Hi I'm new here and just wondering if any of you know if it's ok to give my lab an over the counter pain reliever?

I already know that I can call the vet and I already know what they will say.

In the middle of the night I heard him make an ouch noise and his shoulder seems to be bothering him a little.I will take him to the vet if it get's any worse but I am curious to know if you can give dogs pain relievers.

Please help me.This is my baby.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Ladybug

Hi I'm new here and just wondering if any of you know if it's ok to give my lab an over the counter pain reliever?

I already know that I can call the vet and I already know what they will say.

In the middle of the night I heard him make an ouch noise and his shoulder seems to be bothering him a little.I will take him to the vet if it get's any worse but I am curious to know if you can give dogs pain relievers.

Please help me.This is my baby.

If this is your baby and you don't want him to be harmed by medicating wrong----and it can be done very easily--You will be very careful. I am confused!! What will your vet say?? All you should have to do is just call and ask what over-the-counter medication to use and how much!!If you don't like your vet--call another one for the advice!! You can also check out on the web--Just put words like aspirin/dogs or Tylenol/dogs in your browser--whatever drug you want to know about!! I had just recently done a post to someone in here who was giving too much aspirin. I am going to copy and paste that post here for you--hoping that will tell you a little about analgesics
--These are drugs used to relieve pain. Here it is;
ANALGESICS
---Buffered or enteric coated aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is an over~the~counter analgesic that is safe for home veterinary care in the recommended dosage for dogs. (Aspirin has a very low margin of safety and should not be used for cat.) Buffered or enteric coated aspirin is much safer than regular aspirin because it is less likely to cause stomach and duodenal ulcers.
---Aspirin remains effective as a short~term analgesic for the control of pain associated with musculoskeletal injuries. It is no longer recommended for long~term control of osteoarthritis, because of its destructive effects on joint cartilage. There are better analgesics available that do not have this disadvantage.
---Note that individual dogs metabolize aspirin at very different rates. This inconsistency can lead to an unexpected accumulation of dangerous breakdown products in the animal's body. As few as two regular~strength aspirin tablets can produce severe organ damage in some medium~sized (30 pound) dogs. Follow this dosage: 5mg per pound (of dog) every 12 hours of buffered; enteric coated aspirin.
---Ibuprofen, in particular is not recommended for use in dogs. Many other
NSAIDs that can be purchased over~the~counter have unpredictable absorption rates and low margins of safety. NONE OF THESE SHOULD BE USED WITHOUT VETERINARY APPROVAL.
---Note that all nonsteroidal anti~inflammatory drugs (collectively known as NSAIDs), irritate the stomach and are capable of causing STOMACH AND DUODENAL ULCERS. Your veterinarian may prescribe a gastric mucosal protectant such as misoprostol (Cytotec) or sucralfate (Carafate) to prevent this complication.Remember, never use more than one NSAID (including aspirin) at the sme time!!Me talking here--I'm going to shorten this part and just say--Don't use Tylenol--same warning as the amount for the aspirin being too much--besides it is used for fevers and only when fever exceeds 104 to 105 degrees F. Don't use Phenylbutazone (Butazolidin)--harmful effects on joint cartilage. And can cause bone marrow suppression. Don't use Flunixin meglumine (Banamine)--Gastrointestinal toxicity limits its use in dogs. And for God's sake--DON'T USE RIMADYL and be aware that this is the brand name and 2 other words are the same thing---Do some research on that crap--I can't think of the other 2 words right now--1 starts with car___ and the other may start with c too--That info is in this forum in the Dog Health and Nutrition forum someplace---Put Rimadyl in the search box (See blue strip that goes across top of page in this forum---Find word Search--click and proceed from there)---Last paragraph coming up:When pain relievers are used for treating sprains and acute injuries of muscles, tendons and joints, the dog should be confined or restricted from exercising. Pain relief may cause the dog to overuse the limb, which can delay recovery. End of quotes.
---I hope you already know that damage can be going on and you would not know it right away as signs do not show up until it is too late in many cases!
---Just found one of the names for the Rimadyl--It is carprofen. If your lab continues to have pain, or acts out of the ordinary---best to see a vet!

