Tramadol
In the gap between non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Rimadyl and Deramaxx, which some dogs cannot tolerate and some owners aren't willing to give, and can rarely be safely used in cats, and heavy-duty narcotics like Fentanyl and morphine, is a human pain drug getting recent increased attention in veterinary practice. This is the drug tramadol (Ultram).
I first heard of tramadol when it was prescribed for post-surgical pain for a dog of mine at the specialty practice where he had his surgery. Being the kind of dog owner I am, I investigated it thoroughly before giving it to him, and when I did, I wondered how I'd managed to miss it before - and to wish I'd known about it when I had a senior dog who became intolerant of NSAID drugs, and ended up being put to sleep when I could no longer control her pain or maintain her quality of life.
There are many ways to inhibit pain. NSAIDs do so by interfering with the production of an enzyme known as "cyclo-oxygenase," or "COX," which is involved in inflammation (as well as many beneficial and essential organ functions). The class of drugs known as opioids does so by stimulating opiate receptors in the brain. Some opiate receptors are responsible for beneficial effects such as pain relief, while others can produce hallucination, sedation, and heart and respiratory problems. Tramadol works by stimulating the "mu" receptor, which provides pain relief without sedation and without addiction.
Some Side Effects and Contraindications
Like all drugs, tramadol has side effects, although they are usually mild. There is a wide range of possible dosing with this drug, and sedation sometimes can occur at higher doses; if this happens, it is recommended that the dosage be reduced.
Constipation can occur rarely in some dogs, and will resolve when the drug is discontinued.
Although tramadol does not harm the gastrointestinal lining as NSAID drugs can, it can cause nausea. This is rare.
Contraindications include dogs who are being treated with L-Deprenyl for Cushings or cognitive disorders, or dogs taking serotonin reuptake inhibitors, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or certain antidepressant medications.
Note: The human drug Ultracet is a combination of Ultram (tramadol) and Tylenol (acetaminophen). This drug must not be given to animals.
Features
Unlike NSAIDs, tramadol can be taken with steroids. It can also be taken with NSAIDs to provide additional pain relief and allow a lower dose of both drugs to be used.
Tramadol is a prescription human medication and will require a prescription from a veterinarian. It is not a controlled substance and no special paperwork is required to prescribe, stock, or dispense this medication in veterinary practice.
Tramadol is not passed to nursing puppies through the dam's milk so can be used for pain control in lactating bitches.
Dosing Information
There is a wide range of dosing possible with this medication. Within the recommended safe dosing levels as given in the veterinary literature, it's possible to experiment with different intervals and amounts to achieve the desired level of pain relief and minimize unwanted effects or sedation. Some animals do very well on the minimum dosage given in two equal doses, 12 hours apart, while others might need the same dose, but given in six doses 4 hours apart, or four doses 6 hours apart, or three doses 8 hours apart. And still other animals might need a higher overall dose, given at any of those intervals.
The lower doses are typically used for chronic pain relief, such as with arthritis pain, while the higher are for severe post-surgical pain. But this is extremely variable and each animal's and owner's needs should be taken into account on an individualized basis before a dosage schedule is finalized. For example, sometimes giving a slightly higher overall dosage at greater intervals will allow the animal to experience relief of pain without the owner having to adminster the medication repeatedly throughout the day (which is not always possible).
Because tramadol is not in widespread use yet in veterinary practice, it's possible that a veterinarian you consult or work for is not familiar with it. For more information, including recommended dosages, veterinary professionals should consult Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook (the latest edition, the fifth, includes Tramadol; earlier editions do not), or the website of the Veterinary Anesthesia Support Group (scroll through the alphabetical listing to "Tramadol").
This information is not intended to be used as veterinary advice, nor to replace consultation with a qualified veterinarian.
posted by Christie Keith @ 12:29 PM
167 comments
167 Comments:
My 15-year old border collie/Rott mix was just prescribed 1/2 pill of Tramadol twice a day. He is also on one Anipryl (l-deprenyl) each morning, and a 1/2 Deramaxx pill with evening dinner. (He limps and has trouble with stairs. Vet says he has nerve degeneration of the lower spine called something like, "spando..??). She also thinks he has arthritis and his back left hip may have been dislocated at some point because it twists a little when he walks. Is Tramadol and Anipryl safe together???? You say it's contraindicated.
thanks
karen
It is listed as contraindicated on the label. I suggest you talk to a pharmacist or your vet. If your vet doesn't know you might suggest he talk to someone in the pharmacy department of a veterinary school or if they're a member of VIN he could post the question there.
