My black lab is approximately 8 years old. I have recently started him on Rimadyl, as he was getting somewhat stiff and arthritic. He is doing wonderfully. He is on 2 75 mg tabs a day. Has anyone had experience with cutting the usual dosage in half, or alternating days, to save money?
I am getting the Rimadyl from Entirelypets(dot)com, and it is way less $$ than from my vet, but still expensive. I assume my dog will be on Rimadyl the rest of his life, but would like to dose him as minimally as possible while he is still fairly young. Any experience you can share with Rimadyl dosage?
Tracey I also had a Black Lab with Hip problems and my Vet put him on Rimadyl, like yours. My Lab had Diabetes from a puppy stage and we didn't know it. The Rimadyl made him sick every time I gave it to him.finally I changed to Glucosamine Chondroitin and it did even better for him. He lived 8 years and had no trouble with his Hips because he could run like the wind. We kept him in the house in the winter, where it was warm and lit the fire for him because he'd lay right in front of the stove and bake almost,but the heat drew the pain out of his hips. I even went so far as to place a heating pad under his blanket in the winter time and turned it down real low. He was comfortable with it.
My wonderful dog Maggie was on Rimadal for a short time. She later died of liver disease at the age of 8 yrs. The vet that prescribed it cautioned me that was a contraindication. However, Rimadal was a LAST resort for her. I would NOT give it to a dog unless it was absolutely necessary!! Please heed this warning! I give my 11 yr. old GSD, Kato, glucosamine and chrondoitin as per my vet. It works well for him.
Hello, I have worked for a Veterinarian for MANY years. Rimadyl can have a side effect on your fur baby's liver. Please have your Veterinarian check his lab work BEFORE you start him and then again when your Veterinarian advises you to do it again. Good luck
There is danger rectal bleeding & other side effects, including some deaths. I have a very advanced arthritic dog & she does great on a advanced glucosamine/chrondroitin/Vit. C supplement & you'd never know she has it. I would do Rimadyl as a last resort.
You need to shop around. There are LOTS of discount RX places on the net. Search generic names as well as the brand name for prices. Check out higher doses and break pills when there's a cost savings.
Glucosamine chondroitin is also EXCELLENT for people and pets with arthritis. Check with your vet for the dosage but I use 1000 mg per day for my dog who's around 72 pounds. BIG plus is this has almost no side effects and can be used safely with almost anything you give your dog.
Puritan's Pride has some great sales at times so check them out. Email them first and ask for the expiration dates so you can buy in bulk.
If your dog is doing wonderfully on 150mg per day; you want to consider carefully before lowering the dose. I'm always for using the least medicine possible but you don't want to compromise and only give the dog some relief when they could be doing much better.Try adding the gucosamine chondroitin first and then see about possibly decreasing the rimadyl dose.
Another cheap aid for arthritic pets in cold areas can be a simple heating pad set with a timer for about an hour before you normally get up to ease the start of the day.Don't forget to keep up the exercise too. It's as votal as ever and your dog still loves walking and jogging with you. They just need a little longer "warm-up" before the harder exercise.
If you buy the 100 mg. tabs and cut one in half, I think you could save some money. give one whole and one half tab if you want to continue 150 mg. per day. (If I understand correctly you are now giving two 75 mg. tabs.) Suppose you could try to give less, say 100 mg., and just see how your dog does with that dose, maybe some days that, or even less, would be enough. If you see the reduced dose is not effective you can always go back up.
If you buy the 100 mg. tabs and cut one in half, I think you could save some money. give one whole and one half tab if you want to continue 150 mg. per day. (If I understand correctly you are now giving two 75 mg. tabs.) Suppose you could try to give less, say 100 mg., and just see how your dog does with that dose, maybe some days that, or even less, would be enough. If you see the reduced dose is not effective you can always go back up.
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