Alternative Anti-Imflamatories/pain Control

[spottydog]

We have been treating our lab/pyr cross for osteo since Jan. She has had state of the art radiation, chemo and Aclasta (bone rebuilder). Because she recently began limping, we had her re-x rayed and the radiologist could not see any recurrence of the cancer at the site (the "wrist") or fractures, but her wrist is quite swollen. They don't know what's going on. I know that pain management is a true art, and I don't feel we are giving her the best treatment in this department. Our oncologist only seems to use certain drugs, so I am asking if the GT community has any further suggestions. She cannot take Metacam as she got bloody diarreah after only one day although it was very effective. She is on Percocet 3-4 times a day, with Tramadol over night and is still limping heavily. Do you think she would benefit from trying other NSAIDS, to help with the inflammation? Or if she reacted so quickly and badly to Metacam, would she likely respond in a similar fashion to other NSAIDS? Or, which ones might be worth a try, as our Dr. has not suggested any. Any comments would be much appreciated.

[racindog]

For me I would NOT try additional RX NSAID's. I would use Tramadol & Gabepentin & a non-rx anti inflammatory called Duralactin that is effective and safe. I would most definitely have mine on Fresh Factors too. Good luck. Also it prolly wouldn't hurt to tryTraumeel drops/pills and/or creame you can rub on the sore place. JMO based on a lot of experience.

[KF_in_Georgia]

No more NSAIDs. That kind of reaction to metacam is a predictor of reactions to other NSAIDs. Gabapentin is very effective: Most of us have given as much as 900mg/day for dogs in the mid-50 to mid-60 pound weight range (25-30kg?). It needs to be given more often than just once or twice a day because it wears off fairly fast. If you get 100mg capsules (you can get it at a people pharmacy with a prescription), you can get more control over dosing than if you get the 300mg tablet form. (On a dog taking lots of meds, I fed and pilled him 4 times a day. I'd give 2 of the 100mg gabapentin at a time.) Also, talk to your vet: Is there a reason the tramadol is only overnight? (My old boy was taking 50mg tramadol 4 times a day also.)

 

Note that gabapentin might take a couple of days to get up to full effectiveness.

[3DogNite]

For me I would NOT try additional RX NSAID's. I would use Tramadol & Gabepentin & a non-rx anti inflammatory called Duralactin that is effective and safe. I would most definitely have mine on Fresh Factors too. Good luck. Also it prolly wouldn't hurt to tryTraumeel drops/pills and/or creame you can rub on the sore place. JMO based on a lot of experience.

 

how much Duralactin do you give 68lb greyhound?

I'm need to try this for Spirit who is having hind end weakness and pain from LSS

[spottydog]

I'm just making the dosing schedule up since I have had very little direction from the experts. "Give as needed" isn't very useful. I can't tell whether it hurts her when she is just lying down. She limps moderately when on her walks - she is definitely still enjoying them - and limps heavily when she gets up and around the house. She can have her dose of Percocet (oxycondone 5/325 one and 1/4 tabs) up to 4 times a day, but that still leaves overnight partially unmedicated, which is why I'm giving the Tramadol extended release over night as it has a 8-12hr window. The oncologist thinks that the tylenol component has a slight anti-inflamatory effect, and I'm inclined to agree. She hasn't suggested Gabapentin at this point. What are its benefits over opioids?

[greytpups]

 

how much Duralactin do you give 68lb greyhound?

I'm need to try this for Spirit who is having hind end weakness and pain from LSS

1 tablet twice/day

[JJNg]

She hasn't suggested Gabapentin at this point. What are its benefits over opioids?

 

Gabapentin works on nerve pain, so it addresses pain differently than opioids or NSAIDS. Many people notice a remarkable improvement in pain control after adding gabapentin. I agree with trying to avoid other NSAIDS since she had a bad reaction to Metacam. But if unable to manage her pain adequately with the other meds, I'd talk to your vet about trying a different NSAID at a low dose.

[o_rooly]

Some other non-RX options (per my vet) are:

--Spirulina
--Vitamin E

I am giving Aston both of these in his food, along with a highly-concentrated fish oil (Carlson's liquid), with my vet's supervision. I believe higher dosages of fish oil and vitamin E can cause blood thinning, so that's something to keep in mind (I'm not sure what the minimum dosage is for this effect).

I know the fish oil helps ME a ton in reducing joint inflammation, so I can kinda vouch for that one; the others, for me, are in the "cant-hurt-might-help" camp as long as the vet is OK with it. The spirulina seems to help Aston wolf down his medication with his food; it smells like fish and butt, or maybe just fish butt.

I am currently out of Fresh Factors by Springtime, but have noticed they do give him more pep. Not sure which ingredient(s) are responsible for pep.

As far as Rx meds -- you might be able to increase the tramadol. Aston takes 100mg twice daily to curb any pain associated with his back issue, and he also takes 300mg gabapentin 2x daily. I don't know for sure whether these are helping him, but have been afraid to subject him to a weaning-off just for exploratory purposes; these meds aren't expensive through Costco. I believe gabapentin is also in the cant-hurt-might-help camp.

Hope this helps!

Please give your sweet dog scritchies for us.

[tbhounds]

I would ask your vet about trying Tylenol with codeine. Or perhaps trying another NSAID-previcox may be an option. Love gabapentin but I have aways been told it works best when given concurrently with an NSAID. I have recently heard that apparently we have been grossly under dosing Tramadol. Ask would ask your vet if the current dose you are giving can be increased.

[PatricksMom]

Talk to your vet about increasing the Tramadol--you can really safely crank the dose up in most cases. Gabapetin works well with Tramadol too, you don't necessarily need an NSAID.