What can I Give my Dog for Pain Relief? My Pet Is Not Well

Dogs are some of the merriest and cheerful creatures you can have at home, so it’s easy to notice when they are not feeling well. If your pet is in pain, you should be able to see it immediately and do your best to attend him as best as you can.

Most of the time the pain experienced by dogs come from an injury we haven’t detected, an infection or even aches related to age.

When your pet is in pain, your first concern is to help him feel better. Sadly there are too many people out there who go about this in the worst way they can about it by medicating the dog without proper diagnosis by a veterinary.

Learning about the ailments of your dog can be quite upsetting, but avoiding professional help could prove to be even worse.  Is understandable that as a pet owner you want to provide your dog with pain relief as soon as possible.

What can I Give my Dog for Pain Relief

You may be tempted to go with over-the-counter pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or even acetaminophen to give your dog some relief. The truth is that you could be sending him to an early grave if you don’t know what you are doing.

Human medication for pain relief could prove to be fatal to dogs if they are given in the right dose. Even so, most of these products are designed to alleviate human illness, so they probably won’t have the same effect as the existing alternatives that only vets can provide.

The health history of your dog is important when it comes to the type of medicines they can ingest to ease the pain. It’s important to have a veterinary that understands the unique biology of your dog to offer the right prescription for him.

What Should I Give My Dog for Pain Relief?

As we stated above, most drug companies have already designed alternatives to human medication to treat the ailments of animals. Dogs are no exception, and they can have instant relief with treatments specially customized to their biology.

A well-trained veterinarian can handle the proper examination as well as offer the best recommendation on prescription pain medicine for dogs. Some of the popular brands out there are Etodolac, Carprofen, and Meloxicam.

Once your vet has all the data he needs to make the diagnosis, he will determine the best brand that suits your dog. He will also be able to design the best course of action to monitor your furry pal to make sure the treatment is safe and effective.

What OTC Medicine can I Give a Dog for pain Relieve?

Short answer: Nothing

What we know as over-the-counter pain medications are very dangerous to animals. They can prove to be fatal in some cases if they are misused on dogs. The biology of these animals can’t withstand aspirin, ibuprofen or any pain reliever designed for human consumption.

Most vets are aware of this so if you have one offering a prescription on non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as child-versions of aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen it would be best to look for a second opinion.

What Should I Give My Dog for Pain Relief

OTCs medications and NSAIDs work by placing inhibitors on a particular enzyme called cyclooxygenase. This natural-emitted chemical is responsible for the creation of prostaglandins in the human body that promotes inflammation, fevers, and pain.

Prostaglandins are present in all forms of life on, and they play unique roles in the living organism they are present: they maintain proper blood flow to the kidneys, they produce the protective layers of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the ones present in the stomach to keep acids in check.

When your dog has these functions are reduced, they will exhibit symptoms such as vomits and loose stomachs with bloody diarrhea, as well as loss of appetite, bleeding disorders, and failure in their kidneys or liver.

Can I give a dog Tylenol

No, tylenol don’t reduce inflammation for your dog, its also not NSAIDs. Tylenol can be used to treat pain in certain circumstances, but only under the supervision of a veterinarian, particularly because an incorrect dosage could be highly toxic, resulting in liver, kidney, and tissue damage.

What painkillers are safe for dogs?

NSAIDs can help reduce the swelling and the joint pain in humans. You may be thinking that they can probably do the same for your dog. After all, vets offer prescriptions of these medicines when a dog is suffering from chronic arthritis or has endured a delicate surgery.

The facts are that doctors can prescribe these alternatives only in extreme cases, but you can’t give your dog a pill that you find in your medicine cabinet. Some NSAIDs options are designed just for dogs, just as:

  • Carprofen
  • Deracoxib
  • Firocoxib
  • Meloxicam

Are there Other Alternatives?

Recent findings have put in the market other options to treat pain in dogs. Some of the most popular choices are Gabapentin and Tramadol.

