# Dog with arthritis, advice re: Metacam



## Lattytatty (Aug 2, 2012)

Good evening

I am new to this forum and immediately asking for advice, I hope this is not bad etiquette!

I am looking for advice/personal accounts/areas for consideration about our 11 year old Lab. I am not asking for the decision to be made as only us as owners can do that but constructive opinions would be very gratefully received.

We have always kept our Lab lean which hopefully has helped him stay fitter for longer although the dreaded arthritis is, sadly, now setting in. We took him to the vets about six months ago and was prescribed Rimadyl. He had a couple of days of this and was then 'as sick as a dog'! For two days he didn't leave his bed (only to go relieve himself), could hardly bring himself to look up and couldn't even manage a wag of his tail when my husband came home. He didn't eat for about three days more and gradually got better from there.

It was very distressing to see him so ill and I really didn't fancy taking him back to the vets to keep trying alternatives to find the drug which suited him. Maybe this is naive but while he looks stiff (more so some days than others) he does not seem in pain (discomfort at times yes but nothing to make him outwardly yelp or not walk) and I never want to see him as sick as that again.

We now give him Mobile Bones which does seem to ease him but as an old dog he is going to naturally get worse which, steadily, I believe he is doing.

I have spoken to a few friends with arthritic dogs who have said about administering Metacam and within a few days the improvement was astounding.

My problem is, or maybe should say, my problems are, firstly, Metacam, like Rimadyl will only mask the discomfort and not cure it. He will still naturally decline and will the pain be worse for him when the Metacam doesn't help him anymore or will the dose just keep getting upped until the day he is no longer with us.

Secondly, our dog could potentially have the same reaction as with the Rimadyl.

Thirdly, we have two young children (3 and 6) who adore their dog, when the time comes when he leaves our home is it easier for them to understand why when they see an old, slow dog rather than a sprightly dog who doesn't seem old.

I am completely torn between drugs and letting him age gracefully and, like I said at the beginning, I'm not asking for the decision to be made for me but hopefully you will be able to let me see it from some different angles or hear personal situations.

This post is very long and if you have got this far I thank you! Hopefully see some replies soon. Rachel


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

The thing is, he's going to be in pain at some point and you as his owner have a duty to alleviate that pain when it gets bad. There's no choice in that, it's the law that you do not let an animal suffer, and those of us that love our animals wouldn't let that happen.

After saying all that, I am in the same position as yourself with my boy, I'm averse to giving NSAIDs without very good reason.
My boy is on Cartrophen injections at the moment to try and delay the day of pain relief and he goes to hydro as much as I can afford.
This has kept him active far longer than my vet expected but pain relief is getting ever nearer. 
Tramadol is an alternative to NSAIDS as a pain relief


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## Lattytatty (Aug 2, 2012)

Thank you for your reply Rona. If I thought he was in pain then I definitely wouldn't be asking for advice, there would be no decision to be made. Even the vet said he didn't believe he is in pain. For an older Lab he is slim, we have always kept him slim and hopefully this has and does aid him - and also makes him look younger than he is (it's just his greying snout which gives his true age away!).

I have heard someone mention Tramadol before, I will also speak to the vet about this.

Another query, if he gets put on a drug which works will he naturally run more by his own doing? As his arthritis is being 'masked' and not fixed would this make him deteriorate (unseeingly) quicker?


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Yes it will. I had this conversation with my vet. She wanted me to give mine 3 short walks a day, but I know him and know he wouldn't be happy with that.
I asked her if I continued with is normal 6-7 miles a day, how much sooner did she think he would have to be PTS due to his leg, she said possibly 6 months.
I weighed this up against the 2-4 years he could have out and about as apposed to strolling sedately around the playing field etc, and decided that he doesn't know what the future holds and I'd rather he had as much life as possible.
You do have to be a little sensible for them though, no running madly after balls and no rough housing with other dogs, just stuff like that


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## lola57 (Jul 23, 2012)

my dog was ill with metacam but fine on rymadyl.sadly even humans who take drugs for arthritus suffer long term side effects.have you looked into homeopathic treatments,they can be very effective,good luck x


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## JustmeGemmy (Jun 30, 2011)

Tramadol is effective for most things, but doesn't tend to help much with arthritis. It really will just mask the pain, it won't help him at all. 

Metacam is an NSAID (Like ibuprofen for us), so it helps with the pain & inflammation caused by the arthritis. Our dog went from being in excruciating pain, not being able to sit, stand or even lie down without crying. It was gut wrenching to see him like that! To being able to run through fields again, thanks to metacam. It does carry warnings & some dogs can get sick from it. As for increasing the dose, I'm not sure, but I don't think it does get increased. Our dog is on 14ml a day, which is measured to his weight: 14kg. It's not gone up or down since we started using it a year ago. Sox has been absolutely fine on it  

Another useful medication is glucosamine. Ask your Vet first before giving it to your dog, but that can help to lubricate the joints. It really should be used alongside a painkiller. Our Vet advised us not to give glucosamine alongside metacam as there was no real point. 

Bear in mind that Tramadol isn't designed for use in dogs. It isn't necessarily a better choice than metacam.. We had to sign a disclaimer before giving Sox Tramadol & even then, it didn't help him!

Best thing to do is talk through your options with your Vet. Tell him/her your concerns regarding each option. We had to weigh up the pros & cons with treating Sox. Although metacam *can* have some side effects, seeing him in that amount of pain made it worth the risk. Thankfully, he's been ok.


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## Twiggy (Jun 24, 2010)

I agree with Rona. It's about weighing up quality of life and trying to avoid NSAIDS for as long as possible but in the end they become almost inevitable to keep our beloved dogs pain free.

Hydrotherapy is very beneficial if there is a pool near you, MacTimoney chiropractors can also help, as can canine sports massage therapists.

I have a bitch who is almost 14 yrs old and she will be having K-laser treatment shortly, which is another option, although not widely available is the UK at the moment.


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## stusam85 (Feb 25, 2012)

Wolfie is on Onsior (robenacoxib - a different NSAID), he has shot gun pellet in his front right leg that has shattered his wrist and essentially caused his wrist joint to fuse solid. As a result of this he has put extra pressure on his front left leg and now has a severely arthritic shoulder  Initially he was on Onsior every couple of days to help his shot leg but then his shoulder got bad and now he has a tablet every day. I'm not overly happy about him needing to be on anti-inflammatories for the rest of his life ( he is nearly 8) especially as his breed can be susceptible to kidney problems but I'd rather see him happy and enjoying his walks than being miserable and limping badly. I do try to let him swim as much as possible so it is low impact exercise, and he does seem to walk better afterwards.
I'm not completely sure but I think Onsior is a slightly different type of NSAID to Metacam so it might be worth asking your vet if it's any better, in which case you could use it like we were initially and only treat flair ups as opposed to every day dosing.


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## Lattytatty (Aug 2, 2012)

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply. All makes good reading and food for thought. We're on hols soon so am not going to make an appt until we get back - not at all fair on the dogsitters if he reacts a new drug, but will see the vet when we come back.

Many thanks again. :thumbup:


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Just make sure you come back and let us know what you have decided to try and how effective it turns out to be


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