My old dog has arthritis & Cushing's. What pain meds are safe?

Hi Annette! Managing arthritis can be tricky since Joe's kidneys did not seem to tolerate some of the more traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) like Metacam. I'm glad to hear that Joe is taking a glucosamine and chondroitin supplement, like YuMOVE, as this can protect his joint cartilage against further damage. Make sure that you are keeping him at a healthy body weight, as overweight dogs have more stress placed on their joints. Other strategies for managing arthritis include talking to your vet about a trial with Adequan injections for further cartilage protection or new classes of NSAIDs (such as Galliprant) that are much more sparing of the liver and kidneys. Acupuncture and water therapy can also be beneficial for some dogs with arthritis. I hope this helps!

You will need to take your dog to a veterinarian for an exam and a blood test checking kidney and liver function. This will ensure that your dog can safely take NSAIDs in order to alleviate pain and inflammation caused by osteoarthritis.

Unfortunately, a well-documentive side effect of Meloxicam (and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) is that it causes decreased blood flow to the kidneys, sometimes resulting in kidney damage. If Candy has been diagnosed with kidney problems, she definitely should no longer take Meloxicam. Your vet can discuss other alternative for pain control, including Tramadol, gabapentin, acupuncture, and physical therapy. The Azodyl can certainly be continued, but I would not give the Meloxicam, and likely she'll never be able to take it again.

I can understand your concerns for Bijou. With Cushing’s disease, the adrenal glands produce too much steroid, which can result in some muscle atrophy. I have never used anabolic steroids on any animals, and from my reading, it appears that nandrolone is contraindicated in the presence of excess corticosteroids. It may be worth considering a second opinion with a local veterinarian that is able to examine Bijou and review all of his medical records prior to the onset of treatment with nandrolone. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

I am sorry to hear about Coco. The Novox should help some with his arthritis as it is an NSAID (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) such as us using ibuprofen. If it isn't providing adequate pain control there are other options we can try in addition to the NSAID. These would include Glucosamine Chondroitin joint supplements such as Dasuquin, fatty acid supplements which can decrease inflammation in the body, injections that can aid in joint health (Adequan), and additional medications such as gabapentin, tramadol, and amantadine. I would talk to your vet about these options to figure out what is best for Coco. You can read more about this at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A

I am so sorry to Charlie is not doing well. It is always difficult to see our beloved pets getting older. If you feel Charlie is in pain it would be worth discussing with your regular veterinarian to see if you can increase his tramadol, or if there are other medications you can add in for additional pain relief. You also need to consider that Charlie may be coming to the end. It sounds like his quality of life is becoming diminished, if he is no longer interested in walks and other things that typically have made him happy previously. Check out this link for an article that can help you better understand this part of Charlie's life.http://vet.osu.edu/assets/pdf/hospital/companionAnimals/HonoringtheBond/HowDoIKnowWhen.pdf Charlie's Cushings diseases and elevated liver enzymes unfortunately complicate the picture, and mean that some of the medications we might normally use for a dog who is in pain are not suitable for him. I hope I have been able to provide you with some ideas to chat with your vet about-do not be afraid to emphasize that you feel he is in pain-you know Charlie best and sometimes the trip to the vet clinic can cause an adrenaline rush that masks some of the symptoms you are concerned about.

Cushing's is a disease characterized by an excess of cortisol, and prednisone is a corticosteroid that acts like cortisol in the body. So if a dog is taking prednisone for a medical condition herbs to treat Cushing's would potentially counteract the prednisone, and I wouldn't recommend them.