Tramadol (or Rimadyl) for arthritis?
The Vet has suggested Tramadol - but I can't afford to pay Vet prices for that! Is it possible to use human Tramadol and how much is normal to use?! I just want my poor boy to stop crying  |
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| There is actually no veterinary formulation of Tramadol (at least not in Canada). Often though the tramadol you get through the vet goes through a 'compounding' pharmacy that will make pills of an appropriate dose for dogs. @Piper- Won BDD --- If you look at the link I provided, you'll see that in Canada at least, there are 13 different products containing tramadol licensed in Canada. All of which are human formulations. 2 of the 13 products listed contain acetaminophin. Contrary to popular belief, there are actually safe doses of acetaminophin that can be delivered to a dog (not that I would recommend it, as there are far safer drugs out there, and the safety in cats of this drug is pretty much 0, which is generally why people just say not to use it at all -- so people don't have to remember that they can give it to a dog, in an appropriate dose, but not a cat.) That being said, the two acetaminophin containing products could be (reasonably) safely administered to a large dog (not that I'd recommend it, and your dose of tramadol probably wouldn't be enough to have an effect, so you'd be throwing your money away). As always though --- don't trust random strangers on the internet with the health of you, or your pets (this includes me) **second edit: Was thinking about this last night --- there is one difference between the human and veterinary formulations that hasn't been mentioned. Some human formulations are 'extended release' tablets. Using an extended release formula in a dog is a bad idea --- I'm not actually convinced that there aren't some compounding pharmacies that use the extended release varieties as a base for their products, but that's a whole different story. (The reason extended release versions might be a bad idea, is that if the dog chews them, they can 'release' the entire dose of the drug at once, rather than over time) Source: Health Canada Drug Product Database: http://webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca/dpd-bdpp/inde cassie, in the us, there are vets who will let you take your prescription to walmart at $4.00 a bottle as an example or maybe you could order online, but you need to verify with him/her that it is the same product, which is why I included article above as skipping the acetaminophen would be best.  |
| Oscar cannot take Rimadyl or Dermaxx, since he takes prednisone for his autoimmune disorder. He takes Tramadol instead, prescribed by my vet, which I get from Walgreen's (U.S. national pharmacy), as my vet does not stock it. It's not as effective for joint pain as the anti-inflammatories, but it is better than nothing. Tramadol requires a prescription here in the US, and it depends upon a dog's weight. Oscar takes 100 mg (2 X 50 mg tablets) every 8 hours, but he is 105 lbs. I have no idea what the dosage would be for a smaller dog. Also, Oscar takes pure Tramadol. It is not mixed with anything. Hope this info helps. Laurie and Oscar |
| I've been giving my dogs Rimadyl for years and have never had a bad reaction. I realize there have been problems with some dogs. MO was on it for 7 or 8 years! Harry is currently on minimal dose due to the tumor.....Rimadyl might cause the tumor to "bleed" but the poor guy needs it for his hips. We get ours from the vet for convenience. She keeps the price as low as possible but admits if we ordered thru the mail it would be cheaper. Since I don't know pharmacy policies in UK, I can't guide you. Sorry. |
| Hi Cassie, Rymadyl (Carprofen) made by Pfizer has generic versions. My vet gives me a prescription for Carprofen with the generic box checked. I have it filled at Costco. It does take a couple of days to order and get the script. My vet explained that Rymadyl is a high profit item for vets and therefore they don't want to let you know there are generics. The generic version works just fine for Oscar and costs less than 50% of what Rimadyl does. A three month supply costs me less than USD 50.00 (GBP 30.00) Hopefully generic versions are available in Great Britain. Good luck! Kathie |
| Thank you guys. I'm wondering if my Vet is charging crazy prices?! They are charging me £21.00 for a week supply - 2x 50mg tablets twice a day. His other meds (the Onsior and supplements) are £250 a month. I simply can't afford this, it's heartbreaking. I bought a month supply as a one-off, so have some time to research cheaper alternatives. |
| I would check with a pharmacist. We can get pet medications from the same pharmacist that I get my own from. I checked the prices of Amy's new medication against my pharmacist and against mail order and found that my vet is 1 cent cheaper per pill. I wish that we'd switched to this vet when our old dog was still with us. We bought Rimadyl for him every month for $78 per month. |
| Often the vet will charge a lot more for meds you can get cheaper elsewhere, and one alternative is just to ask for the prescription and then order the meds yourself. I've used MedicAnimal and VioVet in the UK and found them much cheaper - but the vet will charge for the prescription each time. Depends on the vet how much they want to charge - could be £5 or £20 - but it still may work out cheaper. For instance, MedicAnimal charges £8.75 for 14 x 50mg Rimadyl, and VioVet is 62p per tablet. Hope that is some help! Really sorry to hear that Ru is in so much pain, and hope you can find a good (and affordable) solution! |
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