Rimadyl vs. alternatives

[EMS66]

I just got back from the vet with my old lady dog Reba tonight. She's 11, and she's had increasingly bad arthritis over the years. X-rays we had done today show that she's got pretty bad dysplasia in both elbows and in her hips.

My vet strongly recommends that I put her on Rimadyl or one of the other NSAIDs, but I'm petrified of the side effects . . . especially with Rimadyl.

Has anyone used Rimadyl, Deramaxx, or Medacam successfully? What was your experience like with it?

Anyone use alternative therapies like acupuncture? I'm so afraid to NOT put her on the drugs, but at the same time, I don't want to kill her with toxins if I don't have to. I'm so upset about this and I'm not sure which direction to turn first.

[imported_Cassie]

I am not a fan of any of the anti inflammatory med's prescribed by vets. I have seen far too many dogs killed by the kindness of their owners. My friend who breeds Newfoundland dogs has had so many bad experiences with Metacam over the past 30 years that she refused to use it now.

With myself I found Glucosamine & Chrondroitin HDL worked great for my old Newfoundland who sadly passed away when she was almost 15...that is old for a Newf. I tried acupuncture on her with no success at all.

Recently I have found a wonderful supplement called Yucca root, I swear by this as an anti inflammatory. My Rottweiler has horrible hips, my vet also strongly advised I put her on metacam...I didn't and instead looked for an alternative treatment.
I currently have her on a liquid supplement called Nutri Aid GCM which consists of:
Glucosamine
Chondroitin
MSM
Vitamin C
Mineral Manganese

I also give her Yucca root daily as well, you can either purchase through Solid dog food products or purchase the human form...its pretty cheap. My Rottie went from lame and whimpering when trying to get out of bed in the morning to a feisty active healthy dog which you would never think had bad hips. AT my Last wellness check a new vet was looking my little girl over...the vet manipulated Athena's hips then checked the file, then manipulated the hips again looking baffled...she asked if this was Beau or Athena...I was puzzled and told her that yes she had the right file. The vet was shocked and said the x-rays for her hips must have been wrong as their is so much flexability in my girls hips for a dog with HD :wink: I was pleased.

You could upgrade your dogs food and perhaps supplement with a home made diet of foods which are easy to digest. Avoid foods which are known to cause inflammation. Give Reba digestive enzymes to help the old body absorb the nutrients and perhaps give a probiotic to keep a healthy gut. I would also make sure she is getting alot of omega 3 fatty acids in her diet either in a fish oil supplement or give ground flax seeds or flax oil...I feed my Rottie canned sardines 3-4 times a week and canned salmon a few times a week to help with the inflamation. Make sure Rebas food is highly digestable as well. Older dogs also need more fiber, this is why I would feed ground organic flax seeds for the omega 3's and the fiber.

Herbs good for digestion are:
Flaxseed, Marshmallow, dandelion root, psyllium husks, burdock root.

Mental clarity and nervous support:
Oat tops , ginko, gotu kila, siberian ginseng, peppermint.

Cardiovascular support:
Hawthorn, garlic, ginkgo, cayenne, yarro.

Liver support & protection:
Milk thistle, dandelion root

Immune support
Astragalus, Siberian ginseng

Arthritis relief
Alfalfa, yucca root, licorice, turmeric, boswellia

Kidney support
Ginkgo, hawthorn, dandelion leaf, goldenrod, cornsild, couchgrass, plantain leaf

Nutrition support
spirulina, nettle leaf, dandelion leaf, wheatgrass, barley grass.

Good luck to you

[TDG]

here s something on rimadyl that you might find interesting, and you might also want to print it out and show it to your vet. i'm aware you know about possible side effects and that this doesn't have anything directly to do with your post, but i think this is important information to share.

[quote]Permission to Cross Post

Dear Friends:

I am asking your help in sending the following press release to media in your state/country - I have the Press Release in a .PDF format and if anyone is interested in obtaining it, please write me personally and I will be glad to send it to you. - I am starting today to send to the media in South Carolina, but we must try to reach media in all states and countries. Thank you in advance for assisting with this project.

Sincerely,

Jean
(Always for George - Always for the Rimadyl Dogs)
[url]http://hometown.aol.com/luswinton/myhomepage/memorial.html[/url]


LAWSUIT OVER VETERINARY DRUG SETTLED

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Johns Island, South Carolina - August 18, 2004

Jean Townsend of Johns Island, South Carolina announced today that a settlement has been reached with Pfizer, Inc. in what appears to be the first lawsuit of its kind in this country a lawsuit over injuries that led to the death of Ms. Townsend's chocolate lab, George. Ms. Townsend originally brought a class action lawsuit against Pfizer in October of 1999, two years after the tragic death of George. The lawsuit alleged that after initial approval by the FDA, the drug Rimadyl

[mouseatthebusstop]

we had poppy on rimadyl for two and a half years before she died it helped her a lot. not all dogs have side effects

[EMS66]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

Reba eats Canidae Platinum, and to supplement it she gets:

200 mg. vitamin E
250 mg. vitamin C
a pure glucosamine powder supplement that she's been on for years
a probiotic supplement
a supplement called Fresh Factors that combines several different holistic supplements, including bee pollen and chondroitin
canned salmon or sardines 2 times per week or so
yogurt every day

So I guess I need to start looking into yucca too . . . I'm in such turmoil over this. I know that some dogs do great on Rimadyl or other drugs, but I'm afraid to go there first--I think I'd rather use such potent drugs as a "last resort." My vet seems to think this IS our last resort as she's so badly degenerated already. But my boyfriend thinks that they are rushing into this without giving us time to explore other options first.

