Any vets able to advise?

fankino04

fankino04

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 November 2010
Messages
2,781
Location
Wiltshire
Visit site
My malamute (42kgs) went to the vets on Friday afternoon as he was showing some discomfort in his back and reluctant to move, he was put on 2x 40mg onsior tablets once a day and 2 x 300mg gabapentin twice a day, the gabapentin doesn't seem to make much difference in terms of pain levels, the onsior does but only seems to last 5 hours or so (it made a big difference on the Friday evening but he has regressed again and it seems to have less effect from yesterday), can he have more? Or would splitting the dose over 24 hours help? Will ring vet tomorrow obviously but just wondered if I can help him more today?
 
Also I've got some tramadol and some diazapan for my back, is it an option to give him either of these to help him and if so in what dose?
 
Ring the emergency vets if you can't get your own.
Giving dosage rates online from human medications to give to dogs is not something that should happen if a vet likes their license to practice. Medications are sometimes very individual animal and illness dependent so that sort of info on the web can put animals at risk.

Fingers crossed your boys feeling better soon.
 
Emergency vets called back and said to give him more gabapentin which I've done but it hasn't worked this time or previously. He's feeling really down and sorry for himself. I considered trying cbd oil but the Internet suggests that it works as an anti inflammatory so don't want to do that as he's already on the onsior, just hate not being able to help him.
 
That's the thing though the onsior works just doesn't last very long and is only a once a day dose, the gabapentin seems to have no effect on him but then it doesn't help my back pain either, naproxin didn't work for a bad ankle for me but now does for my back so I think it's just a case of getting the right dose of the right drugs.
 
fankino04 said:
That's the thing though the onsior works just doesn't last very long and is only a once a day dose, the gabapentin seems to have no effect on him but then it doesn't help my back pain either, naproxin didn't work for a bad ankle for me but now does for my back so I think it's just a case of getting the right dose of the right drugs.
Click to expand...


then you definitely need to take him back to the vet. He might need injected version of the drugs to give him a good start to build on with the oral drugs.
 
If he's that painful it might be worth bringing him to the emergency vets, they should be able to prescribe and give stronger pain relief. Gaba often takes time to help with pain in humans. its an odd drug.

I wouldn't recommend adding CBD to his current cocktail. CBD isn't well researched in dogs yet for cross-reactions etc however, it is expected to cause issues with the metabolism of NSAIDs like onsior You could do more harm than good.
 
Gabapentin seems to work well in some dogs and have no effect in others, my 12 year old Lab has been on Gabapentin for 2 months and it has worked wonders for him (elbow and general arthritic pain) he has it with Metacam and a low dose of Pardale that we can increase if necessary. We tried Gabapentin also with our 16 year old Lab (under vet supervision obvs) and she reacted very badly to it, wobbly, like she was drunk, we took her off it after just one dose her reaction was that extreme. For a long time she was on Cimalgex, Pardale V and Tramadol and that worked very well for her, until it stopped working. We've found that small doses of multiple drugs is more effective than large doses of one, but it can take weeks to find a combination that works and that combination may not work for very long either before needing to add in something else. It is a fine balancing act. I think a face to face consultation is required, I'm hoping you can get him pain free quickly.
 
That's interesting stiff knees, maybe the reason he seems more wobbly is actually caused by the gabapentin, I gave him some tramadol and he has perked up a bit, went for a short walk (the vet said little and often exercise) and he kept jogging so that seems to work better for him, have booked appointment in the morning to discuss alternative drugs. Still hoping it's a one off pulled muscle rather than a long term degenerative issue, he did have a little scuffle with my other dog the day before his symptoms started so maybe he slipped awkwardly on the laminate floor and has injured it that way, the decline is very sudden if it's not a one off injury...
 
Wobbliness, lack of coordination and lethargy are very well documented side effects of Gabapentin in dogs. I'd say that if you're not noticing an improvement but you are seeing those side effects that maybe Gabapentin is not the right drug for your dog, have this discussion with your vet, it should only be withdrawn under vet supervision as sudden withdrawal can cause seizures. Most NSAIDs seem to be a once a day dose as the anti inflammatory effects last after the drug has left the system. Keeping my fingers crossed for you both, I know how heartbreaking it is to not be in control of your dogs pain.
 
