My senior dog has arthritis. Can I give her puppy pain medicine?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Arthritis can happen in older dogs as you know. However, this is not the only condition that can cause lameness like that. I do not recommend using paracetamol without a veterinary evaluation. There are other arthritis supplements that you can start which would not hurt if this happens to not be due to arthritis and if it is, they can help a good amount. There are several joint supplements out there such as Cosequin and Dasuquin, among others. I would encourage you to start with that and if no improvement is observed, Rodger should be evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day! I hope this helps!

Unfortunately there are no OTC pain medications you can give Reese. Many are toxic to dogs, and can be fatal if given. I'd take her into a vet now to get safe pain medication prescribed. Best of luck.

Please do not give Asia Tylenol! This can and does cause acetaminophen toxicity, and is not safe to give to her. It could be that she has arthritis, but she could have also strained or torn a muscle or ligament. She could have also broken a bone. It's quite serious this has been going on for a month and she needs veterinary care as soon as possible. The vet can diagnose what is causing her pain and how best to treat it. Please take her into a vet.

Poor Willow! Unfortunately no, there are no safe effective over-the-counter pain medications for dogs. The best thing to do for her is minimize her activity and keep her quiet until she can get to the vet. If she needs help getting around, you can loop a towel under her tummy to use as a sling and take some of the weight off her legs. I would discourage even giving aspirin, as anything you give may interfere with the medications your vet may start tomorrow. If her pain level is excessive and you feel she can't wait that long, the next best thing would be to take her to the nearest emergency vet. I know it's hard to see our pets in pain! Hope she feels better soon.

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.

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.

Hello. There are many wonderful medication availably to make Sassy much more comfortable in her older years. You can start with a good glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate supplement ( I like Dasuquin by Nutramax ). Then, you can visit with your vet about some of the amazing medications we have to keep our elderly pets so much more comfortable, like NSAIDS ( Previcox, Rimadyl, Deramax, Meloxicam, Galliprant ) to which we can add additional medications such as Gabapentin, if necessary. In addition, adding Adequan injections may actually lower the amount of medications that Sassy might need to keep her comfortable. We have so many safe medications available, but they do need some monitoring. I hope you can talk to your vet soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.