My senior dog is vomiting. Is Carprofen safe with liver/kidney issues?

I wouldn’t recommend it -carprofen may not be safe for dogs that have underlying medical conditions like a sensitive stomach, kidney or liver disease. Older dogs are more likely to have an issue like this. If Goose was prescribed carprofen in the recent past it might be a little safer but otherwise I’d recommend talking to your vet first. Sadly there is not another over the counter pain option that I’d consider to be safer so if you feel he’s in significant pain you may want to consider seeing a vet tonight.

Accidents happen! Fortunately, the carprofen won't impact her heart disease or interact with the pimobendan. However, there is a chance that she could experience some stomach upset with vomiting and/or diarrhea, particularly since this is a pretty big dose for a dog her size. With this kind of dose, the worst case I'd expect to see could be ulceration of the GI tract. Normally, carprofen is prescribed at a dose of 4.4 mg/kg over 24 hours. Today, your dog consumed 7.86 mg/kg. In most cases, we don't see toxicity impacting the kidneys until a dose of 40 mg/kg is ingested. With all of that in mind, your dog should be absolutely fine! In order to be extra cautious, I'd recommend feeding her a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken and white rice for a few days, then gradually mix it in with her normal food over 5-7 days. You can also call your vet to see if they can give a dose for an antacid, like Pepcid. (It's illegal for me to do so without having examined your dog.) If you see any vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or blood in the stool, you should call your vet right away. I hope that everything goes well!

Carprofen is an nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medication (NSAID) like aspirin or ibuprofen for humans. It's used daily for arthritis or other chronic pain, and short term for more acute/temporary pain. The half life is the amount of time it takes for half of the drug to leave the body (via the liver, kidneys/bladder, or gut). Carprofen can occasionally have side effects on the liver, so if he's going to be on it long term, it's usually recommended to check liver values after 2 weeks. That said, liver issues are rare. Intestinal upset (vomiting/diarrhea) are also possible side effects and if he had any of that you'd want to stop and figure out a different appropriate medication with his vet. With just 6 days of medication, no additional testing will be done. You can (and should, if that is how it was prescribed) give carporfen daily. Appropriate supplements could include fish oils and glucosamine and others, depending on what exactly is going on. I'd recommend asking about supplements for long term when you go for your recheck visit

If you're referring to carprofen for the pain, that is actually a NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) and not a steroid, and is commonly given for post-surgical pain. While it is metabolized through the liver, without knowing Dahlia's history or if she had any previous bloodwork, it would be hard to say if this would cause her any issues. Most vets will perform pre-operative bloodwork to determine if it is safe to give medication and to perform the surgery, so if you are concerned or Dahlia is showing signs of illness (vomiting, tender abdomen outside of the surgical site, lethargy for more than 24 hours, etc) I would speak with your vet about any results.

This can be a side effect from the medications. I'm particularly worried about the carprofen. We generally recommend discontinuing the use of Carprofen if they are having vomiting and/or diarrhea. It's best to discontinue the Carprofen and Gabapentin for now until you can contact your veterinarian. They will likely want to examine Harley and possibly prescribe some different medications for now. For more information about vomiting, I recommend you read the article at the link below. https://www.petcoach.co/article/diarrhea-vomiting-in-dogs-when-to-call-your-veterinarian/ If you have further questions or need further clarification, then you may consider having an online consult with one of our vets on Petcoach. This way, you can send unlimited pictures and have a text conversation with a vet. I hope that helps and Harley gets better soon.

This is not a typical side effect of carprofen with the most common side effects being gi in origin. Is your pet drinking more water as well? As these drugs (nsaids) can affect the kidneys increased thirst/urination is sometimes related to this. Other options could be he is sore and not making it outside as often or has a urinary tract issue (bladder/prostate). I would recommend a recheck with your family vet to check his kidney values and rule out a urinary tract issue. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I'm sorry to hear that Capi is having problem with his hip. Unfortunately, vomiting is one of the potential side effects of Vetprofen. I am attaching a link to a handout about this drug below. https://www.vin.com/apputil/project/defaultadv1.aspx?pId=19239&SAId=1&id=4951499 I generally recommend to stop the medication and call your veterinarian anytime there is any vomiting that might be due to the drug. There are other drugs that you can consider for pain relief, so I would talk to your veterinarian to try to find a medication that works well for Capi. I am attaching more information with additional options below. https://www.vin.com/apputil/project/defaultadv1.aspx?pId=19239&SAId=1&id=4951467 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.