Thanks so much, Nancy.
When you say it's contraindicated on the label, which label do you mean?
We are going to take my dog off Anipryl and keep him on Deremaxx once a day with supper and add the Tramadol in the morning and supper. We agree with our vet that it's more important to help his pain than his cognitive dysfunction, which isn't that bad. My vet said she can't find anything negative about using Anipryl and Tramadol together, but I said I'd rather not use them together until she's sure it's okay. (My dog is usually up 3-5 times during the night. Sleeps an hour, up a little while, sleeps and hour or hour and half, up a little while. Than about 3, 4, or 5 a.m., goes to sleep for the rest of the night (and doesn't want to get up in the morning. The Anipryl hasn't helped his sleeping, which just gets a little worse.) After the third dose of Tramadol, he was up that night 5 or 6 times, so I thought it might be the Tramadol. He just seemed a little more restless. That's when I started checking. I even called Ortho-McNeil, the manufacturer or Tramadol (Ultram) for guidelines, but the rep said they only have information for humans, not animals.
My vet said there's no problem with just stopping the Anipryl.
We'll see how it goes and thanks again.
karen
Tramadol does have addiction potential that specialists are finding of enough concern for humans that they provide other opiate type drugs while steering clear of tramadol.
Animals cant obtain their own supplys to feed a psychological addiction. Psychological addiction is the only definition of the word addiction.
Physical dependence is normal and needs to be considered with many drugs including anti depressants.
Saying tramadol isnt addictive is untrue and simplifies what addiction is, which leads to greater misunderstanding and fear of using beneficial drugs.
When tramadol, paxil and many other drugs came out they were touted as non addictive and with the least side effects. We know now that was a marketing lie. Paxil's withdrawl syndrome now has black box warnings for children and teenagers for risk of suicide while taking that medication.
If tramadol works well for animals, wonderful, but it is a newer drug then most reliable opiates and experience has shown in humans that it isnt a safer drug addiction wise to opiates.
"Anonymous" wrote:
Saying tramadol isnt addictive is untrue and simplifies what addiction is, which leads to greater misunderstanding and fear of using beneficial drugs.
I did not really say "Tramadol isn't addictive." I said that Tramadol can relieve pain without sedation and without addiction. It CAN sedate and it CAN be addictive. There is no question of that. But it's still true that it can be used to relieve pain without addiction and without sedation. Perhaps that's a fine distinction but it IS a distinction.
The only real issue with Tramadol's addictiveness in animals is that we remember to withdraw them carefully from longterm use. As you noted, dogs do not rob convenience stores to buy drugs on the streets, nor do they figure out how to scam their vets to get prescriptions for painkillers that they don't really need.
If tramadol works well for animals, wonderful, but it is a newer drug then most reliable opiates and experience has shown in humans that it isnt a safer drug addiction wise to opiates.
Tramadol is not a "newer drug." It's a generic drug and has been on the market a long, long time. It has many definite advantages over both NSAIDs and narcotics such as morphine and fentanyl (which are themselves hugely addicting and sedating, even at lower dosages), and fills a need for a drug that can be used in dogs with renal complications. It is extremely safe, has a very wide dosage range, and is standing between life and death for many dogs with pain that can't be controlled with NSAIDs, or for whom NSAIDs are not appropriate.
Morphine and fentanyl have their place, especially for post-surgical pain and end-of-life pain for cancer, but Tramadol can actually be used for chronic pain. It can be used for years. There really is no other drug that fills this niche, and I don't believe we can fairly dismiss it or cloud its use with dire warnings of addiction - especially when the alternatives to Tramadol, for dogs who cannot take NSAIDs or for whom NSAIDs only are not enough, are drugs that are far MORE addictive and not appropriate for longterm use for chronic pain.
This doesn't mean I entirely disregard the addiction potential of Tramadol. I simply think it's a very minor issue for this drug and in this species. And replacing it with heavy narcotics certainly won't help!
