Can I give Klonopin to calm my senior dog with hip pain on Previcoxx?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Klonopin (Clonazepam) is a drug that we commonly use for anxiety in animals. Based on the veterinary drug book, the recommended dose for Clonazepam in dogs is 0.1 - 1 mg/kg by mouth every 12-24 hours. So for example, 30lb would equal 13.6kg. So the dose this body weight should receive would be 1.4mg every 12-24 hours as the lowest dose and 13.6mg every 12-24 hours as the highest dose. I always recommend testing out a new medication prior to using it for its intended purpose to see if it works. If this is expired, I would refrain against using this. As always, I would contact your veterinarian, whom you usually see for Olive and discuss using this medication with the vet on the phone as I do not know the full medical history on Olive. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

No, I would not give this to Dixie. It may be the incorrect dose for her, and you can accidentally do harm to her by giving her it. I would have her seen by a vet first thing Monday. Until then, I would rest her and keep her as quiet as possible. You can give her glucosamine and chondrotin sulfate supplements which help with joint problems such as arthritis.

I'm so sorry Bubba is doing so poorly! Unfortunately, by law it is illegal for the experts at Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to say it's safe to give an extra dose of medication 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. If he's in a lot of pain, I would give his vet a call now to discuss if they feel it's safe to give him some extra Previcox. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I agree that this is possibly arthritis especially if this has been an issue before. Usually this can improved with joint supplements like Cosequin and the food Science Diet j/d. Pain control medications such as NSAIDs and gabapentin can be used on an as needed basis to help with pain. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment of this. If they agree that this is likely, they can go ahead and prescribe this to help her. Good luck and have a great day!

I am so sorry you are having to go through this with little Chili. Neurologic disease in elderly pets can be difficult to treat, understand, and very hard to watch, just like with people. It sounds like her seizures are well-controlled with the Keppra, but she is displaying additional neurological symptoms: pacing, circling, confusion. I am not entirely convinced these are all due to anxiety though. Usually neurologic disease in elderly dogs is due to only a few things: metabolic disease (liver, kidney, or diabetic issues), vascular events (strokes), or a brain tumor. If you have ruled out metabolic disease, which I'm sure your vet has, the other two diagnoses carry a very guarded prognosis. My concern is that the symptoms you are seeing are likely the result of progressive disease due to one of those two possible causes. While anxiety medication might help some, I fear that it's not going to give you or Chili the results for which you're hoping. In this case, it's important to think about quality of life for Chili: what's fair to her? If adding in an anti-anxiety medication helps her resume normal activities where she goes back to being Chili and doing the things that make her "Chili," fantastic. If not, it may be time to make some difficult decisions about what's best for her. If you do decide to pursue an anti-anxiety medication, your vet might consider Selegiline (specifically for cognitive dysfunction in people, not a lot of reported success in animals), Clonazepam (in the valium and Xanax family, but slightly different), or Clonidine (a blood pressure medication, also used to treat anxiety) in combination with an anti-depressant, such as Prozac. All of these would require careful monitoring and consideration in combination with the Keppra. Whatever you decide, best of luck to you and Chili!

I doubt diazepam would make much difference as he is already on a lot of meds. My concern would be for his liver trying to metabolise so many drugs. He could also become heavily sedated with this combination. If he is very sore i would try calling your vet to see if you could increase the does of his meds.

If Lucy was prescribed pain medications by her vet, you can certainly use those. You can also apply an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel if you can locate where she is most tender. Other than that, keep her calm and encourage her to rest. If she isn’t feeling better in a day or two, it’s best to have her checked out by a vet.