No useful insight, but I would think hard about how many more years your dog can expect to live happily versus any downside of this medicine. QOL trumps a lot of things.

rimadyl is often given for long term pain relief. It also goes by the generic carprofen. You can ask your vet about these and order thru Chewy for reasonable prices.

"The vet “gave” me Galliprant some time ago, and I have given it to him off and on, but I’m concerned about long term side effects"

If this is helping, let him live better with help. His "long Term" will be better. Love our Furbabies, I am dealing with now also. Our dog is also 12 years old. Hard to watch.

Do what your vet recommends. If you are concerned about the side effects, talk to your vet about them and weigh the pros vs cons. Or ask them to switch the meds to something you are more comfortable with. I dont understand why you wouldn't keep him on the meds consistently to help ease his discomfort....

The walks probably help him too. When my Sammy started developing arthritis, my vet recommended that he stay active, and also a huge heating pad for him to lay on. He had not quite gotten to the point of needing meds yet when he developed a brain tumor and that made the arthritis moot.

My sister has several older cats. I think her oldest is 16 or 17. She has large heating pads for them to ay on as well, as recommended by her vet.

We also have a 12 yr old dog with similar issues. Our vet started him on Glucosamine and recently added rimadyl. He does pretty well on these but the biggest improvement we saw was when he lost weight. Putting him on a diet was hard for us but oh so good for him. I give him lots of carrots and it seems to satisfy his hunger. Our pup also was used to long morning walks and he is still eager but we limit his walks to less than a mile or so judging how well he is doing. Our vet advised us not to give up walks completely. So hard to see them have difficulty.

One of my dogs is 17. She had severe arthritis changes in her hips for a couple of years now. Really no surgical options for her, so she has been on Tramadol and Previcox. Still taking her mile long walk every day. The vet said to do so in the “mall walker” kind of way She doesn’t seem to be in pain, but certainly getting weaker in the back. My husband built her a ramp for the steep steps down the porch a few weeks ago. She took to them like a champ. At this point I am just wanting her pain free and enjoying her time. Not worried about her being addicted or long term side effects.

Thank you all for your thoughts. Yes, of course, quality of life is critically important.

Amy: "I dont understand why you wouldn't keep him on the meds consistently to help ease his discomfort...." He has been doing well until this week, only occasional issues when over-exercising, that's why I didn't just medicate him daily. But now I'm thinking we might have to start it.

My sweet black lab Julie died at 15 this past november. the arthritis in her rear leg and spine had gotten pretty bad. in addition to rimadyl and glucosamine I’d been giving her turmeric paste for a few years. i like to think the turmeric helped her to make it to 15.

I thought galliprant did not negatively affect the organs? If so, I would continue with it while watching your dog for any negative side effects.

I have a 15 year old yorkie that was just prescribed galliprant for his leg. I am hoping it helps him as it heals.

Have you asked about gabapentin? I heard that has very little side effects both short and long term.

Isn't this drug an anti-inflammatory? That sort of medication needs to be delivered regularly to PREVENT inflammation. It is much easier to keep inflammation at bay than it is to get it back under control. I would ask the vet about this.

We started using this for my golden year's back. It's the human version.

Casey was 72 pounds. I sprinkled two pills over her food. It worked for many years.

She passed away at 15.

We are using it for our dog now who about 10. One pill, again sprinkled.

It worked so Casey that I use it myself! It helps my arthritis in my back.

Side story: my sister’s golden couldn't walk up a flight of stairs. I gave her the Cosamin to try

and in 6 weeks he was able to walk up those stairs.

I buy it at Costco.

My dog has started showing signs of some athritus in her front left leg so the Vet prescribed her a small dose of Meloxicam. She chose that because my dog is recovering from a very serious liver infection (hepititus) and this medication is less hard on the liver. Between feeling better from the liver treatments and the Meloxicam, she has been like a big 10 year old puppy again; cuddling, playing in the snow and always smiling.

My sister had an older dog she would use CDC with. The dog has since passed but she swore by it for her girl. She sent me some to try on Ellie but I didn’t feel like it was a good option because it acted more like a tranquilzer than anything else.

If you’re worried about the organ related side effects, you could ask to try an option that is less hard on the organs or monitor it by getting his bloodwork done every six months or so.

@Lukki Irish I am so glad you found something that works for your dog's pain. Please watch your dog while on Meloxicam as I had a dog develop internal bleeding from Meloxicam prescribed for leg pain. Watch your dog's stool for signs of blood. It is great for pain but has a risk of internal bleeding.

When our dog showed signs of arthritis we started him on Vet Iq Hip and joint supplements. It made a world of difference for him. Chevy has them but our local Sam's club carries a large package.

Vet Iq

Just reading this thread and remembering that with one of our previous dogs, the vet prescribed Rimadyl . As I recall, we might not have given it every day but it did seem to help.