My senior dog has been on tramadol for a couple weeks now but it seems to make him woozy at times. He gets 25 mg in the morning and around 10 p.m. He hasn't slept well at night for the last year or so and the tramadol does seem to help with that-- sort of. At night, he usually sleeps for an hour or so then is up and pacing fairly quickly for an hour or so around midnight, which makes me think it helps the pain. Then he goes to sleep for a couple hours, but wakes up again around 4 a.m. Sometimes I get up with him and he walks around a little, and sometimes I can just lay him on his other sides and he goes back to sleep and sleeps very soundly the rest of the night. When I have to wake him up in the morning so I can go to work, he seems disoriented. He circles to the right constantly and can hardly walk in a straight line, even with me leading him by collar and tail. (He does this a little bit anyway, which may be a pain or injury thing, but he does it much more after tramadol.) My dog weights 43 lbs. I started chipping off a little piece of his Tramadol pill to give him a smaller dose to see if that helps. My vet just began prescribing tramadol and doesn't have any experience with it yet. Any suggestions? Does this sound like it's from the tramadol or could it just be a pain response?
Obviously we can't know for sure what is going on with your dog. In general, I'd say that it IS hard to know if this is an opioid response (Tramadol is sort of an opioid and sort of not)or if it's from pain. Usually, this kind of opioid response is accompanied by whining and a lack of recognition of the owner. In fact, whining is the single symptom the first vet who prescribed Tramadol to a dog of mine warned me about, as being from too high a dose for that dog. I have never seen it from Tramadol, but I have seen it from Fentanyl and from morphine. This does not sound like what your dog is experiencing, however.
Sometimes we do see dogs whose owners say they are "sedated" when what they are is finally getting some deep sleep because their pain is under control. This does not at all sound like what you are describing, either.
So, the answer is ... you need to talk to a vet who IS familiar with Tramadol and with pain management. This will be easy. Your vet can simply call and do a consult with any vet school's anesthesia consultants. They will be able to tell him how to evaluate the effect of this drug on your dog.
Your vet also could go onto VIN (if he or she is not already a member, they can obtain a free 30 day trial membership; www.vin.com) and consult with the analgesia/anesthesia consultants there.
It sounds to me like your dog is in a lot of pain and really needs some expert pain management here. Fortunately, that IS available, even if your own vet isn't an expert in that area.
Please let us know how he does!
Christie and Nancy
Does Tramadol affect the kidneys at all? I have an old Rotti at 15 yrs .. She is very well aside from arthritis stiffness but had her spleen removed and has a bit of kidney issue with incontinence.. I wonder if this is an option for her any suggestions?
JEnny
My understanding is that Tramadol is the drug of choice in human medicine for geriatric and renal patients because it's extremely easy on the kidneys. I wouldn't want to say that it can't cause kidney problems, but rather that if a pain medication is needed in a patient who has them, this is a good drug to consider.
Human prescribing information suggests that when immediate relief is not required, side effects can be reduced by starting Tramadol in small doses and increasing it incrementally at 3-day intervals until a therapeutic dosage is reached. I wish I'd done this with my dog.
He is 14 y/o with severe arthritis including impinged nerve roots in both the cervical and lumbar spine. He's healthy otherwise. We're just giving him pain relief as long as he's with us. Unfortunately he's had problems with all the NSAIDs he's tried. We recently started hiim on Tramadol. For the first 3-4 days he was so sedated that he hardly moved - and when he did he was really clumsy - and I think the inactivity really aggravated the pinched nerve in his neck.
His lifespan is in days or at most weeks anyhow (pray for him, our other dog, and his human family - thank you) but in another situation I might've been pretty upset about the new med permanently aggravating the problem it was intended to treat.
Has Tramadol been used in cats?
Also has anyone any experience in dosing Tamiflu for feline panleukopenia?
I just brought my dog to the vet last sunday and the vet gave me tramadol 50mg one pill every 12 hours she is 57 lbs. I noticed when I gave her the pill she started to shack and she became disoriented and lost the function in her three legs. She can't walk now. A couple of days ago she was running and playing. When I called the vet to see if it was the tramadol he just made excuses and said she came in not being able to use her front paw or back legs. This was truley a lie. I asked how long it take the tramadole to ware off he said 24 to 48 hours. It has been 24 hours and she still cant walk. What do you know about tramadol and do you know if my dog will return back to normal.
I seem to have missed two earlier comments as well as the one that was just made. Let me take them in order.
Has tramadol been used in cats?
Yes, but I feel it's troublesome in cats. Some do fine on it but a lot of them seem to have some kind of odd reactions. Not neccessarily dangerous reactions, but not what I like to see. Cats are hard to give drugs to, unfortunately. There are so many things they cannot tolerate.
Also has anyone any experience in dosing Tamiflu for feline panleukopenia?