  • Gabapentin is a special treatment for pain caused from damaged nerves. It works on humans and dogs alike. They can make your dog sleepy, but this secondary effect wears off after a few days. It’s usually prescribed along with other medicines.
  • Tramadol is a mild opioid, and it has a deeper effect. Is often used by vets on aging dogs that suffer constant discomfort. The secondary effects include an upset stomach, some vomit, and mild dizziness.

Can I Use Supplements?

Natural chemicals such as Glucosamine and Chondroitin are sought after as alternative treatments by word of mouth. Scientifically speaking is not clear if they have any effects, but some research has offered limited evidence that they are useful to treat swelling and help cartilage restoration and lubrication.

The best way to go about this is to come clean with your vet and ask them about these types of treatment.

If your doctor is up for it, you have to make sure he gives you a written copy of the treatment, as well as the instructions on how to give these medicines to your pet, since they shouldn’t ingest them in the same way humans do.

If you are treating your dog with alternative supplements keep these pointers in mind:

  • Make sure to offer the right dosage recommended by your vet, going overboard or falling short on it can cause problems.
  • Don’t mix the medications of your dogs if you are tending more than one. As it happens with humans what’s good for one dog will not be useful for another.
  • Supplements are no substitute for standard medicine, they can help relieve some of the pain on your dog, but he still needs a backup plan to feel better.

How much aspirin can I give my dog?

Aspirin is an NSAID medication that can be prescribed to dogs in extreme cases only. A vet worth his salt will only use this treatment for a minimal amount of time, and only if the dog has an injury or condition that may be unbearable on his pain nerves.

Taking aspirins is a no-no for long-term treatments on dogs. The main ingredient of aspirins is a powerful acid that can cause internal bleeding if consumption is exceeded.

How much aspirin can I give my dog

If you must offer aspirins to your dog, the best options are coated aspirins since they have less impact on the stomach. They should be given mixed with food. Your vet will set the frequency of consumption.

Abusing the proper dosage can cause prostaglandins.

How much ibuprofen can you give a dog?

Preferably none, when a dog consumes even the slightest overdose of ibuprofen he can lose complete functionality of their liver and experience damage to their kidneys, as well as soft tissue in their internal organs.

Veterinarians are well versed in alternative prescriptions that can resemble or offer enhanced relief for dogs, and the can be bought as OTCs in any pet shop. The NSAIDs that are specifically made for dogs are:

  • Rimadyl
  • Deramaxx
  • Previcox
  • Metacam

Other options are aimed to treat more specific ailments on dogs such as:

  • Amantadine to treat arthritis, or cancer in dogs
  • Gabapentin to alleviate nerve pain
  • Tramadol to treat aging dogs in constant pain

Natural Pain Relief for Dogs

Going with natural treatments to help your dog ailments can’t hurt if you use these options to back up medical treatment. Some of the most popular pain remedies are:

  • Omega-3 supplements to reduce joint inflammation and pain related to for chronic conditions like.
  • Joint supplements for chronic pain, preferably under medical supervision.
  • Acupuncture to relieve dogs of muscle pain.
  • Massages to relieve pain as well as promote healing of the muscles through relaxation, by stimulating the nerves of the dog to reduce stress.

Final Take on Other Pain Relief Measures

Medicine and treatment can only do so much if we don’t add a few changes in the diet of our pal. It’s well documented among vets that chronic inflammation and arthritis can be treated with some diet modifications.

Overweight dogs can benefit from a well-designed weight loss program that includes diet and exercise.

Meals should be prepared with a lower caloric intake but keeping stable amounts of protein to help the dog lose weight and keep muscle mass as well as strength.

By reducing the body fat of the dog and taking him to a leaner body, it will decrease the stress put on the joints of the animal.

Being constant with a good diet will lessen the consumption of pain medicine for dogs who suffer chronic conditions.

Make sure to talk to your veterinarian of choice. He is trained to help you determine what’s the best diet, as well as the proper exercise program, and the preferred pain relief medication needed by your dog.

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