My dog is on Norco. Why frequent bloodwork? Is it drug testing?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry KK is having so much trouble. Tramadol is usually well tolerated and doesn't cause organ damage (liver or kidney) like other medications can. I can't say I personally require blood work every 6 months to prescribe tramadol but I would ask for every 6 month to 1 year physical exams since tramadol is a controlled drug. I wish you and KK the best of luck!

Hello. Hydrocodone can decrease heart rate as it takes away stress and pain. It does not typically directly decrease the heart rate, only secondarily by decreasing stress and pain. Normal heart rate for a resting dog at home, for a small breed dog (you have not posted a breed however small breed dogs are more prone to heart disease) is between 70-120. If your dog's heart rate is dropping less then 60 I would have him to the vet. Also, if you are feeling heart rate by pulses vs. listening to the heart, your dog could be 'dropping beats' from an arrhythmia, and should be seen by a vet. It is hard to answer your question without more specific information. Feel free to consult with us if you would like to discuss this in further detail. Good luck with your little one!

Actually this is true in the case of kidneys. It take up to 75% of the nephrons to fail in kidneys before symptoms are seen of kidney disease. It's always good to have blood work done on any dog, even healthy ones. Because our dogs cannot tell us if they are feeling sick or not, these tests are needed to make sure everything is healthy. In addition, many dogs will show no sign of illness until they are extremely sick. You can't know for sure if your dog is healthy without these tests, so if your vet is recommending doing the blood work, I suggest going along with your vet's recommendation.

Any treatment now will be purely supportive. Monitor for vomiting, jaundice, lethargy, increased respiration and anemia. Liver and kidney function should be checked via blood test to rule out damage from the dose of acetaminophen ingested. Further supportive care may be indicated if liver/kidney function is compromised. This may include IV fluids and blood transfusions if indicated.

Hi there and thank you for posting your question. The medication used to treat Cushing's disease can cause some pretty serious problems if not monitored appropriately. Unfortunately, the blood testing to monitor Cushing's is expensive. For the first two to three months I will perform this particular test called the ACTH test to monitor the response to treatment and to make sure that the medication is not causing the reverse problem called Addison's disease. If the dog is well regulated I might spread out the blood test to once every 6 months to ensure that the values are regulated. Of course, this is something that you will have to discuss with your veterinarian who is ordering this blood test up every few weeks. Every doctor is different with how they monitor their patients, so not all of us will recommend the exact same plan for every patient. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Yes, veterinarians can refuse to refill prescriptions. I realize that this can be frustrating, but some medications can have side effects or cause organ damage, requiring regular monitoring, often in the form of blood tests. Epiphen (phenobarbital), for example, can greatly impact the liver and the levels of medication within the bloodstream must be monitored to assure that the medication stays at a safe and effective therapeutic level. In the US, we also must have examined a pet within the past 12 months in order to legally prescribe any medication - including some flea and tick preventions. I don't know what regulations may exist in the UK. It may be worth another call to your vet to determine the reasons behind the refusal to refill the medication. I hope this helps to clarify the situation and that everything gets worked out for Buckley!

Unfortunately, by law it is illegal for the experts at Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to recommend a dose increase in a prescription drug without seeing the animal in person first. That's because doing so requires a veterinary client patient relationship which cannot be achieved via an internet forum. In addition, the experts cannot say for certain if a specific drug is safe for Zeke. You need to give his vet a call to see if you can increase the medication safely, or if the vet wants to try a different pain medicine for him. Best of luck.