Yes, if you go to the Tamiflu post you'll see info on how to contact the vet doing the research. He is using Tamiflu on feline panleukopenia with success. Post is here:
http://vettechs.blogspot.com/2005/04/oseltamivir-is-there-new-treatment-for.html
What do you know about tramadol and do you know if my dog will return back to normal.
I am so sorry to hear your dog is having this trouble. I can't comment specifically on this dog's case, and it sounds like your vet has lost your trust, which makes it difficult to know what the next step is. Because what you describe is not something I've ever seen with Tramadol, nor that I've heard of, nor seen mentioned in the veterinary literature. I don't recall even seeing it in the human literature. My suspicion is that your dog's condition has changed or progressed, and the Tramadol is just a coincidence.
Tramadol does not take 24-48 hours to wear off. The dose you were prescribed is on the lower end, and the effects of it should be gone within 4-12 hours at the most. If your dog did have a very bad reaction to it, the effects might last longer, but you'd need a vet (one you trust) to check your dog out and see for sure. I wouldn't wait. I'd seek out a second opinion immediately. Since it's often hard to get in to a specialist you've never seen before on short notice, my best suggestion is to go in through the emergency room of a specialty practice that also operates an ER, or the ER of a vet college if at all possible. That way you don't have to wait. And IMO, your dog does need emergency care - what you are describing is absolutely not normal, and whether it was caused by the Tramadol or not, needs veterinary expertise from someone who knows what they're doing. I can't say if your vet does or does not, but since it sounds like you have no confidence in him so I'm assuming you have reason for that.
I wish you and your dog the best.
Hi, I just wanted to update you. I brought my dog to a new Vet in my area. As it turned out it was not tramadol that made her loose the lose of her legs. To make a long story short her C6 was putting pressure on her spinal cord. She went into surgery yesterday and she is recovering now. They say she might event be able to stand on sunday.
I'm so glad you came back with an update! Please let us know how she does!
I didn't think it could possibly be the Tramadol, glad you sought out a new vet.
Hello,
My 11 year old Doberman was recently prescribed Rimadyl for arthritic pain. Aside from very occasional temporary stiffness, her only symptom was trembling. She would do this trembling a few times a day, for several seconds or a minute. It is pretty much the same sort of trembling a dog would do if she is cold. Aside from that, she is very healthy and active, and you would never guess she is in pain. She chases balls, is 15 feet in front of me on walks, runs, jumps, smiles, etc. She will even wag her tail and lick me during the trembling episodes.
Anyway, I got a weeks worth of Rimadyl because my vet is convinced the trembling is because of pain, and the trembling/shaking seemed to decrease somewhat, though she still had the shaking sometimes. When discussing the high cost of Rimadyl, my vet said I could try Tramadol instead, as it is cheaper. So right now she is on her last (7th) day of Rimadyl, and starts Tramadol tomorrow. With Rimadyl, she takes 75mg twice a day. Tramdol is prescribed at 50mg from 1-4 times a day PRN. My dog weighs approx 70 pounds.
My questions are.. should the Rimadyl have completely stopped the trembling if the trembling is pain-associated? Also, why would a vet recommend Rimadyl before Tramadol if Tramadol is safer and cheaper?
I don't doubt that my dog has some pain, but I am not yet convinced that the trembling is completely pain-related. She did have a complete workup before starting the Rimadyl and her kidneys, liver and everything is fine.
I am just worried a bit about being the one to decide if she is in pain, and to decide what to does... especially since the Rimadyl didn't totally get rid of the trembling. I plan on starting her out on 1/2 pill twice a day and go from there. The Rimadyl seems "easier" as far as dosing, as the pet-pwner doesn't "decide" how much to give per day... but if it didn't stop, was it only partially working?
I can't affiord to send my dog to a specialist to determine if she has some other condition that causes the trembling, like a neurological condition. The tests that my vet did all came back great.
I just hate the idea of giving my dog medications if she really doesn't need them.
Any suggestions or advice?
Thanks so much!
P.S. My dog is a Doberman if that matters :-)
Dear Anonymous,
You didn't mention if there were any other tests done other than bloodwork. Where xrays done? Hips, spine, etc.? That could tell you quite a bit. I would think a few more basic diagnostics need to be done. There are neurological tests that even the most general practitioner should know how to do that would help to rule out things like degenerative myelopathy. Maybe there is some arthritis going on in the spine or the hips. Spondylosis is another possibility. Did the vet gently press along the sides of her spine to see if she reacted?
