OTC - Anti-inflamitory for dogs?

[connorlevismom]

My dog was just put on a perscription anti-inflamitory. It has worked wonders and he is a totally different dog now. The problem is that it costs $50 a month for this medication(plus the 30 minute drive each way to go and pick it up). Is there something OTC that is safe to give him that would give him the same results?

 

[bumbershoot]

What is the drug?




FWIW, my FIL gave his old standard poodle glucosamine and chondroitin, and the dog just thrived on it. Got a spring back in his step for his last year or so.

 

[Christine]

My dog is on Previcox and it also runs about $50 per month. We tried the cheaper one first and it didn't work that well. She was also on glucosamine/chondroition prior to trying the meds and they didn't really help her.

I don't think any of the "people" NSAIDS are overly safe for dogs.

 

[CathrynRose]

#1 ~ What's the drug?

#2 ~ What's is for?

#3 ~ Dogs *can* have aspirin. Not Tylenol. Not Ibuprofen, but plain ol' aspirin is fine. I always have a bottle in the house for both them, and in case of a heart attack.

Signed ~

The Hypchondriac

 

[clutter]

Did you ask your vet if you could use mail order? Do they do some type of test every month? Otherwise, couldn't your vet 1) give you more, 2) mail it to you or 3) give you a prescription to mail order it?

My vet just put my expensive dog on a different med, and suggested that I see if I could find it for less online. It was going to be $130 first month and $65/month after that. I found a lot of online places were close in price, but ended up finding one that was $82 for the first month.

 

[Geoff_M]

Before giving your pet any anti-inflammatory drugs on your own, you may want to consult this reference manual.

 

[hiwaygal]

Try here for a prescription card for your dog. It's free and it works most places.

http://www.yourrxcard.com/

I used it about a month ago at Walmart for a drug for my dog. Regular price of the med was $300 for a one month supply; with the card I only paid $130.

Also consider adding spirulina to your dogs food to help gain some pep.

I give my dog baby aspirin but only every other day for about a week or so, then I stop.

 

[WDWBarb]

Please don't give your dog OTC human medicine without speaking to your vet first. A very dear friend of mine recently lost her much beloved dog because her DH did just this (with the best of intentions, I promise) to try and help the dog through some arthritis pain.

People pills can be very deadly to animals.

 

[Jey12]

Do not give your dog any OTC medication unless your vet directs you to do so. Aspirin is not completely safe for dogs. It can cause blood thinning and stomach ulcers, especially with long term use. Some dogs it does seem to help and they don't have obvious side effects, but in general it has not been proven to help dogs with arthritis pain. It was once used because nothing was available that was safe to give your dog at home for pain relief. Ibuprofen is not processed in the dog's body the same way it is ours and can cause serious life threatening bleeding ulcers and liver problems. Tylenol can also cause very serious complications with your pet.

What is your dog on? If it's Rimadyl there's a generic form of this now available that's cheaper. Normally a vet will require you to bring your dog in every 6-12 months for liver and kidney blood tests if they are one drugs such as Deramaxx and Rimadyl. Otherwise they should be able to mail you the script if your dog is not due for bloodwork. Pharmacies such as walmart, cvs, walgreens and target often carry the most common types of pain relievers for dogs or at least can have them ordered for you. Like a PP suggested you can then use a drug reduction card for your dog to purchase them there.

I strongly recommend against using pet meds express and 1800 pet meds, or companies like this. They get the drugs they sell from questionable sources. Usually they are purchased on the european market and the storage and handling of the drugs is not known. If your dog has a side effect and you have purchased your meds through sites like this the manufacturer will not back their product because they do not endorse these companies. If you ask your vet sometimes they will try to match the price as best they can and mail you your order. I've found the price difference really isn't all that great on many of the items anyway.

Your best bet is to call your vet and ask about mail ordering the meds through their office and also calling larger pharmacies in your area to see if they carry the drug. Some of the larger "human" pharmacies also offer orders by mail. Your vet should at least be able to give you a 3 month supply at one time. The only problem is of course you'd have to pay for all 3 months upfront.

 

[RNMOM]

We had our former dog on ascriptin...it is aspirin with an antacid in it. She eventually started vomiting blood up so we had to stop it.

Do speak with your vet about what is safe or not. They need to know what your dog is on as far as other drugs interracting too.

 

[nhrenee]

I strongly recommend against using pet meds express and 1800 pet meds, or companies like this. They get the drugs they sell from questionable sources. Usually they are purchased on the european market and the storage and handling of the drugs is not known. If your dog has a side effect and you have purchased your meds through sites like this the manufacturer will not back their product because they do not endorse these companies. If you ask your vet sometimes they will try to match the price as best they can and mail you your order. I've found the price difference really isn't all that great on many of the items anyway.

Yikes! Would you please direct to your sources so I can look into this? Thanks.

 

[wenrob]

What is the drug?




FWIW, my FIL gave his old standard poodle glucosamine and chondroitin, and the dog just thrived on it. Got a spring back in his step for his last year or so.

We had our black lab on those for years, suggested by the vet he said was the same as the perscription. He did awesome on it for years. We'd buy the liquid form and pour it on his food.

Eta: of course it depends on what your dog needs to be on and supervised by his vet.

