Hi all,

One of my dear old girls has come to the time aged 15 where she need some pain relief. She has been on every supplement possible for many years but the last few days has been panting heavily and has a worried look in her eye. So off to vets today to rule out lung,heart problems,all sounds ok there so looking like joint pain.

We have been given Rimadyl for her but after looking online I am petrified of the stuff and convinced I am going to finish her off with it!! She had her first dose tonight and she has been so much happier with no panting at all so clearly feels a lot better but I am so worried about the side effects. Was thinking about going back to vet and asking for Metacam but the Rimadyl seems to have helped so much.

Can anyone offer me some comfort about using this drug,particularly with Oldies..... Maybe if I continue with it I should get a blood panel checked first?

Thankyou for any opinions or thoughts.

To be honest at 15 she is realistically on borrowed time, so anything that keeps her pain free is better than the alternative of putting her to sleep to save suffering.

Organ failure is the most likely thing to end her life anyway, as barring contagious disease or Cancer that is the reason dogs (and us die) of natural causes, a major organ simply wears out.

If you Google Metacam you will find just as many bad reports. Some dogs can't cope with some drugs, just like some people are allergic to penicillin. The risk is very small.

Thankyou both for your replies...... Yes,I guess we are on the slippery slope now. She has been amazing for her age and her Dam lived until 16 ... I just didn't want to accelerate anything with the Rimadyl. She is still panting a bit tonight but not as much.... Does the Rimadyl take a few days to be fully effective?

Thanks again and sorry for the daft spelling on the post title..... Damn predictive text and too late to edit!!

Turmeric or better, golden paste (turmeric/coconut oil/black pepper).  A very potent natural anti-inflammatory, much safer than rimadyl et al and often, much more effective too.

Thankyou for your reply Nikita. Funnily enough I ordered a jar of golden paste for her however she got so bad with the he heavy laboured breathing we were worried there was a heart/ lung or tumour issue going on. Do you know if the golden paste can be fed alongside the Rimadyl and then phase the Rimadyl out once the inflammation goes?
She really was in so much pain I am reluctant to wait for the golden paste to work and the warnings with the golden paste do include liver damage which is a risk with Rimadyl so probably I'm thinking not good to use both together.

Thought appreciated but she is a happy,not panting old lady today.

For me, it's a question of weighing up the possible side-effects (from long term use) against the benefit of the pain relief such meds will give.   Fact is she may, sadly, not survive long enough for any side-effects to be seen.   As she's now 15, I'd go for what works!!!

Thankyou Mamabas...... Yes I agree about not worrying about long term damage at her age. What worried me was the reports of very quick deterioration of the liver which her breed are apparantly more predisposed to from Rimadyl. She is remarkable for her age and I don't want to give her a drug to send her downhill but also I must relieve her discomfort.... It's so hard to find where to draw the line.

I have for now thought about using the Rimadyl short term and using milk thistle to support her liver at the same time. This bad spell was brought on by her loonying round with our other dogs after tennis balls so I'm hoping that if I can get the inflammation under control I can switch to gentler help for her and try not to let her over do things again.

I have used it alongside NDAIDs generally, although not rimadyl specifically but the risks with all NSAIDs are pretty much the same.  I would likely give them separate to be on the safe side I must say, but I consider golden paste/raw turmeric to be considerably safer than rimadyl.

The milk thistle is a good idea as is the exercise plan.  With any arthritic problems, less is definitely more in terms of exercise - little and often is much, much better than one big walk or very active walk, and it's known to actually improve osteoarthritis.

Ditto any joint pain really, from my personal experience and from my dogs'.

Thanks Nikita :)

It's a tricky one re the exercise. She is a working Gundog and is still desperate to come along . I am thinking of keeping a supple of Rimadyl in case she has a bad evening after working as they seem to work very quickly But was hoping to start phasing in the Tumeric once the inflammation has settled down.

