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535089 tn?1400673519

Tramadol for my Dog? Please Help

I am really puzzled. Our Dog (Casper) has Arthritis in his front legs and has been in pain for a while now. Last month I took him to the vet for his Senior Blood Panel work-up and found out that he has Arhtritis and Hypothyroid Disease. Since his visit, he has been medicated with the Thyroid meds and Rimadyl (anti-iflammatory). The Rimadyl is quite expensive and he does so well on it so when it was time for a re-fill I had asked the Vet if there was a less expensive ant-inflammatory he could take that was close to the Rimadyl. She said no. Instead she prescribed my Dog Tramadol along with the Rimadyl. She said that by giving him the Tramadol on a daily basis, he would only need 1/2 a tablet of the Rimadyl daily. I questioned her about this and she reassured me that he would do well. My worry is that I've head some terrible things about the Tramadol when used in controlling pain in humans. Addiction to be the worry. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing and can my Dog become addicted to his medication. Plase advise!!!!!!
17 Responses
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Avatar universal
My dog was prescribed tramadol for arthritis pain. She also takes regular insulin for diabetes. I am just wondering if this is OK?
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
You really do need to speak to your vet if you are unsure. Hopefully, your vet has full knowledge of your dog's medical history?
I would think that if the vet has the medical history, then Tramodol won't be a problem.
But don't just take my word for it! Ask the vet!
Query this please if you are unsure. There is no harm in asking your vet questions.
Avatar universal
Our 9 year old pug has calcium deposits on her hind legs and she takes tramadol. The only side effects have been drowsiness for the first few weeks and then sometimes a lack of appitite. So far no main problems. I would just keep an eye on him for the first while and he should be fine.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
People recommending Rimadyl be very careful.
Rimadyl killed my senior Retriever.
It has killed many dogs, take responsibility, do your homework and Google it.
Helpful - 0
675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
My dog was prescribed Tramadol for post surgical pain when she had a half mammary strip. She had no bad reactions at all to it. It seemed to suit her very well, and she seemed to be in no pain at all. But she only took the Tramadol for a few days. It did her no harm.
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Avatar universal
Hi Deb how is your dog doing on the Rimadyl? what dose do you give her? I have a 16 y/o shepherd/husky mix, 40 pounds. The Rimadyl really helps her pain, she was like a new dog, but I had to stop giving it due to vomiting and diarrhea after 5 days of only 18mg twice a day. Now the vet wants us to try Tramadol instead.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi Mollyrae,
There is a generic for Rimadyl called Truprofen.  I get this Rx for my german shepherd  my Costco pharmacy for a lot less.  She also just started taking Tramadol as well. I hope this helps.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
  I myself have been on Tramadol for four years now. Believe me, Tramadol is a LOW level pain reliever. The idea of addiction is not much of a concern if it is any at all. It is roughly 5% of the pain relief capacity of Morphine. Your dog can,t tell you he is hurting. If you think your pet (dog only) is in pain USE IT!Cats CAN NOT be given "Ultram" which is Tramadol plus Acetimediphen (spelled wrong I'm sure)   SEE A VET.
   Addiction is better than suffering in agony and is one of the most ridiculously used words in use today.You can communicate with your dog in many ways ; let a Vet tell you how. Tramadol is cheap , effective and available ; make use of and be thankful you have it to give.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Little advice tramadol in humans is very addictive. That's how my addiction started with pain meds so please do not say it's not addictive. Also live in my shoes as an addict then tell me addiction is better than pain. Yes for dogs it's great. My dachshund had been taking it for a yr now and has saved her. But please don't give uneducated advice on things you really don't know about. Thanx
675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi missyatwood,
It would be wise not to medicate your dog yourself.
Yes dogs can be given Tramadol, but it is a powerful drug and should only be given under veterinary instruction.
If the vet decides Tramadol is a suitable pain-relief drug, then it's best to get that on the vet's prescription for a start.
A drug should only be used or prescribed with full knowledge of the dog's health history. Some drugs would be contra-indicated in certain conditions for example.

Sometimes medicines for humans can contain other additives, some highly toxic for dogs -such as Xylitol, etc.

So it's wise not to guess at what medication is best -but to take her to see your vet. Yes I know it is more expensive but it's safer.

By the way -was Carprofen prescribed?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My pomeraniom who started carprofen for his limp... He is 10 lbs...  Can I give him my tramadol for his pain??...and if yes... How many milligrams should I  give him? He is still limping and acting very depressed...  The carprofen is not working...  MissyA1
Helpful - 0
1331422 tn?1326566597
My 12 year old mini poodle is on both medications.  I'm not worried about her getting addicted.  I just want her out of pain.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
NSAIDs like Rimadyl help treat the underlying cause of the pain, such as inflammation. Tramadol is usually used as an add-on to pain management, when the NSAID is not enough, unless the pet has a intolerance to NSAIDS. The vet prescribed these medications for a reason. If she advised the use of an NSAID to be complemented by the Tramadol, then owners need to follow that instruction. If one wants to stop the Rimadyl, they need to contact the vet first. You are not a vet and do not know how to use these medications. That's why they went to school and you didn't. If you are not a vet, please do not be giving advise to people about managing medications.
Helpful - 0
460185 tn?1326077772
Our 12 yr old Akita has mild to moderate arthritis in her back and back legs.  She was taking Medacam, Ubavet and Omega Three.  The Medacam has side effects so she has to be tested every few mths.  Then the vet suggested Adequan - which is a series of injections which can be given at home.  According to the vet, Adequan can stop arthritis from escalating and in some cases, even reverse it.  I don't know if that's true or not but our Akita had the injections - IM injections and it really seemed to help her.  Occasionally, she has to take Medacam but not as much or as often as before.

I'm in Canada and maybe our meds have different names than yours.  Hope your dog is doing well.


Helpful - 0
82861 tn?1333453911
The most important thing is that the tramadol helps with your dog's pain.  Tramadol is a pretty mild pain reliever, and commonly used in conjunction with NSAIDS like rimadyl or deramaxx.  If you want to avoid the tramadol altogether, you might ask your vet about deramaxx.  It's more expensive than rimadyl, but it worked wonders for our two dogs who had severe arthritis.  They started out with rimadyl and it did a great job for them for many years.  As the arthritis worsened, they needed something different and deramaxx was a tremendous improvement that made more pain meds like tramadol unnecessary.  
Helpful - 0
172023 tn?1334672284
Many of those people are on heavy and escalating doses.  He won't be taking much.  
Helpful - 0
535089 tn?1400673519
Thank's for the input, I appreciate it. If he is on a regular regiment (daily) and misses a daily dose, will he exhibit signes of w/d? I ask this because he will need this medication on a regular basis and I certianly don't want him to be uncomfortable w/d wise if he misses a dose. I hope I don't sound like an idiot it's just that being from the pain forum I have heard of ppl who take their meds (tramadol) on a regular basis and feel horrible when they miss a dose even when they don't have alot of pain at the moment.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I would probably avoid the rimadyl and just take the tramadol that should be enough. i agree no worries about addiction.
Helpful - 0
172023 tn?1334672284
Dogs can take Tramadol.  Our older Dobe takes it occasionally for his aches and pains.

If addiction is your worry, relax.  Unless he has opposable thumbs, he will have a hard time getting the cap off the bottle and taking too many.  And I don't think he'll be able to write illegal prescriptions or take himself to many different vets to keep his supply going!

You will control how much he gets.  So there is no worry about addictive behaviors, because dogs simply can't get out of control with their intake.  You will give him one a day, or however many your vet recommends.  He can't take more than that on his own.

Its been very helpful with our Dobe.  

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