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Aspirin and dogs


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And I've got Sam on Rimadyl and Shonie on Metacam, both of which are working marvelously and with no problems. I tried Shonie w/Rimadyl years ago, but it gave her lots of tummy upsets.

 

My issues are the expense, and for the Rimadyl, the effects on Sami's senior liver. I'll talk to the vet about aspirin, but does anyone have any experience with long term, low dose aspirin use in dogs?

 

Thanks,

 

Ruth

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Hi Ruth:

 

I can not give you real medical advice, but I think that Metacam is a steroid, too; and long-term use of that could also cause some damage. I am not sure, though- maybe someone else can say for sure.

 

What is the issue with your dogs- is it arthritis? I have used low-dose (baby) aspirin for my dogs on occasion, but not long-term.

 

Karrin

 

ETA: Sorry for the misinformation, Ruth- Metacam is non-steroidal!

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No problem, Karrin, I looked it up after reading your reply to make sure it wasn't a steroid. Well, the vet says no to long term aspirin use.

 

They both have arthritis. Sam mostly in her lower spine, and Shonie in her lower spine and a lot in her front feet. Sam is 14 and a half, and Shonie is at least 13, possibly older.

 

Could be worse, at least they get some relief.

 

Ruth

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I have used baby aspirin (83 MG) for long terms with 2 BCs. One dog had moderate hip dysplasia and we used it on him on and off for over 5 years. He never needed anything more than aspirin to help with his pain. Of course we did stop any sports related activity as well.

 

We also used aspirin for about 2 years on a 12+Year Old BC with severe Arthritis in his back. We started out with one a day and as he aged (and we noticed his discomfort) we increased dosage, over the years, up to 8 a day when he was 14.5 (spread throughout the day). There are charts you can find on the internet that show maximum recommended daily dosage based on body weight. Worth noting that he had liver disease and we were somewhat hesitant to use Rimadyl for fear it would compromise his liver even more.

 

Hope this helps….

 

 

P.S. There is now generic for Rimadyl. Much cheaper.

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Well, aspirin is an NSAID just like the other two drugs, and as such has similar potential side-effects, including effects on the liver.

 

Metacam (meloxicam) is also available as a human generic, but it can be hard to dose because of the size tablets it comes in. For some dogs, though, it's a significantly cheaper option and maybe worth looking into.

 

For some dogs a combination of a lower dose of an NSAID with a dose of tramadol (which doesn't, afaik, have the potential liver concerns) works very well. When Luce is having a lot of trouble with her knees, this is what we do.

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If it were my dogs, I'd be using metacam on both dogs. Because its a liquid, you can titrate down to the lowest effective dose (and you're supposed to if its going to be used longterm). My BC is 15kg and I give her to the 10kg mark when she needs it. Another client at work who's dog is on it is using the 10kg mark and her dog is 20kg so she's halved the dose with time. We don't carry rimadyl at all at the clinic I work at. We carry metacam and deramaxx. The vets I work for are reluctant to recommend aspirin because in some dogs it makes them really prone to forming stomach ulcers (way more so than any other anti-inflammatories). We've also used the combination of metacam and tramadol for some dogs when the metacam stops being enough to control the pain.

 

 

For a border collie sized dog, most likely the meloxicam tablets would be too large unless they were cut into quarters. The dosage of it is 0.1mg/kg. The smallest meloxicam pill is 7.5mg. So half a pill is 3.25mg which would work out to about a 70lb dog. 1/4 pill would be the right dose for a 35 lb dog. If you had a 50-65lb border collie, the meloxicam pills in quarters may work, but the dosage would technically be too low so may not have the desired effect. If I had to choose between meloxicam tablets and aspirin, I would choose the meloxicam for sure.

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How about Devil's Claw ? I understand that it is safe for dogs. I gave it to my horse for many years - 10 along with joint supplements glucosamine/chondritin sulfate until the vet and I decided that he needed a little more pain management and the damage regular bute would do to his liver was offset by his advanced age.

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