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Stay away from giving your dog human pain medications which are toxic to pets.
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Learn about the promising new medicine Librela for dogs with arthritis.
Updated on October 24th, 2025
Hello. You can wean her off the pred onto the Metacam , or you can add additional pain medications such as tramadol or gabapentin. I, personally do not like long-term prednisone because of the possibility of side effects, but even Metacam can cause some issues. Regardless of what you & your veterinarian choose for Sydney, make sure periodic blood work is run to pick up any early signs of problems. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
If this was prescribed by your vet , then this is the amount of medicine he needs. Gabapentin may make him a bit drowsy in the beginning, but that should subside after about two weeks. Gabapentin is against nerve pain. Tramadol is an opioid which takes some pain as well and Metacam is a non-steroidal antiinflammatory which takes away inflammation and therefore also pain. These medicines are safe, however watch your dog's poo in the first two weeks. If it is black or tarry then stop the Metacam and inform your vet.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Metacam is a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug which is a powerful pain killer. Gabapentin is also a very good pain killer, but it takes time for it to work and it sedates the dog initially. I suggest you call your vet tomorrow and ask him which one he recommends this time, as depending on the type of pain one or the other can be better.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Metacam is similar to ibuprofen or naproxen and has both anti-inflammatory and pain relief properties. In general I feel like drugs in this class work better for arthritis than medications that only treat pain like tramadol. Each dog is different, and some dogs need multiple medications to relieve the pain associated with arthritis.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Oral Metacam should be ideally stopped and as a first approach I would suggest to withhold food for the next 8-12 hours and then start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice lethargy or inappetence. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025