The list is endless really and a lot of them could be ruled out with some basic tests.
There isn't a drug out there that is a miracle cure, so the Rimadyl could have alleviated some of the pain but not all, thus the shivering continued. As humans that have taken on the responsibility of caretaking dogs as pets, pets that cannot vocalize their problems (ie. Point to a spot and tell you, "It hurts right here.") It is up to us as pet owners to be aware of the symptoms of pain and evaluating their level of pain and doing what we can to allevaite it. That's why we're given a dose range so that if we give them the low end and it doesn't help we can give a little more.
Vets are more likely to prescribe a *veterinary* drug first before a human drug. They're also more likely to prescribe an anti-inflammatory drug. Medical doctors follow the same protocol.
Keep in mind that you have a geriatric large breed dog. Someone presenting their pet with the only symptom of ocassional shivering isn't unusual. Sometimes it is difficult to ascertain exactly what is causing the pain but it takes more than a look over and bloodwork.
Good luck and I hope your Dobie gets the relief she needs. Keep us posted.
Hi,
I have a 12 1/2 year old Jack Russell who is otherwise very healthy. His problem is he has either a torn pelvic tendon or cancer in the bone near his pelvis - the vet said without performing a painful biopsy, they cannot tell for certain. So for the past month he has been on Prednisone 1/day and Tramadol 1/2 3x/day. I have noticed the pain does not seem worse, however not better either. With the prednisone he is having urinating problems, and the vet said they cannot prescribe any additional medication and therefore recommend we put him to sleep - they feel he really has no quality of life. I understand that, and I hate to see him in paid, but would like to continue futher experimenting with the dosage and times giving the medication. I guess I am just not ready to give him up. I cannot find anywhere the maximum daily dosage for a dog his size - he weights about 15.5 lbs. What do you recommend?
Someone wrote, "Psychological addiction is the only definition of the word addiction."
No, it's not. Look it up in the dictionary. Better yet, research it. There is indeed such a thing as physical addiction. In physical addiction, there is a measurable and predictable physiological response to withdrawal of the drug.
Think about heroin. Do you really believe that people are only psychologically addicted to that drug? If so, you've probably also never heard of Methadone clinics. People are prescribed Methadone because the physical withdrawal of drugs such as heroin (an illegal drug) and oxycodone (a prescription drug) is so severe, taking another less dangerous drug is the only way many can get off the drug at all. All such addicts to drugs of that nature suffer the same extremely painful and agonizing physical symptoms upon withdrawal of the particular drug, incidentally. Their withdrawal symptoms are therefore completely predictable, which means that they are physically addicted.
On the other hand, many people psychologically crave marijuana, yet they are not considered addicts because marijuana is not physically addictive. The reason they are not considered addicts is that withdrawal of the drug does not cause a predictable physiological response; in marijuana users, withdrawal of the drug causes symptoms which vary from user to user. In other words, when it is all in your head, it is not considered addiction.
To clear the waters you've muddied ..... Addiction is defined as a need for and compulsive use of a drug which which is known to the user to be harmful. Addiction is characterized by tolerance and well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal of the drug.
In other words, if it were all in the addict's head as you suggest, the physiological symptoms would not be well-defined, but rather would be dependent upon the various fears and neuroses of the addict.
Therefore, you have it exactly backward.
Furthermore, it is not considered addiction if the drug is necessary, regardless of whether the person (or animal) taking it has a psychological or physiological craving. For example, many patients with severe pain syndromes are prescribed addictive narcotics to control their pain, but they are not considered addicts because the drug is being used as intended and prescribed, and is not being used compulsively. It is being used for a very good and valid reason. Many of those patients remain on those drugs for the duration of their lives, and it enhances their lives to have those drugs available since it allows them to live a more fulfilling life by controlling their pain.
It only becomes addiction when the person doesn't need the drug, but uses it compulsively due to a physical craving. Obviously, animals cannot self-medicate with prescription drugs.
You aren't helping anyone by posting about things you obviously don't comprehend, and in fact you could be doing others a grave disservice. Many animals are in chronic pain, and are in need of drugs to control that pain. If it is a narcotic, they can become physically addicted, and the withdrawal can be far worse than the illness for which the drug was originally prescribed. For that reason, the owner needs to be aware of the addiction potential, and ensure they have the ability to procure the drug for the animal long-term - or if it is no longer needed, ensure that the animal is weaned off the drug slowly - lest the animal suffer severe physical withdrawal symptoms.