In all honestly SK I have never not been in control of my dogs pain - you know your own dog, and if it’s clear the pain relief isn’t working then I take them back to the vets immediately. Personally I wouldn’t give tramadol to a dog unless it was under veterinary advice, but that’s just me
 
Levrier said:
In all honestly SK I have never not been in control of my dogs pain - you know your own dog, and if it’s clear the pain relief isn’t working then I take them back to the vets immediately. Personally I wouldn’t give tramadol to a dog unless it was under veterinary advice, but that’s just me
Click to expand...
I think you've been extremely fortunate Levrier, there have been many occasions when I have felt as though their pain relief is not as effective as it could be and it can take time to find an alternative that works and I don't mean that it can take me time to find the time to visit the vets, mine all go at the first inkling that something is not working for them, my wages may as well be paid direct to the vets, they've never been treated with anything that the vet hasn't prescribed, Tramadol was a vet prescription, I wouldn't dream of self medicating my beloved dogs. I've just lost my 16 year old lab because we could no longer control her pain and believe me, we tried everything but the sad fact was that we could no longer find a combination of pain relief, that would have also afforded her any sort of quality of life, so we made the heartbreaking decision to put her to sleep. I tried, I failed, perhaps if she'd lived with you she would be living pain free but I doubt it. Your comment is hurtful.
 
Oh no SK I didn’t mean you re: giving Tramadol, I meant the OP who has said she has given her dog some? Presumably without a vet prescription, although maybe she discussed it over the phone with the vet

I don’t think I have been lucky at all, I’ve had a lot of elderly and other dogs who have had very serious illnesses over the past 30 years including loosing 3 dogs in the past 2 years due to age-related issues. I’m pretty well known for putting my dogs first at all times, so I would have made the same sad decision that you had to for the sake of the dog. It is never an easy decision to make, I know that very well after my recent experiences
 
Both the vet on Friday and the emergency one this morning said tramadol would probably be fine for him but Friday vet said they would try gabapentin first as they reckon it often has better results, and the emergency vet agreed it is suitable but couldn't prescribe without seeing him due to legislation, so I figured it was worth giving it a go as it was safe with his other drugs and he has had it in the past (injured foot) with no side effects, he is much perkier now and wagging his tale when you speak to him so will contact vet in the morning regards changing from gabapentin.
 
That’s cool, you hadn’t mentioned that you’d discussed it with them before OP but I’m really glad it’s helping him 😊
 
Sorry I had to dash out so didn’t have time to add, I apologise for posting something that you found hurtful SK that was most definitely not my intention at all. Sadly I know how hard it is when you loose them ☹️
 
The dosage for gabapentin in dogs is 10-20 mgs/kg. Usually it is started at the lower dose as it can make some dogs groggy. Tramadol can be added in with both the gabapentin and onsior. The dog dose for tramadol is higher that the human dose. For dogs 1mg/lb. And the human formulation for tramadol is the same for dogs and humans, at least in the USA.
 
fankino04 said:
Both the vet on Friday and the emergency one this morning said tramadol would probably be fine for him but Friday vet said they would try gabapentin first as they reckon it often has better results, and the emergency vet agreed it is suitable but couldn't prescribe without seeing him due to legislation, so I figured it was worth giving it a go as it was safe with his other drugs and he has had it in the past (injured foot) with no side effects, he is much perkier now and wagging his tale when you speak to him so will contact vet in the morning regards changing from gabapentin.
Click to expand...
It's great that he is much perkier, we found Tramadol to be very effective but again I think it is one of those drugs that helps some dogs and not others. It is a very useful drug to have in your arsenal if your dog can tolerate it. I'm so glad that things are looking up for you both. xx
 
Levrier said:
Sorry I had to dash out so didn’t have time to add, I apologise for posting something that you found hurtful SK that was most definitely not my intention at all. Sadly I know how hard it is when you loose them ☹️
Click to expand...
I've realised that perhaps I'm not coping quite as well with losing Spot as I thought (and I didn't think I was coping well but clearly I'm doing worse than I thought), my response was disproportionate and I apologise, I took your post as a criticism that I did not know my dog and had therefore failed in my duty of care to her. You have read my thread where I pay tribute to her, and you said kind things I think, so you know how important she was to me. We all strive to do the right thing and sometimes the right path is the most difficult path to take. I have to live with the decision I made that morning and it is weighing heavily. 😢
 
Oh that is so sad SK and I know just how you feel - a picture of my little Flick (who I lost in April) came up on my FB feed today and I cried all over again ☹️ My post was very badly phrased so I can understand you feeling like that, I absolutely did not mean that and I know you did your very best for Spot, she was lucky to have you 😊 xx
 
So sorry for your losses lev and SK, no matter the circumstances they always break our hearts when they go, lost my girl over 5 years ago and still get emotional over it and have been getting myself in a right state over Ashes back in case it's degenerative and have to make that decision in the not too distant future (he's too old to put through a big op so it would be pain management for as long as it gives him a decent quality of life), thankfully this afternoon he has come on leaps and bounds, up and moving around easily, I'm having difficulty trying to stop him running round the house now so I definitely think the gabapentin was giving him the wobbles which made it look like his back was really bad.
 
I'm so pleased that Ash is improving, there are so many combinations of multi modal pain relief available nowadays that it really is quite mind boggling. I hope tomorrow's appointment goes well, do let us know how you both get on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top