Question About Rimadyl For Old Dogs

[Baxlse]

Hi again,

We did start off on Monotard (1.5 units!) now we're on Caninsulin which we have to give more of, same as you. I'm pretty sure they stopped producing the Monotard which is why we had to change.

Mick is doing much better on the Caninsulin but his BG was very low when he went in yesterday so we've reduced his dose & he'll go back in a few weeks. Mick won't eat when he has to stay overnight but is fine for a day stay.

[curlyking]

Arghhhhh what to do????

For an older dog I would give rimadyl for quality of life over quantity of life BUT I would look at other options first.

For a young pup or dog no way would I use rimadyl. metacam, cartophen (sp) which I am led to believe is another form of or name for rimadyl.

What from my own experience I would do is contact Robert McDowell

http://herbal-treatments.com.au/index.html

I had a 7 year old with big problems with fused vertebrae and arthritis and we tried rimadyl and methasone then went on to matacam. the metacam worked OK but the vet then suggested I try a then new product called Beneloc Active (www.benelox.com.au) The change was instant and spectacular and we used that for about 12 months before and found it excellent. I ran out of the Benelox accidently and used Robert McDowell's Anti inflammatory mix which I had for another dog. The difference is remarkable. This dog which struggled to move is now happy, active- albiet not a 3 year old - and at 10 year of age pretty well keeps up with the younger dogs in the yard.

I do think the thing a lot of people using rimadyl fail to do is the blood work. If using rimadyl you shouild have blood tests before you go on to i and then regular tests while using it. Only then can you monitor the situation. As with every drug, there will be dogs that can handle it and others that simply cannot. Each person needs to make the judgement for their own dog.

Good luck

Edited December 20, 2005 by curlyking

[nature_vet]

For a young pup or dog no way would I use rimadyl. metacam, cartophen (sp) which I am led to believe is another form of or name for rimadyl.

Hi - just be careful with your spelling of Carprofen and Cartrophen as you may be getting confused - these are two completely different drugs!

Carprofen - this is the name of the active molecule found in Rimadyl (there are generic Rimadyls that use the trade name Carprofen so this is where you may have heard it)

Cartrophen - these are the injections people often refer to for arthritis, they are a disease modifying natural treatment with generally excellent results and virtually no side effects (never say never) - we actually make a version called Pentosan 100 which some of you may of heard of - this is exactly the same product however Pentosan 100 is wholly made in Australia by us whereas Cartrophen in made in Europe.

If you are interested in exploring other options for pain relief Nature Vet make an anti-inflammatory similar to Rimadyl and Metacam called Cu-Algesic. Although i am not allowed to promote it to the general public (as your vet should be the one to decide what medication is given to your dog) you can check out the details on our website www.naturevet.com you may be surprised at how good it really is particularly in regards to side effects

[erinkate]

Yer the google searches on rimadyl don't sound very promising...my dog has HD and I've had him on Flexicose, someone from this forum recommended it to me and it is the most fantastic stuff, I noticed the difference within like a week. It's liquid glucosamine, chrondroitin, and all that other good stuff. The pup was in pain before and now he can jump into the back of the car.

www.flexicose.com

$30 American, but the shipping is free and it always arrives within a week

Edited December 21, 2005 by erinkate

[curlyking]

Hi - just be careful with your spelling of Carprofen and Cartrophen as you may be getting confused - these are two completely different drugs!

Thanks for this explanation Nature Vet. I knew there were two medications but was not sure which was which.

[nature_vet]

No worries