Pain Relief For Canines Suffering From Joint Osteoarthritis

Many people with arthritic canines seek pain relief for dogs. Arthritis can cause significant soreness and pain in older dogs suffering from this joint disease. Although it is difficult to see your pet in pain, it is very important to understand the options for dog pain relief and the possible ramifications for using even simple pain relievers in canines.

Probably the most common option for relieving pain in a dog with arthritis is simply giving him or her aspirin. This medicine is an anti-inflammatory and works in reducing joint pain in both humans and canines. However, there are some warnings and things to watch out for when giving your dog this seemingly "safe" drug for relieving pain caused by arthritis.

It seems almost unbelievable, but aspirin almost killed my old dog, Storm. He had been suffering for some time from arthritis and his vet suggested giving him a daily dose for pain relief from his advancing osteoarthritis disease. All was fine and the medicine was working just like the veterinarian said it would. For the first few weeks Storm was doing much better and able to move around without as much pain.

However, one day he became deathly ill. It was so quick and so bad that I thought he surely would die before we could get him to the vet. He was in very bad shape to be sure. I thought maybe he had suffered a heart attack or some other similar event.

Luckily, he recovered from his near death experience from his dog arthritis medicine. Come to find out, according to the vet, Storm had actually had a reaction from the aspirin we were using for pain relief for his dog arthritis. The drug had caused an intestinal infection which almost killed him. Actually, these types of infections caused this pain relief for dogs are quite common. It is also quite common in humans. In fact, there are over 10,000 people a year who die from these infections caused by aspirin.

We do not suggest giving your dog aspirin every day. It is OK to give him or her an occasional aspirin for pain relief. However, giving a dog with arthritis an aspirin every day may prove to be quite dangerous for the dog.

If you do give your dog this drug on more than an occasional basis, be sure to watch him or her closely for any problems. Also, keep an eye on your dogs poop while they are on aspirin. If it turns dark or "tarry" looking, take him to the vet right away! That is a sign there is an intestinal infection.

Our website offers canine owners a place to buy glucosamine in liquid form for treating dog arthritis without the risk of dangerous side effects.