Joint pain in a dog.

Dr. Marie replied:

Menew definitely is a senior dog at 15 years of age! Unfortunately arthritis is very common in older dogs.

There are great medications available for arthritis but they all need to be prescribed by your veterinarian. Some that I use include Metacam, Rimadyl and Previcox. I have seen some old arthritic dogs act like puppies again after receiving these medications.

You can also ask your vet about something called cartrophen or adequan injections. These injections help lubricate the joints and often work quite well.

Glucosamine is debatable for use in arthritis. While there is no harm in using it, it often is not terribly helpful.

Unfortunately there is no over the counter medication that is considered safe to use for arthritis in dogs. Many over the counter anti-inflammatories will be very hard on a dog's kidneys or liver, or can cause serious stomach ulcers.

I would highly advise talking to your vet about one of the drugs mentioned above.

I hope all goes well!

Dr. Marie.

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---


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