Tramadol?

[geokon_2000]

Has anyone used this for pain management in their dogs? Yukon's arthritis is getting horrible. I've had to carry him upstairs twice already this week. Gotta do something for him.

[RavenSophi]

I would not use it. It has very bad side effects for humans and I can only imagine it will be the same or worst on dogs.

[BowWowMeow]

I tried it twice for Chama. The first time it did nothing and the second time she got nauseous and threw up (her liver couldn't process it).

I have some very expensive Deramaxx that you can try if you want and I think I might have some Tremadol too. I'm not sure I'd use either in an old dog without getting bloodwork done first.

[RavenSophi]

Here's a previous thread about it:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubb...rue#Post1154565

[Woodreb]

I used it for RIca at 1/2 the dose that the vet had originally prescribed and found that it did help her. She didn't have any problems with side effects.

[krazy_kilum]

I have used tramadol 50 mg twice daily for my 11 yr old male for over two years. He is unable to take any NSAIDs like Rimadyl or Deramax because he takes prednisone and azathioprine for his inflammatory bowel disease. He has done very well with the tramadol. He has severe spondylosis and arthritis in his shoulders. I am glad that he is comfortable and still loves to chase his ball.

Tramadol has a lot of flexibility with dosing so you might be able to find a low dose that works for your dog.

Good luck!

[geokon_2000]

I'm planning on getting a CBC on Yukon. He's definately due for one. Until that's done I'm going to try the Arnicalm arthritis and the Cetyl M and the Get up and go.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Originally Posted By: RavenSophiI would not use it. It has very bad side effects for humans and I can only imagine it will be the same or worst on dogs.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_tramadol.html
http://www.caberfeidh.com/Pain3.htm linked to...
http://vettechs.blogspot.com/2005/04/tramadol.html

What would you suggest for pain management then? NOT supplementation, which those other things are nice for, but are not necessarily to manage pain that is high on the pain scale.

Pain management has its place. You keep trying until you find something that your dog can tolerate and will allow them to live their life with comfort.

Tramadol is pretty mild, IMHO.

It really has come a long way, pain management in animals: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/pain/management.htm
You can see it deals with the mental and phsyical.

I had Nina on Tramadol-no effects and bloodwork good on it.

Kramer couldn't tolerate it but apparently he needed to be in more pain/discomfort than he was when I first tried it, because in his last month he was happily on it with no issues that I had first seen.

All of those things can work together, but managing the discomfort is really important, I think.
http://www.vet.cornell.edu/pain/options.htm

I certainly wouldn't have wanted anyone to to come between me and my darvocet when I blew out a disc in my back, just because I might throw up once in a while. A massage therapist was like, well, you just masked the pain, and I was like...yeah...that was the idea. I was able to go to PT and actually get better because of it. For a dog with severe arthritis, masking can make a world of difference. Reading through the articles may be helpful.

[BowWowMeow]

Several of the things that Joan is trying for Yukon are not supplements. They are herbs or homeopathy. I would have gladly put Chama on the Tremadol but she couldn't tolerate even the lowest dose. Luckily the combo of herbs, homeopathy and supplements that I had her on did help manage her pain.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

I really like the Deerhound lady's articles on pain.

She shows the progression and the use of every modality really that I could think of, to the point of trying everything available.

My impression of Yukon's pain was that it was more of the type described in the third article on pain, which I posted above, here is the second where she describes other things to use: http://www.caberfeidh.com/Pain2.htm

But in that third article, which was the one I first included in response to the idea that tramadol has bad side effects, she talks about what to do with severe acute and chronic pain.

So I say read the series! Figure out where you are at with your dog and what is needed for them based on how they are living their life.