My dog's back and leg pain returned. What medication can help?

Hello. I agree, surgery at this age would not be ideal given her age. You do not indicate what meds she is already on, but she should be receiving an NSAID such as meloxicam, carprofen, or any one of several excellent drugs in this classification. I would also have her on gabapentin, possibly tramadol, & maybe even Adequan injections, just in case some of her joints are painful. An alternative for the NSAIDs would be steroids as they are very good at reducing inflammation, but that does put her at some risk for side effects. Hopefully, these can keep him comfortable for some time to come. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor Benito! When pets don't respond as well to anti-inflammaorties, I often try them on steroids (for 2-4 weeks), muscle relaxers and opioid pain medication. During this time, Benito should be crated at all times, allowed outside on a leash only to potty because you MUST make sure he is not moving around too much. You may also look into acupuncture or laser therapy which can also help significantly. Benito should be examined every 2 weeks until he is back to normal. The medications may need to be adjusted based upon his response. I hope this helps and that he feels better quickly.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are medications to help with back pain but none of them are over the counter unfortunately. The one thing you can do at home which is often times the most important component of medical therapy for back pain is rest him. This means limiting Buddy's activity to just walks to go to the bathroom but otherwise to keep him calm. I recommend that you have Buddy evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Your veterinarian can prescribe pain control medications. Good luck and have a good night!

Injuries to the spine or muscles/nerves in the back can sometimes cause symptoms similar to what you are seeing, and pain meds and anti-inflammatory medications are often the first-line treatment for this to help reduce any swelling and let the area heal. Keeping Voodoo calm, quiet, and on leashed-only potty walks may also help with the healing process. If her symptoms are worsening, don't improve with the medication, or she seems in bad pain or distress, taking her back to the vet for additional exam and treatment may be needed.

Rascal could have had a painful condition since he was a puppy. Sometimes dogs do not show chronic pain so obviously. Your vet prescribed the anti-inflammatory and the pain medication to rule out that he has pain. If Rascal gets better, livelier and happier, then the medications are working against pain. If they do not make a difference, then he is not so painful and he may have a congenital defect that is causing the dragging and criss crossing the back legs. This would then warrant an exam by a specialist (veterinary neurologist) to find out what is wrong and to determine whether there is a treatment.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Unfortunately, intervertebral disk disease is the bane of all long backed dogs. The key to recovery is pain medication either in the form of a steroid like prednisone, or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication such as rimadyl, carprofen, metacam, etc. & STRICK rest. Ace must not jump, run, or be at all active while trying to heal. It can take 3 weeks for the disk to heal. You can apply alternating treatments of heat & cold by warming a sock with rice in the microwave ( make sure it is warm & not hot ), using it on Ace for 10 minutes, then apply a bag of frozen peas for 10 minutes. You can do this twice a day, but make sure there is a towel between the heat & cold, & move the application frequently to prevent hot or too cold spots. If Ace remains painful, you can ask your vet for an appropriate additive to Ace's medication. A muscle relaxant might be appropriate, or additional pain medications in the form of tramadol or gabapentin. These things take time. Hopefully, he will feel better by tomorrow. Take care.

Poor Rocco! There are many treatment options for managing hip dysplasia in dogs. I'm not sure what kind of medication he's currently taking, but many dogs with this problem benefit from a combination of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like Rimadyl or Previcox along with a pain medication like tramadol and/or gabapentin. Glucosamine/chondroitin and omega-3 fatty acid supplements have also been shown to be helpful in many cases, and can safely be given with all of the above medications. Finally, adjunct treatment options like laser therapy and acupuncture can also be very helpful for some dogs with hip dysplasia. I would recommend talking with your vet about these options to see what they would suggest as the next step for Rocco.