Risks of Dog Arthritis Drugs

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     When dogs get older, their bones tend to get arthritic. Not all dogs face this problem, but the majority of dogs living a comfortable life in a home will usually end up with some form of arthritis problem. There have been a number of drugs created to help dogs deal with their arthritis, but it seems that the drugs are not all as beneficial as they claim to be.

The majority of the medications used to treat dogs and their arthritis tend to be non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAIDs. These drugs do work to help relieve the pain that a dog may be facing by reducing the swelling in the dog's joints. The effectiveness of the NSAIDs has been proven to help reduce the effects of the arthritis.

The downside to using these anti-inflammatory drugs is that many of these NSAIDs have a number of side effects that can be seriously harmful to dogs. All NSAIDs have a chance of causing adverse reactions or side effects in dogs, and the seriousness of the reaction will vary according to the dog which is given the medication. In order to give dog owners the ability to cope with any negative side effects, it is important to know what the main side effects are.

Minor Side Effects:

There are a number of minor side effects associated with dogs taking NSAIDs. These include:

Frequent vomiting
The inability to eat or a dog losing its appetite
Serious depression
Lethargy
Chronic diarrhea

These side effects are only the minor ones that dogs may experience from taking NSAIDs, but the majority of the dogs that have a negative reaction to the drugs will usually only have these minor side effects.

Major Side Effects:

The chance that a dog will react strongly to a particular NSAID is not as high as a minor reaction would be, but it is vital to be prepared when administering a drug of this type. The reactions that a dog may experience to one of these drugs include:

Liver Problems
Serious damage to the kidneys
Perforations
Painful ulcers
Bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract

While none of these side effects are guaranteed to be fatal, they can kill the dog if they are not treated immediately. The risk of these side effects is not as high as the minor side effects, but the consequences are much more serious if a dog has a violent negative reaction to these drugs.

Canine Arthritis Medications:

There have been a number of medications that have had a serious negative impact on dogs, such as:

Rimadyl is one of the most popular canine arthritis medications, but it has been proven to be fatal to a large number of dogs. The FDA forced Rimadyl to put this side effect on the label, but it is still one of the most sold drugs.

Metacam is a synthetic drug that is used to treat canine arthritis, and this drug has been known to provoke serious diarrhea in dogs. It has also been known to cause ulcers, perforation, kidney toxicity, and liver problems.

Previcox and Adequan Canine both have caused serious problems in dogs, especially in the circulatory system. These medications reduce the effectiveness of the platelets in a dog's blood, which reduces the ability to form clots. This can cause minor injuries to be incredibly serious, and can even lead to death by internal bleeding. Other side effects include vomiting, breathing problems, kidney and liver disease, and even death.

Dermaxxx has serious side effects when the dog's body reacts negatively with the medication, which can include organ failure or serious damage done to the organs, lethargy, jaundice, depression, and vomiting.

All of these drugs can react violently with a dog's body, which is why veterinarians recommend that a dog is tested before the drug is applied.

Every dog that will be taking these medications should be tested to determine whether or not a particular drug can have serious side effects in a dog's body. The tests are used to determine baseline blood value before the drug is administered, as well as during the period in which the medication is taken by the dog. This gives veterinarians the ability to monitor the dog to determine if there are any signs of serious side effects or complications caused by the medication.

Byran is a veterinarian (D.V.M) and Ph.D in the Life Sciences. An avid animal lover, she is currently focused on providing solutions to common dog health problems such as arthritis and hip dysplasia.You may contact her for more information on pain in dogs.

Byran is a veterinarian (D.V.M) and Ph.D in the Life Sciences. An avid animal lover, she is currently focused on providing solutions to common dog health problems such as arthritis and hip dysplasia.Please visit http://DogPawr.com to contact her or for further information. http://www.dogpawr.com