it if I can generate 6 months to a year of improved quality of life for him. Time will tell if I made the right decision.

George