[paradiddle1]

We have a new doggie that has developed a slight limp. Probably from being boarded for 10 days at our Daycare and all that activity. She is a 11 month old 52# hound mix. She has that slight head bob and i think its the left front paw.

We have had experience with our previous 50# hound mix with torn rear acl, rimadyl/tramadol and surgery. That was much more serious with holding up that leg.

We want to do more self treating and understand that Aspirin may be ok for these minor problems

 

[oldhounddog]

I have been advised by my Vet not give aspirin because the risk of gastrointestinal problems is great. I try to keep Rimadyl on hand.

oldhounddog

 

[paradiddle1]

I would assume that a vet would only recommend Rimadyl. I think that aspirin , coated or buffered, given with food would reduce the possibility of tummy problems. I think Rimadyl has these same cautions. I want to be able to self treat without the expense of a vet , needless x-rays and an expensive drug. we humans do the same if we get these minor problems.

 

[WestieLove]

I would just suck it up and pay the vet bills. You can always get pet insurance or set aside a little bit of money every month to put toward potential vet bills. Doing a workup with your veterinarian seems expensive but you are going to find out where your dog is in pain to treat accordingly and infact it could be a more serious problem then you may think. A dog can limp for all sorts of reasons and self treating is not necessarily the right answer. Asprin has the gastrointestinal side effects including pain, bleeding, and ulceration and should not be used unless prescribed by a veterinarian in specific doses. If there is other medication involved you can even encounter drug interactions. Even with coated asprin there is still a great risk.

If you find it expensive, get pet insurance or put money aside each month. If that's still too much... don't have a dog? If you plan to try to self treat at least speak to your veterinarian (there are doses you should keep on hand ie benadryl) but I would recommend against self treating for the most part.

How long has the dog been limping for? Is there any swelling? Are you able to localize the pain? Broken nails? Cut pads? What's its TPR? so many questions.

Edit: you should never assume anything. Never assume what a veterinarian will recommend. Their recommendations will depend on the findings in the exam. See the above questions.

 

[mashlee08]

Go to the vet. If you want to self diagnose yourself by all means do so. But your dog has no voice of its own and it would be selfish of anyone to deny an animal in pain treatment from a veterinarian. He could be limping for any reason and unless you know how to do a thorough examination (which a lot of people don't) then you can't diagnose. When giving your dog anything always ask a vet. Prescriptions drugs are prescription for a reason.

 

[Mheath0429]

Before jumping into aspirin, try a supplement first. I would try nupro silver or annamaet endure. Either will provi nutrients that starved bones and joints need and are safer for your pet than aspirin.

 

[paradiddle1]

Ok Ok I get it. I have sucked it up before and can show you the bills. ($6900 last year). Believe me I have had extensive bills at my vet, surgeon, oncologist with previous dog that had TPLO and cancer. They know us very well and have a photo of our other dog in the office. We also have a cat with diabetes that we take care of. I have checked paws and manipulated his limps to check for wincing etc. Its a very slight limp.

In my opinion we need to take charge of our pets health because , believe it or not, the vets don't know it all and are prone to overtreat and overtest in my opinion. and sometimes they miss the diagnosis. We struggled with the diabetes because our vet did not want to use an insulin that is specific for cats (PZI). They wanted Vetsulin. Now they don't make Vetsulin and we have been starting out with another insulin that requires new needles and protocol and we could have just been on PZI this whole time. Our dog contracted cancer and died within 50 days after first diagnosis for infected tonsil and was given antibiotics for a month after being at ER and local doc. Finally they did a biopsy but way too late. It may have not mattered but I get the feeling that they did not have enough experience and we live in an area that has tons of vets.

I do believe in seeing vets and maybe we have the wrong day care, wrong vet, wrong er's (been to 2 different ones) and wrong oncologist but I doubt it. I will make a bet that if we go to the vet we will be prescribed Rimadyl and told to rest our dog.

 

[oldhounddog]

I have checked paws and manipulated his limps to check for wincing etc. Its a very slight limp.

I will make a bet that if we go to the vet we will be prescribed Rimadyl and told to rest our dog.

Dogs will generally just push through minor pain , however , if you feel that strongly about treating for minor pain with your dog just go to your Vet and ask them to sell you the Rimadyl that is dose correct for you dog's weight. If this does not resolve the issue you can at that point consider next choice for your dog's health needs.

 

[Fade]

A lot of people try to treat their dogs with aspirin. Its only recommended for a couple days. Aspirin will help some things for like a night or a single episode. but for something like that I would not recommend it. It causes a lot of problems with dogs blood. and it also reacts to a lot of other medications. Like if you were giving your dog aspirin and then he didn't get better and you took him to the vet and the vet put him on a dog pain killer the results could prove fatal. WE have an unconfirmed case of this happening. but after this case we contacted the drug companies and the only way this dog pain medication would harm the dog if the dog had been taking aspirin before he started his new pain medication. If you do decided to give him aspirin make sure you tell the vet that next time you go in so they have it on file. We actually added this to our list of questions to ask at our office because of the problems it causes. We also almost lost a dog with a standard neutering because the owner had overdosed the dog on aspirin for a slight limp for a week. the dog was very close to bleeding to death. Very close. his whole belly was black and blue for weeks after the surgery from the thin blood.

most other people pain killers are poisonous to a dog. never give anything without asking your vet first!

