dogbesotted Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 Pain relief in the oldies can be a real balancing act and a trade-off. I wasn't happy with Macs pain control so while we were with the internal medicine specialist for other things we discussed it. Mac had been prescribed Loxicom (metacam) as an anti- inflammatory and for pain control three to four times a week ( as apparently long term use can affect the kidneys). The specialist said its effects only lasted 24 hours so what we were doing was essentially giving him a good day followed by a bad day and then a good day and so on. Not good. So we decided at his age ( just 15 ) that it was better to give him quality of life and control the pain and inflammation of his arthritis and give him a dose of the Loxicom daily in the morning, despite the kidney risk. I also make sure he has plenty of water mixed in with each meal and his kidneys so far are fine. He still pees pale, in good quantity like a trooper!! His last blood panel was very good for such an elderly dog. He then has Gabapentin at night. Mac has had Tramadol post-surgically - but it doesn't work long enough for it to be effective here for longer-term pain relief. I know that seems like a huge amount if pain relief but I've found its made a huge difference to him - he's still a very spritely old man - as long as he gets his meds. If he doesn't it does make a difference to him and he struggles. Hope that helps. ETA: Oh and the good thing about the Gabapentin is its an oldie but a goodie - and its relatively cheap!! thanks.. will discuss the Gabapentin as well. DD is very sweet the matacam really really messes with his digestive tract causing terrible Dire Rear.. and dire it is..literally all over the place last time.. he was mortified. Thank the Dog Gods for Ikea and their wonderful washable covers... H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 Oh he is a gorgeous ol' fella DBS ???????????? i am a bit soft on him have been since the moment i got him out of his birth sack in the middle of my back paddock...we bonded instantly :) H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 1428480157[/url]' post='6675738']1428478087[/url]' post='6675719']Pain relief in the oldies can be a real balancing act and a trade-off. I wasn't happy with Macs pain control so while we were with the internal medicine specialist for other things we discussed it. Mac had been prescribed Loxicom (metacam) as an anti- inflammatory and for pain control three to four times a week ( as apparently long term use can affect the kidneys). The specialist said its effects only lasted 24 hours so what we were doing was essentially giving him a good day followed by a bad day and then a good day and so on. Not good. So we decided at his age ( just 15 ) that it was better to give him quality of life and control the pain and inflammation of his arthritis and give him a dose of the Loxicom daily in the morning, despite the kidney risk. I also make sure he has plenty of water mixed in with each meal and his kidneys so far are fine. He still pees pale, in good quantity like a trooper!! His last blood panel was very good for such an elderly dog. He then has Gabapentin at night. Mac has had Tramadol post-surgically - but it doesn't work long enough for it to be effective here for longer-term pain relief. I know that seems like a huge amount if pain relief but I've found its made a huge difference to him - he's still a very spritely old man - as long as he gets his meds. If he doesn't it does make a difference to him and he struggles. Hope that helps. ETA: Oh and the good thing about the Gabapentin is its an oldie but a goodie - and its relatively cheap!! thanks.. will discuss the Gabapentin as well. DD is very sweet the matacam really really messes with his digestive tract causing terrible Dire Rear.. and dire it is..literally all over the place last time.. he was mortified. Thank the Dog Gods for Ikea and their wonderful washable covers... H The Gabapentin is well worth looking into - after the specialist suggested it for Mac one of my regular vets looked into it for his old dog and I hear it's worked well for him too. Sorry to hear the loxicom doesn't work for you - I'm finding it pretty good for Mac. Hope you can find something else that helps. I'm coming to the conclusion that if you can keep their pain and inflammation under control old dogs can lead full, high quality lives. ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VizslaMomma Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) Oh he is a gorgeous ol' fella DBS i am a bit soft on him have been since the moment i got him out of his birth sack in the middle of my back paddock...we bonded instantly :) H He's a most sweet chap! Edited April 8, 2015 by VizslaMomma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brookestar Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 ETA: Oh and the good thing about the Gabapentin is its an oldie but a goodie - and its relatively cheap!! Gabapentin is a good one and also very cheap, much cheaper from a chemist than a vet, so I recently discovered. The vet had none in stock and was unable to get any in before it run out, so wrote me a prescription to get one filled at a standard pharmacy (since it is a human medication). I did not even know it was possible to do. Ended up paying $16 for 100 tablets, verses $48 at the vet!! I have since found discount pharmacies stocking it for $9 per 100 tablets. My dog is however being weaned from it, so hopefully will not need it for long. Gabapentin is primarily for nerve pain, and often dogs have multiple issues going on. If the dog only has arthritis it is not likely to be of any use, but if there is any nerve damage/pain which is common in older dogs, then it would be great. Weakness in the rear end is often the result of nerve pain/damage, stiffness is the sign of arthritis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Thanks for the tip Brookestar - I'll ask the vet for a script next time I'm there. I paid $33 for 100 capsules last time I was there and compared with the Loxicom it was dirt cheap. But $9.00 would be even better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I am of the belief this stuff caused Grumpy's dementia. I would never give it to a dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbesotted Posted April 19, 2015 Author Share Posted April 19, 2015 just a little update.. DD is on the 100mg tabs 2 times a day... seems to have helped.. his time spent out and about has increased immensely H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VizslaMomma Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 just a little update.. DD is on the 100mg tabs 2 times a day... seems to have helped.. his time spent out and about has increased immensely H That's brilliant for you both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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