I've always read ibuprofen is poisonous to dogs.
it's one of the big meds to avoid at all costs.

Ibuprofen is not the same as Bute. Also, since your dogs have lived to a nice age of 14 yrs., why shorten their lives now by giving them something that could possibly lead to an earlier death.

Here's some info taken from a Dog Arthritis site:

"Dogs are much more likely to develop the ibuprofen side effects of gastro-intestinal problems than are humans. At therapeutic doses, Ibuprofen side effects include vomiting, diarrhea, gastro-intestinal bleeding, and kidney infection. Ibuprofen consistently causes ulcers in dogs after 2-6 weeks of use. Ibuprofen side effects will eventually cause ulcers of the stomach as well as vomiting.
Aspirin should never be used as a dog medicine for dogs suffering from kidney disease or high blood pressure. Do not use Aspirin when your dog has a liver disease. Aspirin side effects may cause sudden liver failure in dogs that don't have a liver disease. Do not use Aspirin for dogs with kidney blood flow damage. Aspirin side effects will cause increased kidney damage. Aspirin side effects can cause kidney damage in dogs that don't have a kidney disease. Aspirin should also not be given as a dog medicine in combination with Prednisolone, Prednisone, or Dexamethasone. As with all NSAIDs, Aspirin side effects can cause life-threatening stomach punctures, so dogs on this medication need to be monitored closely.
Phenylbutazone side effects are ulceration and bleeding of the stomach, liver damage, Phenylbutazone side effects may cause sudden liver failure, even in dogs that don't have a liver disease. More side effects of 'bute' are ulceration and bleeding of the intestines, As with all NSAIDs, Phenylbutazone side effects can cause life-threatening stomach punctures so dogs on this medication need to be monitored closely"

They are your dogs, it's obvious that you love them and it's your own business, but I hope that your read what annz posted carefully.

We give our arthritic labrador chewable Rimadyl tablets from the vet, but we also have to watch her for gastrointestinal problems, just like you should with the ibuprofen.

We give glucosamine-condroitin-MSM tablets and fish oil capsules too, so between those and the vet's medication and she is walking well now.

Had a doctor (MD) client a few years ago give his 2 dogs Ibuprofen for a week, and wondered why they were vomiting. Turns out both had severe kidney failure and bleeding stomach ulcers by the time he brought them in - lost both dogs. Ibuprofen is nasty stuff! Dont' use it in dogs (or cats!) ever. As an emergency veterinary clinician, I see quite a few Ibuprofen toxicities, and though most survive, why risk it?

Phenylbutazone was an NSAID alternative we used in dogs some years back, but it, too, caused a lot of severe stomach problems in dogs, but more from chronic use. Dogs can die very acutely from Ibuprofen exposure.

Aspirin is not that safe, either, and I have seen quite a few dogs have GI ulcers from aspirin (never lost one I know of, though). Aspirin and Bute also can cause long term joint damage, which is the opposite effect you want with a joint pain medication. Low dose aspirin, however, seems relatively safe for dogs and is used frequently for some forms of autoimmune anemia (helps keeping them from making small clots in the wrong places in the body).

Drugs like Rimadyl and Metacam are not only MUCH easier on the guts and kidneys, but are joint sparing as well (do not cause joint damage long term). That is why those sorts of NSAIDs are recommended for canines.

Tylenol (Acetominophen) while not an NSAID is still a commonly used painkiller in people, also has problems with use animals... dogs develop liver problems with chronic use and cats usually expire from a single dose. It sucks as a painkiller for dogs, so why use it anyway?

When my dog was old and could barely walk from his sore hips, I gave him baby aspirin in a piece of cheese. It helped him a lot. He took them for a few years before we had to have him put to sleep at 14 y/o.

Kris-M - I urge you to stop giving them something that will hurt them and spend a few extra dollars on cosequin which I have my dogs on and helps them tremendously.

Petaloid - IF you do any amount of research on labs and Rimadyl, you will stop giving your lab Rimadyl immediately and ask your vet to switch her to Tramadol.

My mother had a wonderful, large mixed breed she rescued from a wild area and who had questionable (at best) nutrition and shelter as a pup to young adult. It suffered terribly from arthritis and in its older adult years required medication to allow it to function and live a quality life. We held off on rimadyl as long as we could, worrying about her chem panels and side effects. Yes, it eventually impacted her liver. However, at that time it was the drug of choice and we figured a shorter, pain free life was a good trade-off.

Calliope, There are other choices out there today, so many other choices. And, for whatever reason, there is evidence that labradors are particularly harmed by Rimadyl more than other breeds. Tramadol is the one I have found to have the least amount of side effects in all breeds of dogs and the most pain relief. The real drug that works absolute miracles are shots of Adequan. They used to give it strictly to horses, but now they lower the dose and give it to dogs. We use a combination of Dosequin and Adequan. Adequan also has few, if any, side effects.