I totally take on board re the little and often which we can do for the next month but as from early November she will be heartbroken to be left at home so may have to go for quality of life and get the strong stuff back into her... We will see how she goes... Thanks agin :)

Have a hound that's nearer 11 than 10 who's been supported by pain relief periodically since the age of two for severe growth plate problems to both front legs, H.D, early onset of arthritis & other problems. I've always been aware of the side effects of N.S.A.I.D.S & it's caused no end of heart ache but was advised years ago to allow him to do what he wanted, to enjoy the time he had & if meant giving him pain relief so he could run for his ball, then allow it, 'you could loose him under a bus next month!'. Quality of life has been our aim, & Rimadyl has been the most effective, there are horror stories but there are also success's. We've supplemented him with natural remedies with the assistance of his vet, never did we think he'd reach his present age without the inevitable decision that one day we'll have to make but he's still here, good day's far out numbering bad & enjoying life. The latest concern is the effect it's had on his stomach but also suffering auto immune he's doing really well on P.L.T, & the addition of aloe vera juice has certainly helped. Also use Turmeric, joint supplements, fish oils, evening primrose & have had so side effects from using them other than positive, I've yet to try slippery elm. Have you thought of cartrophen injections, I can really tell when his next one is due. Good Luck.

Lacy..... Thankyou so much for your reply. It sounds like you have given your dog the perfect combination of drugs and supplements so he can have a fun,high quality life. I completely agree with you about making them comfortable enough to do anything they want to do. It's lovely to read a success story like yours and I hope you have may more fun years together.
Thankyou for the reassurance about the Rimadyl... I am terrified of it but it worked and she was happy that evening which is more important than seeing that worried look in her eyes. I haven't given her one since that first night but she is looking so much happier I don't feel I need to and I know they work quickly and I have them if needed.
Interesting you mention the slippery elm... I was planning to use this on her periodically to soothe her stomach lining and hopefully heal any damage. I have also just started her on Tumeric,Boswelia,black pepper and coconut oil paste which is a strong anti inflammatory so we'll see how she goes.

Thankyou again for sharing your success story, the love and care you have shown him must have helped him enormously x

Hi,
My old boy is 14 ,our vets put him on tramadol for last 5-6 months as he could not tolerate either of the anti inflamms  they gave him, I also top him up with super strength bosweila ,and the yumove advance twice aday they.have really has helped keep him relatively pain free, He has very bad hips, front end too , but he still is up for a short game wiv the pup , even if not a snuggle,  that I am so desperate to see,(he is till missing his 14 year old best friend he lost a few months back)as am i,,

Have you thought about acupuncture ? It helped my old girl in her last year or so a great deal, it's worth a try maybe,

I Hope her remaining time with you can be as comfitable as possibly it can be, and that you enjoy every last precious minite of it with her, however painful it will be for you,
Thinking of you x

Both drugs have their problems .I don't favour one over the other tbh.make sure either are fed with food so not on an empty stomach and as brainless says if u have come this far maybe it's what she needs now.otherwise talk to your vet about other options as mention tramadol. if that has any less problems is debatable if unfortunately  a  dog is sensitive.i woudl say at this to ein her life she needs to be comfortable

Pamper99...... Thankyou for your reply and your kind words. Sorry about your loss..... They really do take a piece of you with them don't they.

She is now on Tramadol while we make the switch from Rimadyl to Metacam . She is looking and acting so much happier,still a bit huffy and puffy but I believe she does have mild Laryngeal paralysis and also the Tramadol increases panting. Just felt too wobbly giving her the Rimadyl..... She is the breed that is the most predisposed to liver failure on it so I felt it would,be safer to try Metacam first and if that didn't help her we would either try Tramadol only or Rimadyl.

I have used acupuncture in the past on oldies with good results. She is also on Tumeric paste with Boswelia added.

Furriefriends.... Thankyou....I agree with you,it's all about quality of life. We start working them this month and I would love to get her out for a few retrieves,she will be heartbroken to be left behind so I am hoping to find the most effective pain relief program for her so she can do a little bit of what she loves.

Good luck I hope u find something that suits u both