Our current dog is relatively young ( 3 yrs old) and goes on super long walks or hikes daily and has no need for meds. Our daughter's dog is probably between 10 and 14 ( rescue so who knows but he's been old for a long time!) and her vet suggested that Cosamin that eld shared.

We too picked it up at Costco for her. (it's a really big bottle and will last a long time). It seems to help a lot.

Please watch your dog while on Meloxicam

i second this!! i had a dog on an antibiotic for a UTI years ago. it was one of the sulfa drugs. she was also taking meloxicam for arthritis pain. there was a drug interaction that threw her into total liver failure in a matter of 3 days. after 48 hours in the e.r., i ended up losing her. i won't even keep meloxicam in my house now.

Yes, while the drug works for some of you search online you will find it has contributed to the deaths of many pets. I wish my vet would have told me about the high danger of the drug.

Kimberly, thank you for the heads up about the stomach bleeding. I had read up on the medication a bit before trying it and saw that it can cause nausea, but it didn’t say anything about a side effect that’s so severe. I don’t understand why Vets don’t give all the information so we can make good informed decisions for our beloved animals.

This thread has so many pieces of helpful information.

If you can find a vet who does acupuncture, you might want to look into it. It certainly helped our dog.

Our border collie is ten years old. She was starting to be creaky when getting up and we didn't want to ignore that because being active is so important to her. DH talked with our vet about various options, they decided to try her on a half-dose daily regimen of Canine CBD Oil. Spice no longer hesitates when getting up, has started playing with our younger dog (like she used to), and seems happy. We noticed a difference within a few days of starting the CDB. It might not work for more advanced cases or for every dog but I recommend giving it a try.

I wish my vet would have told me about the high danger of the drug.

I don’t understand why Vets don’t give all the information so we can make good informed decisions for our beloved animals.

in defense of the vets who treated my girl (2 e.r. vets and my primary care vet), it wasn't until all 3 of them had done some research that they discovered the interaction between meloxicam and the sulfa antibiotics. not knowing it was a drug interaction that threw her into liver failure, they thought i.v. fluids and supportive care would set her right. unfortunately, the effects of the combined drugs came on so suddenly and with such a vengeance, she was never going to recover. after 48 hours in the e.r., i picked her up that monday morning and took her to my regular vet. she took one look at her and told me it was hopeless so i had no choice but to euthanize her. everywhere i touched her on her body left a horrible bruise, she was obviously bleeding out and was suffering. i'll never forget it, it was just an awful experience. had we only known...

as for arthritis treatments, i also second acupuncture. it has helped several of my danes. also, you can ask your vet about chrondroprotec injections. it's akin to adequan but much less expensive and works very well. there is a loading dose the first couple of weeks and then it's a once a month injection (easily given at home) for maintenance. i would do this with eden but it's not recommended for dogs with kidney and/or liver issues, both things that she has been through over the past few months so if you decide to try it, definitely have blood work done to make sure kidneys and liver values are normal.

another great option is cold laser treatments. many vets these days have the capabilities for cold laser and depending on the severity of the condition, oftentimes a once or twice a month treatment is very helpful. years ago i purchased a small cold laser unit for home use. eden gets a treatment on her knees and spine every day. since i started, the difference in her movement is dramatic!

Another vote for acupuncture. This made a tremendous difference in our beagle's last years. My vet came to the house for the procedure. Not cheap but worth every penny!

Yes, Lukki, lots of information here, things to think about and ask the vet.

As for the CBD products, good to know they can be helpful, and I've heard that before from another dog friend. These products are relatively now, so how do we know they are any safer than the pharmaceuticals mentioned above?

Its so hard watching our fur kids age. I would also suggest keeping the same walking schedule, but shortening the distance. I’ve done that with every one of my senior dogs so we could keep the tradition but manage the consequences.

socks - I am going to guess you are in the U.S.? If in Canada, there is an injectable arthritis med called Cartrophen (not to be confused with Carprofen) - it has not been approved by the U.S. but there is an injectable that is used in the U.S. - it is called Adequan. Our Cdn. dog (a 25 lb. Eskie) who lived to be 17 was on Cartrophen for several years before he passed last year. It is much better that Medicam for the dog considering side effects. The dosing regimen depends on the severity of the arthritis.

Best of luck with your pup. In Canada vets cannot prescribe CDB (at least they couldn't before).

Oski is in good hands with you, socks! It sounds like the galliprant is the best bet if it doesn't filter through kidney or liver...and it helps. I'd be giving it daily to keep ahead of the pain. Our Westies lived past 16 without much arthritis (although mostly blind and deaf the last year or two) and were always up for walks. Maybe two shorter jaunts instead of longer walks? Keep us posted. (Got any new photos of Oski...and Bird?)

