About Pain Medication For Dogs

When your pet is in pain or distress, it's heartbreaking, and of course you'll want to help relieve their pain as fast as you possibly can.

BUT, dogs aren't humans and it's important to think before you give your dog any type of medicine that hasn't been prescribed for him, or that is a 'human' drug.

Any pain medication you give your pet should be under the direction and supervision of your vet, dosage and length of use will also be decided by him/her.

If you want to give over the counter pain medication to your dog to help relieve the discomfort of some minor injury, there are options available. BUT it's very, very, important to get the dosage right and to give the minimum effective dose for the shortest possible duration. That way you can help to minimize the potential for serious side effects.

For dogs with chronic pain due to surgery, or long-term conditions such as arthritis, hip dysplasia and so on, there are a range of prescription meds that can help, these include Rimadyl, Deramaxx and other popular NSAID pain medication for dogs.

Before I go any further, there are a few VERY IMPORTANT safety tips that you need to be aware of if you are going to be giving any type of pain meds to your dog -

• Always consult your vet before giving your dog any kind of medication that hasn't been specifically prescribed for him/her


• Never give your dog any type of medication if he's already taking another drug (even one for a totally unrelated condition), a supplement (even herbal or 'natural' supplements), parasite-control products (for fleas, worms, heartworm etc.), or corticosteroids (eg. for allergies) without double-checking with your vet first.There are some supplements such as Glucosamine and Chondrotin which can help in treating a dog with arthritis or other similar issues, but it's still always important to check with your vet before using both pain medications for dogs and a supplement like this.


• Keep pain medication for dogs to the minimum dosage possible and don't use it for any longer than is absolutely necessary


• Never give your own (or anyone else's) arthritis medications to your dog. We're two entirely different species and that could have tragic results


• If your dog shows any adverse reactions to his medication, stop giving it to him right away and get him examined by your veterinarian. If you are ever worried that he's had too much medicine, get vet help immediately


• Cats do NOT tolerate NSAID's (non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory-drugs) at all, and giving your cat aspirin, ibuprofen or other pain medications can have fatal consequences

Prescription Pain Medication For Dogs

Some of the most popular prescription dog medications designed to treat pain and/or inflammation include Rimadyl for Dogs, Dermaxx for Dogs, Previcox for Dogs and Adequan Canine which are NSAID (non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory-drugs) and are used to help relieve the pain and discomfort of conditions such as arthritis. They also reduce a fever.

You can only get these type of pain medication for dogs with a prescription from your veterinarian. If your dog has had surgery, he will likely be started on a pain-killer while still in the veterinary hospital, and sent home with some more meds to make sure he stays comfortable until he's started to heal.

If you've got a dog with a chronic condition which causes pain (such as arthritis, hip dysplasia and other degenerative bone/joint problems for example), then you will probably need some dog pain meds on a long-term basis.

Again these will usually need a prescription from your vet, but if you check prices online you will often find that you can use that prescription to buy them more cheaply than you would directly from your vet.

Companies who produce NSAID pain medication for dogs provide FDA approved 'Client Information Sheets' which should come with every bottle or packet. Make sure that you read it thoroughly because it has important information on dosage, interactions, side effects etc.

Here's a quick look at the most popular prescription pain medication for dogs:

Rimadyl for Dogs:

Rimadyl (Carprofen) was the first NSAID made available for use in dogs here in the USA, it may also be the most popular pain medicine used to treat the swelling, stiffness and joint pain associated with arthritis in dogs.

It's also available in a generic form known as Novox which is available as a caplet only. Rimadyl comes in caplets or chewable tablets of 25mg, 50mg or 75mg strength. There is also a liquid solution which can be injected.

The benefits of giving your dog Rimadyl is that it has a lower risk of causing side effects, including the internal bleeding, irritation and damage, that can be associated with older NSAID's such as Aspirin.

Also, it can be used long term to treat chronic conditions without causing further damage to joint cartilage.

Side effects can be loss of appetite and lethargy and may or may not be something you need to be concerned about. However, it's always best to discuss ANY type of side effect with your vet.

More serious worries are vomiting and/or diarrhea, especially if the vomit or stools are dark in color as this could mean your dog is bleeding internally. So could pale tongue or gums, or eye irritation/dryness.

Liver or kidney problems are also a possibility, and the most common symptoms of this type of problem include yellowing of the gums, skin or white around the eyes; excessive thirst or an increase in urination. If your dog is showing signs of any kind of negative reaction to his pain medications, stop giving them to him immediately and get him to your vet.

It's best to give this brand of pain medications for dogs with food, so mix it into your dog's dinner or disguise it in tasty treats (given right before or right after a meal).

Don't ever give Rimadyl to puppies under 6 weeks of age.

Deramaxx for Dogs:

Dermaxx is another of the popular prescription NSAID pain medications for dogs. It's also marketed under the product names 'Deracoxib' and 'Novartis'.

Often used to treat pain and inflammation caused by osteoarthritis in dogs, or to help make a dog more comfortable after surgery. Oral tablets only.

Deramaxx is comes in 25mg, 50mg or 75mg flavored, chewable tablets.

The usual dosage for treating a dog (who weighs over 4lbs) and who is in pain after surgery is betwen 1.4 and 1.8 mg per lb of body weight, given once a day.

To treat the pain and inflammation of arthritis in dogs, dosage is normally 0.45 - 0.91 mg per lb of body weight, given once a day.

Deramaxx can be given with food, or without, but make sure your dog has plenty of fresh water to drink at all times.

The side effects and symptoms of adverse reaction are the same as given above for Rimadyl.

Previcox for Dogs:

One of the most recent NSAID pain medications for dogs, Previcox is another popular canine pain medicine.

It's a fast-acting pain medication for dogs and is effective at controlling pain and reducing inflammation.

Available as a flavored, chewable tablet in 57mg and 227mg strengths.

Previcox shouldn't be given to puppies under 7 weeks old.

Side effects are as given for the other NSAIS pain medications for dogs listed above.

Over The Counter Pain Medication For Dogs

This is generally okay if you do some research first and understand which 'human medicines' are safe to use on dogs, and which aren't. But there are some medicines that shouldn't be given to dogs (or cats) and going ahead and dosing your dog without checking first could lead to tragedy.

Here's a quick look at which otc 'people pain medicines' you may be able to use, BUT there's a caveat here too...

I would always recommend that you check with your own veterinarian before giving your dog any type of medicine that hasn't been prescribed for him - whether it's a human drug or one specifically formulated for dogs.

Certain medications can be contra-indicated if your pet has specific health conditions (such as kidney or liver problems), or is taking other medicines. It's always better to be safe than sorry

Aspirin for Dogs:

Aspirin can be used reasonably safely as a pain medication for dogs. It also reduces swelling and inflammation and reduces a fever.

It can usually be used as a short-term treatment for minor aches and pains, but it's important to be very careful about the dosage.

To learn all about using aspirin safely to treat your pet, visit my Aspirin For Dogs page.

Tylenol for Dogs:

Always check with your vet before giving Tylenol to your dog and if your vet gives you the 'go ahead' be extremely careful about the dosage.

Tylenol dosage for dogs - Regular Tylenol dosage is 5mg per pound of body weight, given 3 times a day (ie once every 8 hours).

Side effects of Tylenol in dogs - serious side effects that can occur after giving a dog Tylenol are usually seen as kidney or liver damage. This damage may not be obvious immediately and can't be reversed, so it's best to avoid the risk altogether in my opinion!

Other OTC Pain Medication for Dogs:

'Can I give my dog Ibuprofen?'.. the answer to this question is a resounding 'NO' I'm afraid.

Ibuprofen is one of the other pain medications that should NOT be given to dogs, this means that simple Ibuprofen, Motrin or Advil should not be used.

Naproxen (Aleve) is another forbidden pain medication for dogs. Bottom line... don't use them, ever, in any dosage.

If you give your dog any of these medications by mistake, or if he somehow gets a tub from your purse or off the table and ingests some tablets, it's ESSENTIAL that you get him veterinary help right away.

Your vet may be able to prevent him from absorbing a toxic amount of the drug if you get him help quickly enough, so in this type of situation never take a 'wait and see' attitude - get professional help ASAP.

IMPORTANT: Cats do NOT tolerate NSAID's at all, and giving your cat aspirin, ibuprofen or other pain medications can have tragic, and fatal, results. Just one Tylenol could kill your cat!

Aspirin For Dogs

Puppy Health

Basic Dog First Aid Supplies

Go to Homepage from Pain Medication For Dogs

New! Comments