My dog is sick and panting. Can I give her Rimadyl from another dog?

The accepted dose of Rimadyl is about 1 mg per pound every 12 hours, so I would not give more than 50 mg in a 12 hour period. Rimadyl comes in 25, 75, and 100 mg tablet sizes and I don’t know which one you have. If she has already had an appropriate dose and she is still uncomfortable then she should probably be evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

I am sorry Lady isn't feeling well. The coughing and gagging could be from a heart problem. And your vet was right, you need a radiograph to help make that diagnosis. The best way to diagnose a heart condition is an ultrasound of the heart. The Rimadyl is an NSAID and helps with inflammation. For a 13 year old dog, it would be great for arthritis pain. I am sure your vet didn't prescribe medications for the cough because there is no official diagnosis yet, and some medications can cause harm if used inappropriately. I would highly recommend starting with the radiographs to find out why Lady is coughing. Good luck and kisses to Lady!

Poor Taffy! No, do not give Taffy that medication. NSAIDs can cause severe go irritation and even perforate the intestines. NSAIDs are given a 'wash out period' between dosing and it is generally 5 days between meds. Those signs are consistent with another illness and they are concerning for something more serious. Acting disoriented is not normal and is always worrisome. I recommend to try to find an emergency clinic near you and get her in today if possible. Otherwise, offer her a bland diet of boiled chicken and plain white rice. Massage her known arthritis areas and you can apply a warm heat (not too hot as they can get burned!!) to the areas. If you can't get her in today, get her in first thing tomorrow. That should help tp keep her more comfortable. I hope this is helpful and that Taffy starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Please do not give ibuprofen. It can be toxic to dogs and with your cute girl being small I am very concerned about an overdose. Your veterinarian should refill the rimadyl or there are also several generic equivalents than may be less expensive. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your dog.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to recommend any treatment or dosage of medications on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Legally, a pet must be physically examined by a vet before any treatment can be prescribed or recommended. Rimadyl can be used for any muscular or joint inflammation or pain, so it is probably the right choice for Westley. If you get in touch with your local vets, they should be able to advise about the dose for Westley. You will also find Rimadyl dosage on the leaflet, that should be provided with the tablets that were prescribed for Winston.

I can understand your concern. It is unlikely that she will have a serious complication from getting this dosage early due to her weight of 17lbs. I would recommend monitoring her for vomiting, bloody stool or refusal to eat for more 12 hrs. I assume you gave her the Rimadyl with a full meal as instructed. If you didn’t and she won’t take a meal now, then that is cause for concern and she should see an ER vet right away. But if she ate a full meal and is just sleepy it’s ok to wait it out. I would also give her a half of slice of bread, if she’ll take it and if anything else changes over the next 12-24 hrs Paige should be seen by a vet to make sure she is ok. Giving back to back NSAIDS do have the tendency to cause an upset stomach and in severe cases they can cause stomach ulcers, but typically this happens after long term usage of the drug or any drug interactions. Best wishes and I hope that Paige turns out ok.

That sounds like neck pain and it could be from disc disease or other causes. Rimadyl can help but a lot of dogs with neck pain need multimodal pain management. And, it can take time to resolve, especially if disc related. The length of time of pain management can be variable but often is required for weeks if not longer dependent on the case, cause, response to treatment, side effects, etc. At your dogs age you will need to be very careful with Rimadyl as it can be hard on the kidneys. Older dogs especially benefit from multimodal pain management to try to decrease drugs like Rimadyl dose and dosing frequency. Rest is key, ideally crate rest. For disc disease this is typically 4 to 8 weeks, but this is case dependent and is best guided by the vet who examines the patient. Anyway to have a vet come to the house to see if this helps with the vet anxiety? I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!