Our question this week was:What OTC people meds, other than aspirin, are safe for dogs with joint pain? The dog in question is a 9 to 12 year old Akita with a bad hip. I am a single mother and unable to afford the higher priced dog remedies. She has 1 bad hip; cold weather bothers and makes her stiff.
Jennifer WoodAnswerHi – thanks for your email. Sorry to hear about your dogs hip problem. Some dogs can be sensitive to human medications. The best medications on the market for dogs that require anti-inflammatory therapy are veterinary drugs which are not OTC.
Some drugs that work well include:
Rimadyl
Deramaxx
Ectogesic
These drugs all have side effects, as does aspirin, and should be used at the lowest possible dose to achieve benefits. These drugs should also not be combined with steroids or aspirin.
Another thing you can do to help your dog is to make sure your dog is at an ideal weight (not over-weight). The extra weight can really make hip problems worse.
An article that might be helpful to you is on our Petplace.com library is "Hip Dysplasia in Dogs"
Best of luck!
Dr. Jon
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