[Lara's mom]

If it were either of my girls, I'd feel better about them seeing their Doctor first and recommending something which I would then come home and check out for myself, just to be on the safe side. I'm very reluctant to use OTC meds unless the Doctor has ok'd it.

[sandyh]

. enteric-coated aspirin - aspirin that is treated to pass through the stomach unaltered and to dissolve in the intestines
acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin, Bayer, Empirin, St. Joseph - the acetylated derivative of salicylic acid; used as an analgesic anti-inflammatory drug (trade names Bayer, Empirin, and St. Joseph) usually taken in tablet form; used as an antipyretic; slows clotting of the blood by poisoning platelets

[Lara's mom]

I would also be very concerned about giving the appropriate dosage of OTC meds. My girls are 42 lbs and 14 lbs. I wouldn't want to attempt to guess what was the appropriate amount to give by myself.

I ended up taking my baby to the vet and good thing I did because it wasn't his leg at all.It was a problem in his neck and for some reason he tweaked it while sleeping and it caused him to limp.

The vet gave him some medicine for pain and wants him to rest for a week.I knew something was really wrong when he wouldn't even play with his ball which he is majorly obsessed with.anyone who has a lab knows they have a ton of energy and he just didn't have it today.

I was shocked that it was in his neck because he was limping but the vet said that happens a lot when they hurt their necks.He prescribed Rimadyl chewables 100 mgs and I petted him until he fell asleep.the vet wanted him to sleep as much as possible for this week.I'm so worried about him because he is my baby and I love him so much.I could even see the pain in his eyes earlier today and since he wasn't acting like his usual self I rushed him to the vet.

Thank you so much for the info you gave me....it was comforting to know that there;s people out there that care enough to take time to post what they know.The vet did say that this could happen again but at least now I know what I'm dealing with.I was so worried.right now he is sleeping right by my feet waiting for me to go to bed.
Thanks to all who took time to care enough to help me as I was really freaking out when I posted because I could see the pain in his eyes.I hope one day I can do the same for you.
Much gratitude,
Ladybug(Bears mommy)

[Lunareclipse]

My vet suggested Ascriptin for my dog's pain. It is an over the counter med with Maalox in it so the medicine doesn't make the dog sick.

[CorkyMax]

He prescribed Rimadyl chewables 100 mgs and I petted him until he fell asleep.the vet wanted him to sleep as much as possible for this week.I'm so worried about him because he is my baby and I love him so much.

Evidently you missed this part of my post to you above!!!!!!!

And for God's sake--DON'T USE RIMADYL and be aware that this is the brand name and 2 other words are the same thing---Do some research on that crapRimadyl is responsible for killing many dogs. It can be immediate or not happen until a little ways down the road. IT DESTROYS THE LIVER!!!!! And I am not sure but seems like I read somewhere that Labs are one of the more susceptible to it. I gave my cocker just one (threw the rest in the trash)and he kept me up all night with side effects----pacing and panting and I swear he looked into my eyes to say HELP ME!!! I almost feel you would of been better off getting a SAFE over-the-counter pain killer. You can not always think your vet knows best----FAR FROM IT!!!! And for many reasons that I am not going to go into here
right now!! My main concern is to rush this post to you now!! PLEASE GET A SAFER PAIN MED!!! Maybe Lunarclipse (Post above)
has a good answer1! And follow Lara's MOM's advise (also post above)

There are at least 3 words that I know of that are the same thing! Rimadyl and/or Novox are the brand names for carprofen. Rimadyl appears to be the word used most often for carprofen. Please keep these 3 words for this crap in mind or you may have 'Rimadyl (carprofen) and not even know it!!