My dog's pain meds aren't working. How can I ease his pain at home?

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!

Hello, and thanks for your question about Harley. Dogs with Panosteitis are usually treated with a medication to address the underlying inflammation (either an NSAID such as Rimadyl or a steroid), and sometimes an additional pain medication such as gabapentin may be warranted. Of course, the decisions on the appropriate medications to be used should be made by your primary vet who knows the specifics of Harley's medical history. Hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/article/panosteitis-in-young-dogs/

I am sorry to hear that Oucy is in so much pain. Disk disease is a very painful condition and is typically treated on an emergency basis. Tramadol is usually not very effective for spinal cord pain and often animals need intravenous pain medications to get some pain relief. While gabapentin can be helpful for nerve pain it is an adjunctive pain medication and needs to be used in combination with something else. The best thing you can do for Oucy is to get her to an emergency vet clinic for surgery and supportive care. Even if surgery is not an option, medical pain management would help her feel more comfortable. I would not recommend waiting to take her in. In the meanwhile be sure to follow your veterinarians exact instructions for the prescribed medications and do not give her any human pain medications as these can be toxic to animals.

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry to hear Syo appears to be in some discomfort from his hip issue. If the Rimadyl does not appear to be doing the trick, there are other medications you can obtain from your veterinarian that may help in better pain relief. As far as at home ways to help reduce pain, I would recommend a heating blanket or heating pad to the effected area for 15-20 mins a few times daily. Be sure the heating pad is between a blanket when placed over the area to prevent burning. I hope this helps and I would recommend seeing Syo's veterinarian soon when they open so you can discuss other paid medications that may work better for Syo. Thanks again for posting and best of luck to you both!

Hello, and thank you for your question. I'm sorry to hear that Bentley is unwell. It sounds like the pain control is not lasting until the morning. I would ask your vet if the pain medication can safely be given more frequently (e.g. every 8 hours instead of every 12 hours). Also, your vet could consider an additional medication to be added on for more pain relief. We often use non-steroidal anti-inflammatories in addition to opioid pain medications for muscle pain or spinal injuries, for example. I hope this helps, and that Bentley is feeling better soon!

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.

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.