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Deramaxx/rimadyl Question


Guest ladyjay

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Guest ladyjay

Hello -

I want to thank all of you for your kind words. My beautiful 13-year-old greyhound, Pebbles, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma 15 days ago. It has already spread to her lungs.

I am feeding her the cancer diet Hill Science Diet n/d, and giving her K9 immunity and transfer factor. Pebbles is my heart, and I can't get through one day without crying.

The question I have for you is about your experiences with anti-inflammatories.

Since Pebbles' diagnosis two weeks ago, she has been taking tramadol for pain, and rimadyl for inflammation. Because her limping doesn't seem to be getting any better, my vet has taken her off rimadyl and prescribed deramxx, which i am supposed to start giving her this evening.

Pebbles is still eating, drinking, sleeping, and going for walks. She doesn't complain - she does have a bad limp and a lot of swelling in the leg with the original tumor.

I have been reading about deramxx and rimadyl, and I really, really concered about the terrible side effects and deaths seen from those drugs. My vet thinks I shouldn't worry as at this point we are just trying to keep her as comfortable as possible, but I still would not want to give her a drug that would hurt her more!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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I agree with your vet. Unless your dog has an immediate adverse reaction, you should really just be focusing on controlling pain. OSA is an extremely painful disease, so keeping Pebbles comfortable should be paramount. Many dogs are on NSAIDS long term to control such conditions as arthritis and they do fine. Just do regular labs to monitor liver and kidney function.


Meredith with Heyokha (HUS Me Teddy) and Crow (Mike Milbury). Missing Turbo (Sendahl Boss), Pancho, JoJo, and "Fat Stacks" Juana, the psycho kitty. Canku wakan kin manipi.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire

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If it helps her, I would give it to her. Make sure you understand the potential side effects and what to look for if she does have a problem with the meds. FWIW, I've given Rimadyl and Deramaxx to quite a few dogs and never had a problem.

 

I'm sorry you're having to face such a miserable thing. Hugs.

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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Deramaxx is actually my favorite. All of my boys have taken it at some point in their lives for something or other including one with osteosarcoma. Only one of mine had any trouble with it and he had some stomach upset after about five days of taking it but he already has lots of stomach issues and any meds seem to eventually bother him. My others have taken it without side effects. One nice thing that I like about it is that they actually like taking it and think it is a treat (also the reason we store it on the top shelf of the medicine cabinet and never leave the bottle on the counter). When Odysseus had osteo, he wouldn't get up in the morning and waited for me to come to him and give him the Deramaxx. He seemed to know that it made him feel better and that he could get up and eat and go out shortly after he ate it.

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We had Gunnar on Deramaxx for a few months before his cancer diagnosis. He had arthritis, and Deramaxx helped tremendously for that. I can't recall the dosage, but, per the vet's suggestion, after a couple weeks of the full dosage, we were able to work him down to half the dose, daily. the biggest issue we had with him was stomach upset. When we encountered that, we stopped giving the Deramaxx for about a week, and he was fine.

 

For his bone cancer, though, we gave Piroxicam. I was amazed at how well it controlled his pain.

Sarah, the human, Henley, and Armani the Borzoi boys, and Brubeck the Deerhound.
Always in our hearts, Gunnar, Naples the Greyhounds, Cooper and Manero, the Borzoi, and King-kitty, at the Rainbow Bridge.

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Oh yes, Piroxicam is wonderful too!! Odysseus was on that after the amp to help slow metastasis. We had no idea when the end was close because the vet said the Piroxicam had masked any pain and discomfort while tumors formed in his chest/lungs. We had x-rays done that year in Dec and there were some slight changes in the lungs but nothing definite. 6 weeks later he was eaten up with it and we were clueless because he was bouncy and happy until the last few days.

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With a dog that has advanced cancer, you give whatever you have to give in order to keep her comfortable. Deramaxx and Rimadyl can often be given at 2X the normally prescribed dosage in a palliative care situation. Piroxicam or meloxicam are two other NSAIDS that can be quite helpful. Tramadol given as an adjunct can make a real difference. Stronger opioids can be used, but you have to remember quality of life... high doses can dull their senses and cause constipation.

 

Best wishes,

 

Lynn

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Personally, I'd go with whatever is keeping her comfortable at this point and not worry a lot about long term health risks--quality of life seems very important to me. Tramadol is a good, safe drug--Patrick has used it for some time with no problems, Deramax has also worked well for him and is relatively safe.

 

Prayers and good thoughts as you and Pebbles cope with this challenge.

Beth, Petey (8 September 2018- ), and Faith (22 March 2019). Godspeed Patrick (28 April 1999 - 5 August 2012), Murphy (23 June 2004 - 27 July 2013), Leo (1 May 2009 - 27 January 2020), and Henry (10 August 2010 - 7 August 2020), you were loved more than you can know.

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  • 1 month later...
Guest Elaine

Can anyone tell me what the normal dose of Deramaxx is and if it is given BID (2x / day) or just once a day? My vet is closed and I cannot call to ask, again. :-(

 

Elaine

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