 

[keypooh90]

Of course check with your vet, but our elderly daschund (now passed away- lived to 21 years old), was on aspirin for years in addition to her perscribed med for arthritis. Our vet cleared it and we now use it with our other pets occassionally when they get random aches/pains from playing too hard.

 

[Jey12]

Yikes! Would you please direct to your sources so I can look into this? Thanks.

I have worked as a registered vet tech for over 15 years. When they first came out they were dispensing scripted medication to patients without a pharmacy license in those states. They have been forbidden to sell to certain states because of this. If you call your vet's office they can also explain to you why they don't encourage their clients to order from these places. If you call the drug manufacturer directly they can confirm they do not directly sell their product to these companies as well.

So how do they get all of these medications? No one knows for sure. They say they are like a large pharmacy for human meds like walgreens or CVS, except they are for pets. Yet Walgreens orders their meds directly from the manufacturer or a reputable distribution company. The internet pharmacies like pet meds do not and cannot do this. I have yet to find an answer or hear one that says exactly where the meds come from, how they are stored or anything related to these issues. Any meds bought from these internet pharmacy companies is not backed by their original manufacturer's warranty. Now 1800 pet meds will tell you that they personally will provide the same warranty and sometimes better than what you'd get through the original manufacturer. Why? Why would they willingly need to offer to spend their own money when if purchased correctly this burden would fall on the company that actually makes this product? I can only assume they do this because they are making a far greater profit off of selling questionable products and the warranty claims are few and far between. Not many people are going to go through the mess of filing a claim like this. It would be very difficult to prove your pet's thyroid condition did not improve due a fault caused by the medication, the same would hold true with heartworm pills, pain meds and so many others.

I will be the first one to say saving 50 cents a day can add up over time. At the expense of my pet's health? It's not worth it. I promise you that your regular, non corporate vet is not making a ton of money off of medications. Most vets are more than happy to call in a prescription for you to a reputable company to save you money. I would trust that there's a very good reason these same vets will try to talk you out of utilizing an internet pet pharmacy.

 

[hiwaygal]

Yikes! Would you please direct to your sources so I can look into this? Thanks.

You won't find any, or at least very few.

A few years ago there were some cases of flea and heartworm meds that were packaged similarly to those sold at the vet but were not the same or were expired. I don't know if that ever got corrected, but I'm guessing the FDA did something to make sure that was taken care of.

In reality most reputable online pet pharmacies are just fine. All of the vets I've worked with over the past 10 years or more have supported the use of them (I used PetCareRX) for my dog's thyroid medication, heartworm meds, and some others. For obvious reasons, I was not able to use them for insulin for my diabetic dogs.

There are some questionable veterinary offices out there who want to keep all the money they make off expensive medications for themselves. Those are the ones I'd be wary of...for they are more concerned about their profit than they are about your ability to continually care for your pet.

Too many people will decide to euthanize a pet with manageable illnesses because of the cost of medications (i.e. diabetic dogs). Concerned veterinarians are learning that enabling the owners to obtain medications in cost effective ways keeps animals alive and healthy longer.

Talk with your vet about different options, talk to a holistic vet about inexpensive supplements (for arthritis, glucosamine and chondroitin are well accepted, and you can find good quality supplements at petsmart or petco).

And see if you can get that prescription at walmart or a closer pharmacy and get that card!!


edited to add the FDA information about online pet pharmacies: http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/resourcesforyou/animalhealthliteracy/ucm203000.htm

 

[connorlevismom]

He is on Deramaxx. 1/2 a pill a day. I just picked up his perscription last night at the vet clinic. I hesitate to even try anything else because I see this drug working SO WELL for him. It is like he is a totally different dog. I just wonder if I can get it cheaper somewhere.....

 

[Pea-n-Me]

#3 ~ Dogs *can* have aspirin. Not Tylenol. Not Ibuprofen, but plain ol' aspirin is fine. I always have a bottle in the house for both them, and in case of a heart attack.

Signed ~

The Hypchondriac

Agreed.

There is some controversy over giving dogs coated vs. uncoated aspirin. Studies have shown that often the coated aspirin "comes out" whole (on the other end) so they don't actually get much benefit from it. For this reason, if I give aspirin, I give it uncoated.

Of course, in dogs or people, you would watch for signs of bleeding if they're taking Aspirin OR NSAIDs. Digested blood comes out black (black, tarry stools); undigested comes out red.

One of my dogs was on baby aspirin twice a day for years (for spondylosis of the spine). He never had any GI problems from it. Obviously, always check with your vet before giving it, for dosage and safety issues.

 

[luvwinnie]

I am with those who have warned against buying drugs from any place other than your vet. You may want to check around at larger animal hospitals though and if their price is lower, maybe your vet would be understanding and give you a script. My understanding is the drug companies won't even stand behind products you buy online. Deramaxx can have serious side effects and I sure would not want to take a chance of getting it from a source I was not confident about. Hope your pooch is feeling better for a long time.

 

[Dragonfly_34]

My mom gave her dog glucosamine and he did really well, but I don't know if she talked to her vet about it first.

You might ask your vet about Rimadyl ~ that's what we give our dogs. It might be cheaper than Deramaxx.