Pet owners have many treatment options for addressing their dog’s arthritis pain.
Arthritis medicine for dogs comes in a variety of forms.
The most common form is the pill and chewable pill form.
These pills are in the general pharmaceutical drug class termed NSAIDs.
NSAIDs exert their benefit by breaking or changing the inflammatory pathway that leads to swelling, pain, and inflammation.
The most commonly used arthritis NSAIDs are:
- Rimadyl
- Deramaxx
- Metacam
- Previcox
All of these NSAIDs have potential side effects including gastric ulceration, gastrointestinal upset, and renal failure.
These pills are used every day in veterinary practice and give the veterinarian a potent weapon in treating dog arthritis symptoms.
Injectable dog arthritis medicines include PSGAGs and hyaluronic acid.
The most common brand names are Adequan and Legend.
Adequan is labeled for use in the dog while Legend is used off-label. Adequan is only labeled for use in the horse.
These injectable arthritis medicines lubricate the joints and protect against cartilage degradation.
Injectable medicines have minimal risks to the patient
They are safe!
I have used these injectable arthritis medicines by the bucketful and never had an issue other than post-injection muscle soreness at the injection site.
Other types of dog arthritis medicine include powders and capsules.
Powders and capsules usually contain herbal medicines or supplements.
The benefits of using powders are they are cost-effective, easily administered, and readily available.
The downside of powders is they can be dusty and not too tasty.
On the other hand, capsules generally cost more and can be more difficult to administer.
When deciding what type of dog arthritis medicine is best for you and your pet, consider:
- Side effects: Western, pill form arthritis medicines all have potential risks.
- Ease of administration: Chewable pills are the easiest to administer and dogs eat them like treats.
- Cost: Western arthritis pills generally cost more.
- Time: If you elect to use the injectable medicine, you will have to take your dog to the veterinarian weekly or learn how to give injections at home.
- Herbal medicine: It takes time for herbal medicines to benefit your pet. I tell my clients results may take up to three weeks depending on the issue.
Proactive Ways to Help Your Dog’s Arthritis
There are many quick and easy things you can do to give your dog an edge on arthritis challenges.
- Learn more about dog arthritis.
- Try cooking for your dog or feeding high-quality dog food. Home-cooked diets and wet food help keep your pet from gaining too much weight. In turn, less weight means less stress on your dog’s bones and joints. PET | TAO Chill and Blaze are top choices for arthritic dogs.
- Ease your dog’s discomfort naturally. PET | TAO Comfort is a blend of Eastern herbs and Western supplements to soothe your dog’s arthritic challenges to make him/her more comfortable.
- Provide joint support. PET | TAO Harmonize Joint is a blend of Eastern herbs and Western supplements working together to lubricate and restore your dog’s joints.
- Try Freeze-Dried Kidney Treats. According to TCVM, the Kidney controls the bones and joints and supports arthritic challenges in a “like treats like” manner.
- Learn more about TCVM Herbal Remedies. Chinese medicine offers many amazing natural solutions for dog arthritis. Some good examples are:
