# Milk Thistle and Rimadyl



## Jackson's Mom (Aug 29, 2011)

My foster pup is now taking Rimadyl to help with some arthritis pain. He's been on it a little over a week and it seems to be helping him. The vet said I could try giving it to him every other day and if that works, keep cutting it down to the smallest dosage needed. I want to give him milk thistle to help his liver, but was wondering how often I should give it. Should I only give it on the days he gets the Rimadyl or should he get it every day?


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Does he have any other medical issues such as seizures? One of the forum breeders just posted in two other threads that milk thistle can interfere with absorption of other medications metabolized in the liver, such as, for example, some seizure medications. Since your vet approved every other day usage my guess is it's OK to dose as suggested. If you are using OTC milk thistle you might want to make sure it doesn't come with extra ingredients. I found out the bottle I bought for my senior had licorice in it, which is not recommended for dogs with hypertension like him. We went to prescription Denamarin, which is a smaller dose of milk thistle with Sam E , a power anti-inflammatory in itself. You might consider it as well to help with arthritis. While my guy was on Rimadyl to control eye inflammation due to cataract surgery we gave him a denamarin every day he got a Rimadyl. Now that he is off Rimadyl, I still give him a dose every other day. If you go up to the brown bar and hit search you can find several threads within the past year discussing marin, Sam E, Denamarin and Denosyl, for more information.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

I would consult your vet before adding Milk Thistle 

I hope your foster feels better soon


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## Jackson's Mom (Aug 29, 2011)

He takes Soloxine for his thyroid and Proin for incontinence. I didn't think about it possibly interfering with anything else. The foster cordinator told me to start him on the milk thistle because her dog also takes Rimadyl occassionally and she gives her milk thistle. I'm sure she's more knowledgable than me, but I'm going to call the vet tomorrow just to be sure. Thanks for all the info!


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## w00f (Nov 4, 2011)

I would give it daily, or maybe every other day.


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