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