alternatives to rymydel for dogs

Dave M

Dave M

Well-known member
All ,

My 11 year old lab has been having issues with getting going after our walks in the woods , the vet recommended Rymydel for pain relief . She feels good after after we have used it for a few months but i am reading things about liver issues and whatnot . Before i order another round of Rymydel i wanted to ask what others use for there active dogs here on the site . I do not expect her to be super pup but i want here to do what she enjoys without pain or making things worse . Thanks in advance


Dave M
 
Hi Dave,

Not sure I would call it a true alternative but my vet had me go with fish oil and Cosequin DS to help with sore joint issues. Obviously check, but my understanding is that these are both long term maintenance supplements that don't cause the long term damage Rymydel can.

I hope she feels better, especially when the cooler weather finally gets here. Summer was always the toughest time.

Scott

ps: Jetty (the pup) is sacked out between my feet as I type.
 
Rymadel is in a class of compounds that inhibit prostaglandin synthesis by blocking the activity of the Cox1 and Cox2 enzymes. Several prostaglandins elaborated via these parallel cascades are mediators of inflammatory activity within tissues. Inflamed tissues retain water, causing swelling, which puts pressure on sensory neurons that are pain "signallers". If your dog is doing well, after having been on the medication for a month, the probability of liver or kidney issues arrising is likely diminished absent some other background change in its physiology.
 
Had my dog on Rymydel for about a year before she passed, it was a great help to get walking without pain. Vet did several blood tests in that time to check liver function, all was good.
Vet also recommended several natural products to also help with the joints.
 
Dave,

If you are going the medicine route, you might look into Metacam (meloxicam). It's a liquid pain reliever/antiinflammatory. It is dosed based on weight. The nice thing is that you can get the dog started on it at the full dose and then back off to a "maintenance" level, then giving full doses when she really needs it. That saves money and not as hard on internal organs. Metacam is hard on the kidneys though. Your vet will likely do a kidney function test before putting her on it, if you go that route. At least mine did.

You might also look into Dasaquin (Amazon is the cheapest place I've seen it). It's a chewy supplement, no need for prescription, that most dogs love. Both Mike and Kenzie were on it. Unfortunately Kenzie was allergic to something in it and itched horribly so he had to be taken off of it, but the results joint wise were very good for both boys. They both moved like they were much younger dogs after it got into their system. I VERY HIGHLY recommend Dasaquin.

Danibeth
 
My first lab, Yukon Jack was a poster boy for Rymadyl. I feel it gave him an extra 3 years of pain relief. I don't know about the kidney risk but I know it did wondets for his messed up back. Not sure how he got hurt but the Xray showed a very bad section of his back. The only negative we could see was the cost but what ya gonna do?
 
My wife said that short term Rimadyl is the best. If you use it long term you can supplement it with Milk Thissle to protect the liver. If it is purely a joint issue we found Phycox to be a very effective daily replacement . It has glucosimine and a natural antiinflamitory in it. We were able to take my old dog off Rimadyl daily and only used it when he had a hard day hunting. He had been through two ACL surgeries.
Worked for him!! John
 
Rather than reading all the rymadyl haters' websites, I'd talk to your vet and if you're not satisfied, get a 2nd and 3rd opinion. Especially now that your dog has been on it for a month, the question should be "If there hasn't been a problem yet, is there likely to be one later?" I believe they can do liver and/or kidney panels to keep track of those organs and relieve your concern.

We have used Rymadyl and a generic whose name escapes me, and Metacam. All are wonderful in my opinion.

We have also seen an amazing improvement over time in my dog's shoulder arthritis by giving glucosamine pills daily.

Also, you didn't say what symptoms your dog is exhibiting after walks. Is it joint pain? Arthritis?
 
First, if your dog's not already on it, Glucosamine and Chontroitin is a good way to maintain joint health (hips and knees).
Second, look at Prevacox. Our vet runs GSP and uses it on her dogs and recommended it to us. She's wary of Rimadyl because of supposed later-on health issues linked to Rimadyl.
 
there is some good advice here already I will just say I used it for 4.5 years on my old chessie and she did wonderful on it she passed at 15 and hunted till the end I would do it again no effects from the rymydel.
 
Ask your vet about tramadol if you are just trying to relieve pain on days when your dog over exerts. I used rymadil or rovera on my lab from 12 until he passed at 13.5, not from liver failure he just got old. At some point in your dogs life pain relief is going to be more important than long term liver problems.

I also used adequan which is an injectable that helps to build up fluid around the joints.

Good luck
 
Thank you all for the responses , alot of info but it looks as though the Rymydel works great for her at the moment , we do have a doctors appointment to check her out so i will take this info and ask the questions . As usual i feel a little better after hearing the positives here but the more info the better .


Dave M
 
I used it on a chessy for years, poor guy had a warriors heart and bad, bad hips. He was on it for +5 years. We did the annual blood work up and no problems. It was a huge quality of life issue once we started using it. His activities scaled back but he still had fun. As an alternative check out Novox similar type drug I believe and cheaper.
 
Dave, after reading all the second-hand testimonials of Vets advocating one Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug over another with no support data from clinical trials, I think it would be worthwhile to post the Merck Veterinary Manual's overview of the NSAIDs, both Cox-1 and Cox-2 selective classes, with additional information of secondary effects. The only exception mentioned is traMadol, which is in another class of compounds with a differrent mechanism of action.

In humans, ALL NSAIDs carry a chronic usage cardiovascular warning and all but one of the Cox-2 selective compounds have been withdrawn from FDA approval for human use. Had the FDA Drug Safety Advisory Committee reviewed the data at the most commonly prescribed dosage, they likely would have voted to recommend it be removed as well. Many of the the non-selective NSAIDs are not approved for use in dogs due to liver toxicity issues.

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/pharmacology/anti-inflammatory_agents/nonsteroidal_anti-inflammatory_drugs.html

Hopefully this will provide additional background for all readers.
 
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