Aspirin

[ahicks51]

We're in a bind because we can't get in for a vet appointment for at least another week and a half. Vets out here are swamped.

We have a 6-7 yo girl that yelps when she picks her head up from a prone position. It got substantially worse, then better, then worse again. We tried a dose of Tramadol with no success. What *has* worked is 325 mg of aspirin. Of course, we don't want to keep her on that long-term, but we also don't want her to be in pain. She's completely stopped yelping, and is acting more normal than she has in 3-4 weeks.

Can anyone recommend a brand of 81 mg aspirin that is dog-safe? We'd like to drop the dose to the bare minimum- right now, we're stretching the time between doses from 12 hours to 14, even 16 hours, and the yelping hasn't come back.

[Time4ANap]

With a quick search I found a dog/pet aspirin on PetMeds.com   I have not used this and do not know the differences that make it specific to pets - just posting this so you can check it out. 

https://www.1800petmeds.com/comparison?compId=compare10237

 

Also - have you considered trying carprofen or a similar NSAID that is specifically for dogs? Just another thought because we've had so many seniors here that ended up on Carprofen or Truprofen for aches and pains. 

Edited January 14, 2022 by Time4ANap

[ahicks51]

1 hour ago, Time4ANap said:

Also - have you considered trying carprofen or a similar NSAID that is specifically for dogs? Just another thought because we've had so many seniors here that ended up on Carprofen or Truprofen for aches and pains. 

Yep. Vet won't prescribe without a visit, though.

[HeyRunDog]

Have you tried one of the online vets?  You could ask your pet insurance if they provide this service but if she's going for up to 16 hours between doses without being in pain I would think she's getting over whatever was causing it.

[MP_the4pack]

My vet recently told me that they're finding out tramadol doesn't work with dogs.

[greysmom]

18 hours ago, MP_the4pack said:

My vet recently told me that they're finding out tramadol doesn't work with dogs.

^^^  This.  It doesn't work with humans very well either.  Part of the fairy tale told by drug companies to doctors, and why there are so many people addicted to opioids.

I just keep a bottle of an nsaid around.  In our house, it's meloxicam.  My vet knows me well and trusts me to use it appropriately, and we discuss it frequently.  Usually 3 or 4 days of an nsaid will help get a dog through a soft tissue injury, and it's what a vet would prescribe anyway, before moving on to other modalities.  So I can skip paying for an office visit (and cluttering up their office schedule nowadays, which can be hard to get in as you know), and we both know it's serious if I have to bring a dog in.