Naptime. Needs haircut!

Bird is doing very well. He goes in a rabbit hutch outside weather permitting. It's bigger than his cage in the house.

Cosequin for dogs. The cat version worked wonders for my cat, and so did the dog version for my Collie mix. Also, have a neighbor using it on her pitt bull resuce and she's like a young dog again. Don't know if your dog's issues are more serious, but there are many good reviews on this helping animals with arthritis pain.

Our lab mix (15) was on rimadyl and gabapentin for mobility issues. Unfortunately the gabapentin turned her into a four legged zombie - falling over, legs collapsing during a walk. I asked our vet about CBD and they had just started prescribing ElleVet CBD chews in their practice. We took Molly off the gabapentin and started the CBD chews - what a difference! It’s worth a try,

A million years ago I had labs. Such awesome dogs once they burn off that youthful exuberance! 😀 Anyway, I'm going to second the Cosequin. My sweet old boy had a lot of arthritis in his last few years, and Cosequin really helped him a lot.

I wouldn't treat my dog based on KT experiences but wish to be able to ask informed questions when visiting the vet. I appreciate everyone's input here.

Thanks for the photos, socks! Oski is so sweet. Almost makes me want another Westie. (Almost... Knowing it will be high of 12F here tomorrow is adequate damper on that idea.)

Its nice to hear about dogs who have responded well to various treatments for arthritis.

as a friend/owner to several labradors including my 2 current who have some irish wolfhound mixed in, i had to smile at the possibility of nausea in dogs. my experience has been that lab nausea is not likely—-they are always up for a meal or snack.

This is a little off topic, but I thought of this thread while pumping gas today. There was an SUV there with a sign offering Animal Chiropratic Services. I shouldn’t have but I couldn’t help chuckling.

my old girl goes for monthly chiro treatments/acupuncture with amazing results.

@chisue, yes, it must be very difficult having animals who need to go out in such cold conditions. I hope they know "what to do" and come back in fast!

@lisaam My friends have a wonderful lab, but I think if you offered him a rock as a "treat," he would eat it.

@Ninapearl Great results for your old girl. We just don't want our pets to hurt.

Took Oski to the vet today, and he agreed Oski is fit but stiff in movement. He manipulated all the limbs and observed him walk. He suggested to keep him on the Galliprant and add in Gabapentin since he is still sore after an outing. Not crazy about all the medicating, but we both love the outings with the dog group, but having him hurt afterwards is not good. So I'll do what the vet suggested.

Thanks to all for the input.

Here's a better photo, Chisue. Just got back from the beauty shop.

@socks, oski has to be one of the cutest dogs i've ever seen! do you have any puppy pictures?

"it must be very difficult having animals who need to go out in such cold conditions. I hope they know "what to do" and come back in fast!"

My Greyhound, who used to race at the track in Tampa, FL, and now lives in Maryland where it does get quite cold seems not be bothered by the cold - she has VERY short hair and still has her skinny racing weight of 66 pounds - BTW, she's now eleven years old.

I do have an assortment of coats for her, but if I forget she doesn't seem to notice!

@Ninapearl this is before his ears stood up.

12 years ago, my son and his wife wanted a dog and thought maybe a Westie. I asked at KT about the breed, and @chisue posted that she would recommend the breed as they had had Westies (Eliot I remember). A few years later after my grandchildren were born, they found they were short on time for Oski, so I agreed to "adopt" him. But he's still our family dog and goes crazy with joy when he sees our son and family.

Having just gone through all of this with my 14yo GSD who passed away this past summer, I will offer 2 points.  1.  You will know when all of the OTC stuff no longer matters.  2.  If you trust your vet, follow their recommendations, all did are different and it may take a few tries to get the combo of meds right.  If you do not trust your vet, get a new vet, this is a long road and you'll need one you trust

Awww! Baby Oski! I still love Westies best. They're funny when one ear goes up before the other one. Our first Westie, Charlie, was 'pet shop' and had big ears. Our show quality guy, Pip, had smaller ears -- but more skin ailments. Oski has a nice short muzzle and a clear 'break' where his muzzle meets his eyes.

Decades ago we were part of a group where our Westies posted to one another about their owners. A female named Thistle once described her owner taking her out in the cold for a P-break. Thistle's mantra was, "I won't go, and You Can't Make Me."

I just want to add my experience with Rimadyl. Caroline, our three-legged (thanks to a careless hunter) collie-shepherd, developed arthritis and was put on Rimadyl. This was some time ago, and I don't remember how long she was on it, but her liver failed and she died. It was a painful passing because she took a severe turn for the worse on a holiday weekend when all the local vets were away at conference. Wonderful dog.

@socks, cuteness overload!!! 😍

Decades ago we were part of a group where our Westies posted to one another about their owners.

that's hilarious!!