My dog has CMO. What are the risks of long-term meds vs. steroids?

In general terms, steroids are stronger anti-inflammatory medications compared with carprofen but they are more likely to produce side effects, like excessive thirst and appetite, weight gain, muscle wastage, stomach ulceration. For managing hip arthritis weight control is as important as medications, so if your dog is overweight you should address that as well. You could try to add food supplements, for example glucosamine and chondroitine and get pain killers for Toby from your vets. Finally, some of the hip problems can be treated surgically (removing the tip of the femour, replacing the hip joing etc). The decision how to treat is based on dog's condition, age and severity of the disease.

No, it's very dangerous to give an NSAID like Metacam at the same time as a steroid - so I would definitely NOT do this. If you think Romy is painful, I would contact your veterinarian to ask about a different pain medication such as tramadol or gabapentin, which can safely be given with steroids.

Hello. You can wean her off the pred onto the Metacam , or you can add additional pain medications such as tramadol or gabapentin. I, personally do not like long-term prednisone because of the possibility of side effects, but even Metacam can cause some issues. Regardless of what you & your veterinarian choose for Sydney, make sure periodic blood work is run to pick up any early signs of problems. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Great question! No, you absolutely CANNOT give a steroid (prednisone) at the same time as a NSAID (Metacam). This is a very big no-no! This can cause huge, life-threatening side effects. He can take a muscle relaxant and/or an opiate along with the steroid. You should also you vet about these medications as they are prescription medications. All these medications work synergistically together. You should also consider acupuncture. It works wonders for these injuries. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Before beginning steroids, I typically start joint supplementation and conservative management before resorting to steroids. Below are the things I currently recommend to combat the pain from arthritis: 1. Dasuquin for large dogs 2. Adequan injections 3. Cold laser therapy 4. Omega 3 fish oil 5. Pain relievers such as amantadine, gabapentin, methadone, and tramadol. If you really want to invest more money into arthritis management PRP injections can help quite a bit. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

You are correct that drugs like Deramaxx should not be given currently with steroids because of the risk of GI ulceration. There should also be a wash out period after steroid use before starting NSAIDs (like Deramaxx) appropriate in length for the time on the drug. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I am sorry to hear about Tasha! Many dogs take NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) long term with no negative consequences. It is the rare case where the liver or kidney may be affected or the GI tract experiences upset. This is why we recommend blood work to monitor every 6 to 12 months when pets take the medicine long term, and often the effects are reversible. If your dog is in pain, I would follow your vet's advice and use the medication. There are other NSAIDs also available, a newer one called Galliprant is supposed to have less risks though it hasn't been used as long, so we don't know for certain if those claims are true. Other options also include omega fatty acid supplements, glucosamine chondroitin supplements, Adequan injections, acupuncture and laser therapy, so you can ask your vet about these options as well if you decide to take a different route.