I guess part of my worry is that she is so stoic and has shown so little clinical symptoms that I will never know when she's OK and when she is REALLY hurting, you know? :cry:

[TDG]

have you tried mega doses of a high-quality, human grade fish oil? feeding canned fish is a good idea for supplementing food in general, but the effect of 1000 mg of fish oil per 10 lbs of body weight daily can't be replicated by feeding canned fish a couple times a week. the omega 3 fatty acids are powerful natural anti-inflammatory agents and also stimulate the immune system.

one other thing you might want to consider is to eliminate grains from your dog's diet as much as you can. grains are high in omega 6 fatty acids, which are harmful if consumed in large amounts. commercial kibbles are at least 50% grains to begin with, so you could either consider a potato based kibble, but ultimately a raw diet would be a lot more beneficial.

i only have very limited experience with this kind of issue, but hopefully this link will help:
[url]http://www.bowchow.com/arthritis.html[/url]

[Carolk9s]

Jesse has been on Rimadyl for 6 weeks now, he was on Etogesic prior to that. ALL NSAIDS can cause problems in some dogs. Jesse is also on 1500 mg of glucosamine and 1000 mg of MSM daily.
Jesse had a blood panel done 3 days after stopping the Etogesic, all clear. Then 30 days after being on the Rimadyl, another blood panel was run, again all clear. He will have another blood panel run in 6 months unless I see any signs of a problem.
My vet DID tell me of potential side affects to watch for as I started him on Rimadyl and told me to stop it immediately and bring him in if he experienced any of them. My vet would only write the initial prescription for 14 days so if he did have any problems in that time, I would not be paying for a longer prescription.
I will be keeping a close eye on him for any potential problems, jaundice, refusing to eat, vomiting, etc.
I have seen DEFINITE improvement in his physical abilities AND his mental state since starting the Rimadyl. For quite a time, he would look longingly at the couch but would lie down on the floor. Now he is back to jumping up on the couch to holler at our mail lady or to just flop down on it to sleep. He appears more relaxed, more inclined to be playful, and less snarky with the girls. He stills gets cranky when they romp about the living room too much, thats the 'boss' dog in him.
I certainly support exploring more natural methods on controlling a dogs pain. I personally decided that as long as the drug does not cause him more pain or trouble, I am willing to possibly shorten his life if it means what life he has left has less pain.

[imported_Matty]

[quote]My vet seems to think this IS our last resort as she's so badly degenerated already[/quote]
Think of all the money the vet will be making by selling Rimadyl to you.

TDG gave a wonderful suggestion by advising you to see a holistic vet. I find conventional doctors and vets tend to treat the symptoms of disease without trying to help the body and immune system in getting stronger to fight the disease or problem.
My mother who is in her later years suffers from horrible arthritis in her back and hands, well, every were in her body. Her doctor wrote her a few prescriptions for the problems. She decided not to go that route and saw a nutrionalist instead. She feels alot better. :wink:

[Guest Anonymous]

Earlier this year my dog was having a lot of pain and x-rays showed he had a small spur of bone on his spine (probably as a result of a Kick from his previous owner :cry: ). He was on a course of metacam for a short while which worked briefly but then the pain came back and metacam did nothing for it.
At this point we tried acupuncture and I have to say it is the best thing we have ever done. We had weekly sessions for a short while and are now having monthly sessions and my lad is much better and no longer on any medication!!
Dawn

[imported_Cassie]

Just to add that acupuncture may be a good idea. When I tried acupuncture on my old Newf it was years ago when it was still a very new treatment. It has advanced greatly since I last tried it :wink:

Good luck with Reba, she is very lucky to have such caring owners who are looking for the best for her. I would certainly try alternatives before resorting to a NSAID, you may be pleasantly surprised...I know I am when ever I look at my Rottie with HD and see how healthy and happy she is without resorting to NSAID's.

[quote]I guess part of my worry is that she is so stoic and has shown so little clinical symptoms that I will never know when she's OK and when she is REALLY hurting, you know[/quote]
That was my biggest concern about putting Athena on a NSAID...I find that these medications mask the pain and some dogs will over exert themselves creating more problems down the road.

Reba's diet sounds wonderful, your doing a great job. :wink: