# Does anyone use a combo of Rimadyl and Tramidol for arthritis?



## sophieanne (Feb 4, 2014)

Hi everyone,

I have an adopted rescue dog named Comet. His age is unknown..the animal shelter thought we was 5 when the last person rescued him, which would make him 7 now but my vet thinks he may be 10. I've been lucky enough to have him in my family for the past 2 years.

He is very very laid back..never causes trouble....just always in a relaxed mode. He doesn't play a lot although we've been working on that..he's come a long way. He plays a little with my 9 year old golden girl but very short minutes.

Anyhow he has always walked slow and we believe he has arthritis in his back leg. He never complains or whines...but we do see him hop down the stairs in our house like a bunny. I took him to the vet to see if we could offer anything to help him be more relaxed on the stairs.

I've had him on Glucosimine Chondrite since I've had him. The vet suggested rmadyl. I've had him on it for a week and a half now but see very little change in him. When I spoke to her she suggested trying tramadol as the 2 usually work hand in hand. I'm open to that so I picked it up today. The dosage she wants him to take is large - 4 pills (200 mg) 3 x a day..wow!!! I didn't agree to that. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with this combination or with using tramadol and could share their experience with me.

Her next step would b be x-rays which would have to be taken when he is sedated. Since I really don't know his background that makes me nervous. I told her I have a knee that will cause me to limp the rest of my life because my dogs pulled me on their leash and I ended up with a torn meniscus. Since no one knows his background or his age, perhaps something happened to him and it's just an "old war injury". He's happy, he's sweet and he's not complaining. I don' want to mess with him.
Any feedback again would be appreciated.


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## Lennap (Jul 9, 2010)

Remy has pretty severe arthritis but cannot take rimadyl (sp?) due to his kidney disease. Tramadol provided little to no benefit. 

We first tried him on gabapentin but he was unable to get up to the proper dosage as the meds made him loopy. We then tried amantadine - SUCCESS! He has been on amantadine for 2 years now and thankfully it works. I reserve tramadol for when he has bad episodes - like when it is very, very cold out - and then I give him both meds.

I am not sure if this helped - but figured I would share my experience.

Good luck!


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## sophieanne (Feb 4, 2014)

Hi Lennap,

Thank you very much; I appreciate all notes that I receive . I am glad Remy is doing well with anantidine. I've been doing lots of reading this afternoon, the one thing I read is that it makes a dog very tired/sedated. I'm not sure why I want to give it to my overly laid back dog. Also, the truth is, I don't even know if he's in pain or not. If only they could talk, just once, for 3 minutes. Thanks and continued success to you


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

Had a health scare with Chance just this week. His vet thought that his swollen hock was serious, (I was so worried!:no. After X-rays, we found out it was arthritis. He takes rimadyl for his elbow dysplasia anyway, so we decided to add tramadol to his daily meds. We also chose to up his rimadyl dosage from 75 mg 1x per day to 2x per day, which is what was originally prescribed. 

He had/has been whining, so hopefully this will help. That's a large dose of tramadol. Chance weighs 91 lbs. and his dose is up to 2 tabs., (50 mg ea), every 8-12 hours. But Chance is very sensitive to tramadol.

His vet said that we will try others meds if the tramadol doesn't work. So far I haven't noticed much of a change.

Tramadol will sometimes cause anxious behavior in some dogs, like Chance. That's why he's on a lower dose. So keep a close eye when you first give it. At the higher dose, Chance can't settle and gets super nervous. He's usually a very laid back dog, too, so it was noticeable right away.


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

Tramadol has been shown to really not provide much benefit in dogs unless paired with an NSAID. Glad to hear that this combo has been helping your pup!


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## doggymom (May 7, 2015)

My arthritic Goldie was put on previcox. Not a fan. Discontinued after 9 days due to stomach issues. Just using Glos. & Chron. & canine enterioc aspiring now.


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

You may want to switch from Cosequin to Dasuquin as I think it helps more. I had a 15-1/2 year old labrador who was on Rimadyl and Tramadol. Tramadol can cause a bit of sedation as well so if your dog seems more sleepy/laid back, it may be the Tramadol. Instead of the tramadol maybe you can get the Gabapentin. That is what our lab was eventually put on and we also started her on Adequan injections.

One of our current Goldens who will be 13 years old in May is on the Dasuquin and Rimadyl. It has helped her tremendously. She may have occasional weakness due to the arthritis in her rear legs, but these two medications have changed her into an older dog that acts like a puppy. She runs, wrestles and plays with our 2 year old golden. 

Taken from the NutraMaxx site (manufacturers of Cosequin and Dasuquin): Dasuquin contains optimal amounts of glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulfate ingredients that are present in Cosequin) as well as the addition of a potent ingredient called ASU (avocado/soybean unsaponifiables). Cell studies have shown that the combination of glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate plus ASU works better than glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate alone at inhibiting the expression of several agents involved in cartilage breakdown.


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## LUCKYme (Mar 29, 2015)

Prior to my boy having a total elbow replacement this summer he was on Rimadyl (100mg per day) and Tramadol (100mg per day) for at least 7 years with no adverse effects. We have since discontinued the use of Tramadol and are now using Gabapentin (200 mg per day) with a very low dose of Rimadyl. I would advise you not to worry to much about the use of Tramadol under the care of a good vet. We have never had any issues!


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## Lennap (Jul 9, 2010)

sophieanne said:


> Hi Lennap,
> 
> Thank you very much; I appreciate all notes that I receive . I am glad Remy is doing well with anantidine. I've been doing lots of reading this afternoon, the one thing I read is that it makes a dog very tired/sedated. I'm not sure why I want to give it to my overly laid back dog. Also, the truth is, I don't even know if he's in pain or not. If only they could talk, just once, for 3 minutes. Thanks and continued success to you


 It's bizarre because Remy became dopey on Gabapentin and has been find on amantadine. I guess you just need to see how YOUR dog does with it.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

My 12+ year old Golden has spondylosis in her spine. We started her on Dasuquin, and it worked wonders on her. But, as her spine got worse, we had to add carprofen. The Dasuquin and 1/2 carprofen daily (started with 1as a loading dose) has her back to almost normal

The next step is to move her to Advanced Dasuquin (prescription) when her Dasuquin runs out. Beyond that, we may be looking at Gabapentin and then maybe Adequan injections.


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## goodog (May 6, 2013)

*Watch for NSAID blow-back!*

Ive got an older girl that was on Rimadyl for over 2 yrs. Super outcome until she got an ulcer. Scary. Out of the blue-she stopped eating. NSAIDS are great unless your dog develops GI prms from their use. 

Big pharama thought they'd make a huge haul on them in humans. Didn't work as planned. Dogs are their comebk market. Dont get me wrong --they can have a great affect as long as your dog handles them well. 

Keep track of your guys on Rimadyl. When our girl got an ulcer, the vets couldn't figure out what was wrong. Tests-test-test-no prms. Then, a refill of Rimadyl came in the mail. I saw "_non-steroidal-anti inflammatory_" on the bottle-OMG- and called the vet. _The ulcer was diagnosed by reading the bottle. :doh: 

Moral of the story: Be glad your dog is thriving on NSAIDS. But- keep your eyes open for GI problems. 

Note--Ive learned lots from the info you've shared. Thanks!
_


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

This thread is wonderful. Tons of great information, (love this forum!). 

We're doing Chance's blood work in two weeks, (he just had his senior panel done this past week), to see if the added rimadyl is having an adverse effect to his liver. I do a liver panel on him every three months, so I stay on top of it, but it's still worrisome doubling his dose. It is helping, though.

Great to know there are alternatives that have worked well for others.


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## lhowemt (Jun 28, 2013)

Our old arthritic lab couldn't take nsaids, after she went septic. She did well on tramafol, acupuncture, and Chinese herbs. I did even experiment with both the herbs and acute and the effect was dramatic. I would definitely get xrays, diagnosis doesn't have to result in wild treatments. Buy if you don't know you are operating blindly.

The meniscus tears can be cleaned up too, I just had one done in Nov and got rid of a lot of pain and chronic limp.

Good luck!


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## doggymom (May 7, 2015)

*Advanced Dasaquin*

Didn't realize there was an "advanced" Dasuquin (prescription) . Is it expensive???? Right now Kassie is on Dasuquin MSM (chewies)

Does it have another name? Appreciate your info. Our Kassie is suffering from Osteoarthritis in her right hip causing her to limp. Vet put her on Previcox 227 mg. but I discontinued it after 9 days because it was too strong for her stomach. Even though I was feeding it after her meals 2 times a day.

Let me know, Thanks

Charlotte & Kassie-Girl:wavey:


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

doggymom said:


> Didn't realize there was an "advanced" Dasuquin (prescription) . Is it expensive???? Right now Kassie is on Dasuquin MSM (chewies)
> 
> Does it have another name? Appreciate your info. Our Kassie is suffering from Osteoarthritis in her right hip causing her to limp. Vet put her on Previcox 227 mg. but I discontinued it after 9 days because it was too strong for her stomach. Even though I was feeding it after her meals 2 times a day.
> 
> ...


It isn't cheap  Trouble's just arrived in the mail-I want to say it was $53 for a two month supply, but I am not sure. She will take one chewie per day, since she has been on regular Dausquin for some time now, so she will not need the loading dose.

I will have to look at the container tonight.

Here is some info I found on it:

Enhanced Joint Supplement: Dasuquin Advanced | Plumb's Therapeutics Brief

http://files.nutramaxlabs.com/downloads/Dasuquin Advanced Soft Chews for Large Dogs.pdf

Since my vet doesn't think many of their clients will pay for the Advanced, I have to get it through one of their supplies. I pay the vet and the supplier mails it directly to me.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

I checked and it was $53 for 64 chews, so just over two months for Trouble since she takes one a day.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

My last dog had arthritis in her front ankle. Had a limp. She was put on Deramax (an NSAID) and never limped again. She ran hard and continued to play ball for the rest of her life.


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

sophieanne said:


> I've had him on Glucosimine Chondrite since I've had him. The vet suggested rmadyl. I've had him on it for a week and a half now but see very little change in him. When I spoke to her she suggested trying tramadol as the 2 usually work hand in hand. I'm open to that so I picked it up today. The dosage she wants him to take is large - 4 pills (200 mg) 3 x a day..wow!!! I didn't agree to that.
> 
> Her next step would b be x-rays which would have to be taken when he is sedated.


I will impart my 2 cents to you. 800mg 3x a day of Tramadol seems way over the top for to me also so good for you knowing that.

Tramadol can be a wonder or not, been there with mine seeing it work either way.

If a NSAID doesn't work after a week (usually takes less than that) a washout period is needed of 7-10 days before trying another one. This or that NSAID whether rimadyl or another might not fit every dog.

One NSAID might not do a thing and another could almost kill them after a few pills. Again, been there.

There is no special magic for one NSAID working "better" than another and vets always have a fave..

Supplements are a good thing but don't expect miracles after the fact. Given early I think they make a the big difference overall.

For my older rescue kids acupuncture and low level laser treatments did more than anything else. They can't talk but results not spoken are seen..

It's all hit or miss.


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## sophieanne (Feb 4, 2014)

THANK YOU to everyone who has responded to my note.

I apprecaite you sharing your experiences with me and giving me lots to think about in terms of this not being an exact science and information about all the products that can be used. I know this is not an exact science...i actually find it overwhelming. Comet is a very happy little fellow and i don't want to do anyting to harm or upset him in any way. I'm going to continue the trial of Rimadyl and Tramadol for another week and see if it makes a difference. If not, i might just leave him be. He's not whining or complaining and he's still loveable and wagging his tail and showing me what an incredibily happy friend he is. One day at a time. thanks so much again!


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Sophieanne*



sophieanne said:


> THANK YOU to everyone who has responded to my note.
> 
> I apprecaite you sharing your experiences with me and giving me lots to think about in terms of this not being an exact science and information about all the products that can be used. I know this is not an exact science...i actually find it overwhelming. Comet is a very happy little fellow and i don't want to do anyting to harm or upset him in any way. I'm going to continue the trial of Rimadyl and Tramadol for another week and see if it makes a difference. If not, i might just leave him be. He's not whining or complaining and he's still loveable and wagging his tail and showing me what an incredibily happy friend he is. One day at a time. thanks so much again!


Sophieanne: I hope Comet is doing better. You can tell how much you love him. Ken used to give our Smooch a shot of adequan everyday for her arthritis and it really helped. The vet showed him how.


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