I just realized that most Dr’s say not to give babies / children aspirin, do they even make baby aspirin anymore? I remember getting baby aspirin as a child ( it wasn’t that long ago!)
That’s very strange - I’ve never ever heard of glucosamine making anyone sleepy - dog nor human. All it is composed of is a sugar and an amino acid that are produced in the joints.
Stomach upset should be about the extent of its side-effects if it’s given on an empty stomach, and people who are allergic to shellfish can’t take it because that’s what it is derived from.
There is an injectible form of it called Adequan, which works really well, but of course that means having to endure multiple injections - about 6, if I remember right.
Has your vet taken any blood tests or anything? Perhaps something else is troubling her. You probably don’t live in an area where there are a lot of ticks, but if they are around, that would definitely be something to look out for - tick diseases can cause arthritis-like symptoms and make a dog feel pretty funky.
Do you have any vets in your area who do house calls? Of course it costs more, but if she’s really scared of going to the vet, having someone come to her might be an option. When our JC was getting chemo, he needed a blood test every few weeks and the wear and tear saved on all of us by the house calls was definitely worth it - he throws up almost every single time he has to go in the car.
Baby aspirin still exists; I used to work in a pediatric cardiology office, and some of our patients were on it for cardiac-related reasons. You can also find it marketed as a “low dose” aspirin for adults who want to take it for preventing heart attacks.
Now I’m totally lost BF. Marge IS taking Rimadyl, and they told me that it’s basically “Glucosamine and Chondroitin” and you’re saying it’s not?
Either way, it made her puke, so I don’t know if I’ll keep her on it.
She may be sleepy, romansperson, because she can’t keep any food down. I guess I was just over optimistic regarding the Rimadyl. I thought she’d take it once and be ready to play, like it was a pain killer.
We also had to change her food from the kind she’s been eating for four years because she needs to lose weight. So perhaps it’s not the pill making her sleepy, but all the changes.
It’s just so weird. On Saturday she was fine, on Sunday she didn’t want to walk.
J
Rimadyl is NOT the same thing as Glucosamine/Chondritin. Rimadyl is the brand name for an anti-inflammatory pain killer (carprofen) that is somewhat related to ibuprofen and ketoprofen. Official website:
Glucosamine & Chondritin are, as already noted, amino acids that have NO painkilling properties. What they do is create a healthier fluid in the joint space, and subsequently the animal feels less pain because the joint is supported. It takes a month or more to see results from supplementing orally with Glucosamine/Chondritin. I know some people who swear by it for their dog; others who have seen no results.
Poor Margie!
Yes, definitely, if she’s on Rimadyl and it’s making her puke, stop giving it to her. Rimadyl’s chemical name is carprofen, and it is chemically similar to (not the same as) ibuprofen, better known by its various trade names, such as Advil and Motrin. It was originally developed for humans, but for some reason never sold well, and ended up being trotted out again for use in animals. Rimadyl, Advil, aspirin and its ilk are all known as NSAIDs, which stands for Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs. They work by reducing inflammation, and therefore pain. Unfortunately, they tend to share the side effect of sometimes causing stomach ulcers. This effect seems to be more pronounced in dogs than it is in people. Rimadyl has been a big deal in the pet world because it seems to cause this less often than aspirin in dogs, and way less often than something like Advil would (which is why you aren’t supposed to give Advil to dogs). It still can cause stomach ulceration, though, and it can also cause liver damage, which is why if your dog is on it long-term, you should get liver function tests done to make sure everything is OK.
There are a couple other newer NSAIDs out there for dogs, too - Etogesic is one of them. It’s still in the same family as the other drugs above, but some dogs who cannot tolerate Rimadyl will do fine on Etogesic, and vice versa. Unfortunately, one other NSAID that has been used in Canada and Europe for quite some time and is reported to be very well tolerated by dogs has not yet been officially approved for use on them here in the US. In other places, its called Metacam - it was just made available for humans in the US a year or two ago, under the brand name Mobic. While you might be able to talk your vet into prescribing it (not all drugs used on a regular basis in veterinary medicine are necessarily specifically approved for use in animals), it would be most likely godawful expensive to do so. A vet I know who lives in the Southwest uses it for a couple of her dogs, but she can get it from Mexico where it is much cheaper.
I’ve been wondering if the newer NSAIDS like Vioxx and Celebrex would be OK for dogs, but I’ve only seen one study so far, and it’s probably too expensive to be much of a consideration at this point, even if it was known to be safe.
Gluco and Chondro are not in this drug family - their mode of action is completely different. They are often called “nutraceuticals” because they are things that are naturally occuring in living creatures and aren’t regulated by the FDA. Their incidence of side effects is low.
And in case anyone wants to know how I know all this stuff, I was a pharmacy technician earlier in life and I’ve had dogs for a long time, so I like to know what I am giving my dog. I also write a column called Exploring Drug Therapies for a quarterly dog magazine.
jar, I just googled on Rimadyl and the first hit was this page. I have only scanned it, but it seems to have loads of information about it. When my dog was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, the vet first had him on G and C for about 6 months with no visible effect. After that, he recommended the Rimadyl, and the info he provided to me indicated that it was an arthritic medicine, ie., anti-inflammatory and pain relief. The G and C is supposed to help grow, maintain joint tissue. Rimadyl was the second alternative (which I think the main ingredient is carprofen, which sounds very aspirin-ish to me). The third was hip replacement surgery. Even though the big guy is my third arm, $4200 is a wee bit steep for an (at the time) 11 year old GS. As it is, the Rimadyl runs $75 a month.
geez, take a bathroom break and everyone has a better answer!! Hello Again and romansperson answered mo better than I did, jar.