 

[Mheath0429]

Ok Ok I get it. I have sucked it up before and can show you the bills. ($6900 last year). Believe me I have had extensive bills at my vet, surgeon, oncologist with previous dog that had TPLO and cancer. They know us very well and have a photo of our other dog in the office. We also have a cat with diabetes that we take care of. I have checked paws and manipulated his limps to check for wincing etc. Its a very slight limp.

In my opinion we need to take charge of our pets health because , believe it or not, the vets don't know it all and are prone to overtreat and overtest in my opinion. and sometimes they miss the diagnosis. We struggled with the diabetes because our vet did not want to use an insulin that is specific for cats (PZI). They wanted Vetsulin. Now they don't make Vetsulin and we have been starting out with another insulin that requires new needles and protocol and we could have just been on PZI this whole time. Our dog contracted cancer and died within 50 days after first diagnosis for infected tonsil and was given antibiotics for a month after being at ER and local doc. Finally they did a biopsy but way too late. It may have not mattered but I get the feeling that they did not have enough experience and we live in an area that has tons of vets.

I do believe in seeing vets and maybe we have the wrong day care, wrong vet, wrong er's (been to 2 different ones) and wrong oncologist but I doubt it. I will make a bet that if we go to the vet we will be prescribed Rimadyl and told to rest our dog.

Why not try a homeopathic remedy or supplement? At least you wouldn't be giving a medication with side effects. Ultimately, you are going to do whatever you deem necessary despite our suggestions. Good luck.

 

[oldhounddog]

I will make a bet that if we go to the vet we will be prescribed Rimadyl and told to rest our dog.

I could not agree with you more. I have 10 hunting Breed dogs and deal with some type of injury on a regular basis , however , the important thing to consider when treating any injury or pain is to evaluate what needs are in your dogs best interest. This is what I do and I am sure that you are trying to do the same. With 10 dogs and after many years of experience with everything from minor skin lacerations to general daily healthcare needs , I , like you, and many other pet parents, give the best home based care we can and try to make the best informed decisions as to when Vet care is needed. We do this in much the same way we take care of our children's health care needs.

The reason I do not recommend aspirin is that it will often be used for more than a temporary solution lasting longer that 24 to 48 hours and given on an empty stomach or too high a dose and the dog pays the price with problems much worse in some cases than that of the original pain/inflammation issue.

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This excerpt explains why I do not recommend coated aspirin:
Source link: http://www.vetinfo.com/daspirin.html/#b

Enteric Coated Aspirin

A: There have been one, or possibly two, studies done that indicate that enteric coated aspirin does not work well in dogs. Due to the differences in digestive processes dogs do not seem to be able to routinely digest the coating off the aspirin and many of the aspirin tablets are found whole in the stool. Obviously, if the coating isn't digested the aspirin is not effective.

Mike Richards, DVM

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We all want the best care for our furkids , just like you..............

Best , oldhounddog

 

[titiaamor]

I'd try to get the Rimadyl, myself.

I agree we have to take charge.

Are foxtails a problem in your area? We spent thousands getting those darn things out, and it's all we could do. There was no avoiding them in our area of California....and they always made the dogs limp.

Ok Ok I get it. I have sucked it up before and can show you the bills. ($6900 last year). Believe me I have had extensive bills at my vet, surgeon, oncologist with previous dog that had TPLO and cancer. They know us very well and have a photo of our other dog in the office. We also have a cat with diabetes that we take care of. I have checked paws and manipulated his limps to check for wincing etc. Its a very slight limp.

In my opinion we need to take charge of our pets health because , believe it or not, the vets don't know it all and are prone to overtreat and overtest in my opinion. and sometimes they miss the diagnosis. We struggled with the diabetes because our vet did not want to use an insulin that is specific for cats (PZI). They wanted Vetsulin. Now they don't make Vetsulin and we have been starting out with another insulin that requires new needles and protocol and we could have just been on PZI this whole time. Our dog contracted cancer and died within 50 days after first diagnosis for infected tonsil and was given antibiotics for a month after being at ER and local doc. Finally they did a biopsy but way too late. It may have not mattered but I get the feeling that they did not have enough experience and we live in an area that has tons of vets.

I do believe in seeing vets and maybe we have the wrong day care, wrong vet, wrong er's (been to 2 different ones) and wrong oncologist but I doubt it. I will make a bet that if we go to the vet we will be prescribed Rimadyl and told to rest our dog.