Rimadyl?

[Cheyenne]

The vet gave us a few Rimadyl tablets and told us we could give Suki 1/2 tablet twice a day for pain. I know Rimadyl can cause vomiting, diarrhea and even more serious problems. Anyone have any experience with giving it to their Pugs?

Suki doesn't seem to be in any discomfort to speak of and I'd rather not medicate if I don't have to. But I don't want her to be in pain either and with a Pug it's hard to tell because they hide it so well.

I also have some Tramadol left over from when she hurt her back in December. She did OK on that, but I'm wondering if Tramadol is for a different kind of pain, like pulled muscles which is what she had in December? I was thinking of giving her that instead.

Anyone have any thoughts?

[puglover22]

I wouldn't use rimadyl especially if she doesn't seem to be in pain

[Rosiepug]

I've used Rimadyl in desperation for arthritic pain but it does cause stomach problems and I wouldn't use it again. Next time I need pain relief for Rosie's arthritis, I'll try Metacam.

[Buddy's Mom]

I gave Rimadyl to Oscar after his neuter and had no ill effects. I never knew it could cause problems like that though. He had a half tablet once per day for 4 days.

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

I've used Rimadyl, metacam and tramadol for pain in my dogs at various times. One of mine is sensitive to Rimadyl.

If your baby is not exhibiting signs of pain, don't give it to her. Save it, you might need it later.

I prefer to treat surgical pain with tramadol or metacam and arthritic/joint pain with supplements, like green-lipped mussels and Glucosamine and chondroitin. If the arthritis pain is not controlled by those I will give baby aspirin or a little bit of rimadyl just for very short term.

Take care,
Lisa

[Cheyenne]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I won't be giving Suki any Rimadyl. If need be, I'll use the Tramadol, as I know she tolerated that OK in the past.

[pugsmum]

I would not use rimadyl ever for any reason.

here is an article I found on another site written by a contributing vet, it is excellent

Deramaxx, Rimadyl, Metacam, Previcox, Zubrin, Ketoprofen are all part of a drug class called NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs). There are many examples in human medicine (>30) which include: aspirin, tylenol, advil, celebrex etc... NSAIDs interact with two receptors: Cox 1 and Cox2. Cox 2 is related to pain and inflammation. This is why the medications help relieve these symptoms. Cox 1 receptors are involved with homeostasis (keeping the good things running in your body) such as kidney blood flow, stomach mucous production and stomach acidity. The goal of all companies is to create a NSAID that does not touch Cox1 - so far the companies have made ones that are more 'Cox-1' sparing than before but there are none that are completely without Cox-1 effects.

Why do we care about Cox-1? For a variety of reasons, but in this case it is important to realize that the 'pain' effects (Cox-2) are affected by the NSAIDs for 12-24 hours. The medication however can have lasting effects on Cox-1 for up to two weeks (this is a common period accepted by most specialists). When you combine any two NSAIDs - their negative effects on Cox-1 can be anywhere up to TEN TIMES worse than if you just doubled the dose of one of the drugs by itself. While each combination is different, the take home point is that there can be interaction which is worse when combined. When switching from one NSAID to another it is generally recommended to have a two week 'wash out' period. Obviously for reasons of patient comfort, this is not always done. Usually you can switch from one to another with little problem. So, if a vet does not do this, it is not necessarily wrong. Immediate switching can cause some problems and the most common is stomach upset. For mild problems, this can often be treated with pepcid (famotidine). For schroder I assume he is approximately 50lbs? For a 50lb dog, a dose of famotidine is 20mg by mouth every 24 hours. Please check with your veterinarian prior to administering this however!

Now, which NSAID is the BEST??! If there was one which worked best, there would not be so many on the market. There are some that have higher safety ranges and may be more Cox 1 sparing. But importantly, one may work great in one dog and poorly in another. Just like people - most people like advil for one thing, aspirin or pamprin for another. Also some come in various forms (chewable, non chewable, honey flavored liquid or dissolving tablet). So the big question is which one is best for you and your pet. This will be determined on three factors: 1) one that makes the pet feel better, 2) a form that the owner finds compliance easy, 3) one that does not negatively interact with the pet (this should be determined by blood testing with your veterinarian).

FWIW - there was a head to head test on Deramaxx, Rimadyl, Metacam and Previcox. Please note that the test was paid for by the makers of Previcox however usually when the data does not add up to what the makers like - they just do not release the information (as opposed to 'tampering' with data). Thus previcox came out with highest safety ranges. Also the oral tablet takes faster action than Rimadyl injectable. Metacam was the next safest, then Rimadyl and last Deramaxx. Safeness was determined by lowest number of side effects add a higher than normal dosing along with range of safety. As far as pain relief they all had similar effects with metacam and previcox as slightly higher. What was interesting was that the previcox longer term (over 2 months) had better pain effects than all the others. With that said, because of higher cost and it being a newer medication - it is not seen widely. I carry it but honestly prescribe Metacam the most. I like it because the liquid form is highly palatable and easy to dose with weight. I also have patients on Rimadyl (one of my own dogs - didn't switch her from it because she has always responded so well to it) and also patients on Deramaxx.

Final thought on human NSAIDs - please do NOT use these alone or especially in conjunction with the dog NSAIDs. Aspirin has long been used in dogs - I wish it was not used at all for pain. The dose we use to interfere with platelet function (where we want to help stop clot formation) is TEN times LESS than the dose needed for relief of pain. There was a study done that suggests that all dogs on pain doses of aspirin have some form of intestinal bleeding regardless of how 'normal' they are acting. As I am sure the other members here will also recommend is that to use the concurrent use of glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and Omega 3 fatty acid (especially those that have high levels of EPA in them). If all of these are not enough and no surgery is indicated by your veterinarian, then tramadol is a great, safe, inexpensive pain medication that CAN be given with NSAIDs.

[Cheyenne]

Thanks, Joan. Suki hasn't needed anything, but if she seems like she does, tramadol it will be.