Yes, I'm sure the therapies are better now and that's a blessing. So many dogs and cats suffer with arthritis.

My poor puppy... he jumped through the half opened window of my mini van to sit in my lap yesterday and he must've got his toe caught on the window on his way in (he did actually kinda fumble in so I knew he probably did bump into something...) well anyway's his toe/toenail is literally pointed straight OUT- like at a 90 degree angle now. Instead of straight down like the rest of his toes.... can u get the picture?? =( he's been doing that whimpering cry thing all day now and it's definitely a pain whimper.... so I wrapped with ace bandage, putting a gauze pad over it. He was limping at first but he figured out fairly quickly that it just "feels" funky and he can actually walk just the same... (Lol he's especially intelligent) but he's still being really delicate with it and he's being generally unhappy. It's very upsetting to me. I'm much too poor to take him to the vet but im going to my absolute best to get hIm to one TODAY! But if I dont..... I just don't know what to do. Allz I wanna do is be a good mommy. But if I leave it unwrapped it gets caught on stuff and then it hurts him all over again. So I bought some ibuprofen and a little cheese for him. Should I give him the pill JUST THIS ONE TIME? I imagine that I will get him to a vet no matter what sometime today.... I'll find the money somehow someway..... right? BUT until I can get him there it should be perfectly fine to just give it to him ONE FREAKING TIME...... RIGHT?!?!??? SOMEBODY PLEASE HEEEEELP!!!!

no ibuprofen.

Taking him to a vet to have the nail trimmed off wont be expensive. It is going to continue to be painful until its clipped off, because movement just makes it more painful.

My 11 year old lab has severe liver and kidney disease. Just diagnosed last week. She's also arthritic. I can't give her aspirin because of her liver and kidney disease. Will the tramadol be safe for her?

It is a controlled substance, and will need scripted by your vet anyway, so that is the appropriate person to address this question to. I am not familiar with this site, but found a link concerning vet usage of that drug, it may be helpful. https://www.care.com/a/tramadol-for-dogs-advantages-disadvantages-and-side-effects-20151005054346

12/3/2020 Thursday 4pm

My boy is about 100lbs and 14 ...he was Very I'll ...lost his ability to hold his pee and his arthritis kicked in ..he would drink massive amounts of water and be soaked in pee when he woke up...I thought it was the end and by the looks he was giving me ..he thought so to...People Were Telling me to pick out where to bury him.

.I told him we would work this out ..

Just don't die!!!

I went on a regime of giving him water in stages so I could keep up with his walks ...which increased to 10 or more times a 24 hour period.

I eventually learned to spray him down with vinegar to keep his fur clean and comb him ... So he wouldn't reinfect himself by cleaning himself ...This worked

For his pain people told me to give him ibuprofen so desolved it in water and mixed it in his food...it's been a couple of weeks now..He Can Hold his pee overnight...I was getting up at least 123 times a night to walk him.

He still has a little bit of a Limp but nothing like it was ..His personality came back and he will play..I also started putting vegetables in his food cabbage, carrots, beats , tomatoes , cucumbers, kale and the rest other meats or bone broth , some kibble sweet potatoes.

He Seems so much better ..

I'm not going to give him ibuprofen for now and see if he's still ok

Wish me luck

He's going to need the luck, the ibuprofen is killing his liver! You should take your dog to a vet, he must be licking where you spray the vinegar, I've never heard of such a thing. I think your dog is suffering !!!!!!!

Carprofen is an NSAID for canines, my senior dog is on it and it works very well! Why wouldn’t you just ask the vet for a prescription? I would never give my dog human drugs.

I wouldn't give ibuprofen or any other drugs to my dog unless our vet would advice so.

Our vet prescribed it but we never gave it

K R said, "Carprofen is an NSAID for canines, my senior dog is on it and it works very well! Why wouldn’t you just ask the vet for a prescription? I would never give my dog human drugs."

Why?

"Are there any potential side effects?

Side effects in dogs include gastrointestinal upset, such as mild vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and temporary lack of appetite, as well as tiredness. More serious side effects include liver, kidney, or gastrointestinal damage characterized by severe vomiting, diarrhea, black or bloody stools, bloody vomit, increased drinking and/or urination, yellow skin or eyes, severe lethargy, and persistent lack of appetite. Other reported serious side effects include neurologic signs such as incoordination, paralysis, seizures, or disorientation, behavior signs such as restlessness, or aggression, skin effects such as itchiness, hair loss, or scabs/wounds, or allergic reactions such as facial swelling or hives. Your veterinarian may see blood abnormalities such as low red blood cell or platelet counts on bloodwork.

Carprofen may also affect lab tests, such as thyroid levels, liver enzymes, blood cell counts, potassium levels, kidney values, and bleeding times. In cats, serious kidney effects and gastrointestinal effects have occurred, and is therefore not usually recommended.

This moderate-acting medication should stop working in a few days, although effects can be longer in pets with liver or kidney disease."

That's why.