Jarbaby I’m sorry to hear about Margie. Did your vet consider that perhaps she’s throwing up the pills is because she’s taking them on an empty stomach? Switching food can cause stomach problems in dogs. The easiest way to do it, is to mix the two foods (old and new) together in progressive stages until you’re at the new food totally. Depending on how used she is to the old food, it can take a long time until she can tolerate the new food. You might want to try giving her some plain bread (add cheese if she won’t take it plain) a couple of hours before the medication. This may help her keep it down.
As for the vet tech…she clearly should NEVER have attempted to take a strange dog’s temperature until greeting the dog first. If this is her SOP than I’m afraid she’s in for many more bites.
I think that you should complain about to her to your vet, and not take the dog back until you are assured that she won’t be in the room with you. I’m sure that with all of her hysterics after the nip, that Margie does not have good feeling toward her. You might also want to consider a head collar (like a Halti) to wear at the vets, or other places where her behavior is unpredictable. I had a Karelian Bear Dog who though not necessarily bad around children, could be nervous, and unpredictable. I liked the extra security that a head collar gave me, as well as the fact that it didn’t bother him. It just closed his mouth with pressure on the leash. Also, people were a bit more tentative and careful around him when I had the head collar on.
Good wished to you and Margie, from me and Boo-the Wonder dog!
Jar
Please don’t worry about Marge being taken away. It seems to me that getting nipped by a dog who’s hurting goes with the job of being a vet/vet tech.
You said that Marge hates going to the vet, she could be a little upset and that is why she threw up the medicine. Give her a day to relax a little and then try again. Up until today has she been eating/drinking normally?
Please call your vet and tell him about the horrible attitude of the vet tech. Then if possible, I would get a second opinion.
Also, here is a cite with lots of information about dog arthritis.
I hope Marge is feeling frisky again very soon.
I really sympathize with the vet fear/vet tech thing. My cat is also terrified of being at the vet. He has a big orange “vicious animal” sticker on his chart, but mostly it means that they don’t make the assumption that he will be easy to work with.
I have also pretty much vetoed the vet tech exam prior to having the vet come in. My animal is already upset and traumatized, I don’t want him to be handled more than necessary. I talk with the tech about what’s going on so they can get started on whatever is necessary, but no one touches him until the vet comes into the room. Then all the handling is over in one step. They also bring me the bill in the room so that we don’t have to go back into the scary waiting room.
I don’t know if any of this would help you in the future, but it works for me.
I know why Marge can’t keep her food down: She’s gotten a taste of the Vet Tech and won’t be satisfied until she gets to EAT HER!
I’m kidding. I was also going to recommend Rimadyl, but others have already done so. I think Marge sounds particularly stressed out, so be patient, I believe it may take some time to get her back to her old self again.
In the meantime, I can’t believe you’re this upset and stressed out yourself and have not registered a complaint with the vet or owner of the animal hospital. I’d make it my personal mission to make that vet tech jobless if they didn’t call me back within 24 hours – let alone if they labeled my baby a problem child. You really should go in there and give 'em a piece of your mind… in classic jarbaby rant fashion. Then come back her and let us all know how it turned out.
Hugs and sloppy kisses for Marge.
Marge seems back to her old self today. We played some fetch, went for a walk, she jumped up into bed, which was nice. She seems a little stiff in the morning…
BUT WHO ISN’T???
<pause for laughter>
I researched Rimadyl online and have decided not to give it to her, seeing the first sentence of the description is “A pain killer with sometimes fatal side effects”. She seems to be doing fine without it, so now I’m leaning towards a twisted ankle or something rather than arthritis.
I’ve written a letter to the Head of the vet hospital and requested that a copy of it be sent to the County along with the bite report, and also that a copy be in her files to assure that we never deal with that tech again.
SO THERE.
Marge says hi, and she’d like to lick your toes.
Aww, I’m glad she feels better. And I hope it made you feel better to write that letter, too.
Does Marge like feet too? Our JC will lick my husband’s toes. As a matter of fact, all our animals seem to be enamored of his feet. I should probably speak to him about that …
Marge won’t let us go to sleep until she’s ‘groomed’ us. We get our feet or ears licked every night.
It’s her job.
Yeah, I’ll chime in with the rest & say that vet tech is an idiot. (As if you didn’t already know that by now!)
But what really galls me is that she’s going to report your dog to the state as a “biter”. That could really “bite” you in the ass down the road. Especially if you’re ever planning to move to Lake County.
Sunday’s Chicago Tribune had an article on Lake County’s policy towards “bad dogs”. If a dog has a record of ever biting someone, it’s offically labeled “vicious”. Vicious dogs are required to wear a muzzle, be kept on a 3-foot chain when outdoors, and be caged while unsupervised. Dogs that are not kept properly restrained can be destroyed. And the designation is a life sentence for the dog–the only way to overturn it is to go to court!
And if that’s not bad enough, a new program has been proposed there which will list the description, name, and address of “biters” on a County Website. So your doggie will be in a catagory previously only given to convicted sex offenders!
So her (over)reaction to her own incompetence could have some very real consequences for your dog. I’d discuss this with someone higher up at the clinic, and see if maybe the report to the state can be reconsidered.
That’s why I wrote the letter describing the circumstances of the ‘bite’. I’m hoping it can also be filed with the County and may shed some light on how ‘vicious’ my seven year old, scared-of-feathers-and-telephones, beagle mix is. :rolleyes:
J