Deramaxx no longer available - alternatives that work for your senior?

[Magwart]

The problem with Novartis's shut-down of their canine pharma plant has become very inconvenient. I had a big supply of Deramaxx that is finally dwindling down to the last few doses. My senior guy is on a very low dose (just 50 mg, once a day), but it makes a big difference in his quality of life. He had been slowing down a lot, despite his glucosamine/chondroitin/msm and fish oil regiment, and he seemed increasingly stiff when he got up. With the Deramaxx, he's clearly feeling better. He's got a spring in his step, and he doesn't plod quite as slowly on his walks. He plays more and just seems to have a better quality of life. There's no doubt it's working, and he's so worth the cost. I also know he's tolerating it very well, as we do regular bloodwork to monitor liver response. The fact that such a low dose is effective for him is terrific....I'm thus very disheartened to have to switch to something else.

I am a bit leery about Rimadyl/Carprofen because it's less specific to Cox-2 and seems to have a higher incidence of adverse reactions. I've never used it with my dogs, though, so I can't compare it first-hand.

Are there any former Deramaxx senior dogs here who have found substitute that compares favorably? (Maybe Previcox?) If so, I'd be very grateful to learn what drug you switched to, and why you are happy with it.

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Tramadol is not a NSAID and is being used a lot, it seems. Will get a couple of links. . .it is definitely a different kind of drug.

Adequan for Dogs is a good article and then she has some at the bottom:
Pain in Dogs and Cats: Introduction and Basics Pain in Dogs and Cats: Injuries, Mild Pain, Arthritis, First Aid Pain in Dogs and Cats: Post-Surgery, Severe Pain
Holistic Care for Pets

that I like.

Also this: DogAware.com Health: Arthritis in Dogs

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_tramadol.html

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/pain/ has some nice info.

I have safely used Metacam, using that liquid to dose way down, weight wise, on one dog, once, but try to steer clear of NSAIDs - you are doing it well though.

[Tatonkafamily]

Like PP said, Tramadol is not an NSAID but it has worked wonders for London. We had him on both Carprofen and Tramadol for awhile (spinal issues) and as a test I took him off Carprofen for about 10 days. He does great with just the Tramadol - we figure he needs the pain control not the anti inflammatory control on a regular basis. I still keep the other on hand for when over does it on a hike or playing with the younger pups but daily he doesn't use it anymore. Tramadol is cheaper too!

Oh, and I switched back and forth between Deramaxx and Rimadyl with no issues before.

[Magwart]

Thanks for the links and suggestions.

I just made an appointment to talk to a vet about options later today. Adequan's never been offered or suggested by my usual vet, who has been pushing me to switch to Rimadyl. This morning, I made a couple of phone calls and located a different, younger, well-regarded vet who does use Adequan. I've scheduled a consultation to review all possible options to keep my old guy comfortable. I'll ask about Tramadol and Metacam, too.

[Nikitta]

I used cosequin on my old guy. He lived 14 years. I had him on suppliments too.

[jocoyn]

Metacam-expensive but it is easy to meter down the liquid. I had my 50lb dog on a 20 lb dose.

[GatorBytes]

Here's my suggestion that saved a dog (not mine) from euthinasia two months ago

A product by Genuine Health (may be a canadian company, there is .ca links and .com links so not sure if readily available or has to be shipped), anyhow...It's called "Fast Joint Plus Care" with claims of 5-10 days. Well...5 days my dog went from being completely immobile to getting up to greet me again, within 10 days he was voluntarily going on walks and was smiling again (was hand feeding him as he was in too much pain to go to his bowl)...(he had a knee injury, and was in very bad shape...a long story).

This product mad a huge difference in getting him going so his muscles didn't atrophied any further. I was also using a product called Wobenzyme (still do) for inflammation.
Eventually I couldn't maintain the expence of some suppliments including calcium so I dumped the F.J.P. and calcium and started making ground eggshells, by fluke I happened across a blurb about chicken stock (something I already knew, but...well it was just one more thing to do and I was beat)
I had been rehabilitating him for several months, and he had good days and bad, then Dec. hit and he was baaaad! I thought holy crap, my poor dog at 7 yrs. old and is walking like a 14 yr. old, I was sooo sad, he is too beautiful to have his life cut short.
SO, I grabbed some frozen chicken frames, my slow cooker, some vinigar...Made my first batch on Dec. 29th/2011 (most fat removed prior, and the rest skimmed off - strain bones)...On Jan. 30th/2012, I was preparing to take him on his final walk of the day...he headed into the bedroom (I had made a bed for him next to mine where he slept for 10 months)to "get ready", I went to brush my teeth...then went into my room expecting to kneal down to give him "bellies"...HE WAS ON MY BED!!! I nearly fainted...10 months he couldn't jump up, within 30 days of feeding him chicken stock he was on my bed.
HE didn't go up there again (that I know of) for another month, but was tearing down the road on walks, had a spring in his step again, and now....I can't get the knucklhead off my bed

The woman I met two months ago dog exhibited the exact same issues as mine, her vet suggested euthinasia.....within two weeks of FJP and chicken stock, her dog was walking a half an hour, she called me a couple nights ago...he is bounding and swimming and chasing stick and climbing stairs.

Try it, it can't hurt (NEM - on the website link stands for Natural Eggshell Membrane)...you only need 1 per day, and the chicken stock...1/2 cup to a cup...make a huge batch and freeze, but has to be chicken for the cartiledge...(type 11 collegen)

http://www.genuinehealth.com/fast-joint-care-1.html

Cheers

[Jax08]

Talk to your vet about laser therapy. It's made a huge difference in my friends lab with ED. It has no side affects. A vet I talked to had used it on herself and it worked for her. My chiropractor uses it on my herniated disk and on my foot and it works. You need a "loading" dose but then it's just once per month. So initially it will cost more but the monthly maintenance is less than any drugs and won't due damage to the body.

[JakodaCD OA]

metacam can be gotten much cheaper in the human form of meloxicalm.

I have also used Previcox which is on the same line as the deramaxx, worked great but was rather pricey.

[Magwart]

On Friday, I had a long consultation with a new vet, whom I like very much. He's used adequan with a lot of success in GSDs and is very enthusiastic about it. He did the best Ortho exam we've had yet, and he found diminished range of motion, and some pain in the right hip. Simon was such a good guy, just pressing his forehead gently into me to hide his eyes, and yipping when it hurt.

We had a long talk about options. We have decided to try adequan -- Simon's play care is in the same building, so he'll get to go play on shot days, which will make him happy. This new vet's practice is actually in the process of buying a laser therapy machine, so in a few months, that will be an option, too. He's fully on board with trying to develop a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach that will keep Simon as comfortable as possible, as safely as possible, with the least reliance on NSAIDs. I'm not going to let Simon hurt (he's been too good a friend for too many years!), but we're going to try to phase the NSAIDs out as the adequan hopefully takes effect, perhaps with Tramadol or Gabipentin in the arsenal for "bad" days.

This vet also wants me to increase the fish oil from the current 2000 mg to 3000 mg, and maybe higher as long as there's no digestive upset, to boost the natural anti-inflamamatory effect. He likes the other supplements I'm already using (gluc/chondroitin; Prozyme, which has bromelain, another inflammation fighter).

We're doing a fresh, comprehensive set of x-rays today, under sedation. Simon's at the vet now. We'll know more this afternoon, once the vet evaluates the new images.

Gator, I looked up FJP, and I ordered a bottle from Drugstore.com to try. Do you have any articles or links you can point me to regarding the chicken stock (theories about how/why it works)? I'd like to read more about it; this is the first time I've heard of chicken stock being a treatment for joint pain, and I'm interested in learning more.