Accordingly, people should discuss these weighty matters with their veterinarian, and not some anonymous person on the internet who doesn't understand addiction despite the fact that we live in a society where physical addiction is not only common, but rampant.
My 10 year old 41 lb Aussie had traditional ACL surgery yesterday morning that included rerouting a third of the pattela fascia to create a new ligament and installing suture material for further reinforcement anchored through a hole drilled in the bone. They found that the cruciate ligament was severed and they also found a horseshoe tear in the meniscus.
She came home the same day in the evening with a pain patch and a supply of tramadol and Rymadil. She had a small amount of bloody diarrhea as soon as she got home, which means she's now on a rice only diet and can't take the rymadil. Once the morphine shots wore off, she cried all night last night. It seems like the patch is not doing much.
I am feeling like the dose they prescribed for the tramadol is not nearly enough (1/2 a 50mg pill, twice a day).
I am wondering what the dose range is for tramadol and if the dose range has to be modified in a dog wearing the fentanyl pain patch.
Thank you!
How long had the pain patch been in place? It takes approximately 12 hours minimum before it reaches full affect. It's usually applied at least 24 hours in advance. If it's been on less than 24 then it's not yet reached full affect.
Contact your veterinarian for advice since your dog cannot tolerate the NSAID Rimadyl. There are other options to help your dog get some relief.
I hope all is better soon!
Hi Nancy,
Thanks so much for your reply. I was able to reach my vet and she authorized giving my dog up to 1/2 a 50 mg tramadol every four to six hours as needed. That really knocked down the pain and life is much more bearable for her now.
Of course the leg still hurts like mad if it gets moved or bumped, but she seems to be able to rest comfortably. So far I am really impressed with this med. Even at that high dose she is not out of it. It does make her a little sleepy, which in her current condition is probably a good thing. But she can still get up and navigate properly to go out to go to the bathroom. Every day she seems a little better and I am now giving the pills every six hours instead of every four hours.
My vet did say that Tramadol at high dosage is likely to cause constipation, but I feel like that's not nearly as bad of a problem as being in horrible pain.
The pain patch you asked about had been applied that morning so it may not have reached full strength yet, which probably contributed to the difficult first night she had.
Thanks again, your tramadol page was really helpful to me!
My senior dog after surgeries always received Tramadol because my vet said it has fewer side effects. She always did very well. I am taking her to a new vet, because the hospital offers 24 hour care, for surgery. I was told they use domitor i.v. drip after surgery, in addition to hydromorphone. I looked up domitor, and was alarmed to see that it is contraindicated in dogs with liver disease. My dog has had liver disease (very high Alk Phos) for the last six years, though it's of unknown etiology. What does contraindicated mean? Should a safer alternative, like tramadol, which she tolerated very well in the past, be used? Obviously, if domitor was needed to save her life, and it was the only drug available, I wouldn't be as worried. But I would like to request a safer alternative, like tramador. Am I being misguided by the label because it says it is contraindicated in dogs with liver disease? Thanks for any advice.
Contraindicated means that it is "not advised" when certain conditions exist. Domitor, though a good sedative, most vets I know, do not use Domitor on dogs over the age of 7 years.
Domitor is a sedative, I assume they're using it to keep her sedated after her surgery and the hydromorphone is for pain control. It's been my experience that the analgesic effect of Domitor has been minimal at best. They probably do not want to use the Tramadol because it is an oral drug and oral drugs are not recommended after surgery. There are other injectable options available though.
Is the hospital aware of your dogs liver condition? Make sure they know so that they can consider changing their protocol or advise you as to why they feel confident using it on her.
Thanks, Nancy, for your comment.
I am very grateful for your response.
The hospital is aware of her liver condition. They still insist on using domitor as an i.v. drip after surgery on all animals, despite age and underlying health conditions. The label, though, says it's used in place of gas anesthesia for short procedures, i.e., teeth cleaning. Then a reversible shot is given to bring them around. A couple vets I spoke with said they've never heard it used in this way, extra-label. (does that mean extra-label, too, if it's used on dogs with liver and heart disease, if the label says its contraindicated in those dogs?) All say, just as you, that they don't use it on older dogs. But the vet at the hospital said he has used it on dogs as old as 17, and that it doesn't matter if they have heart or liver disease, because they only use it in microdoses, i.v. drip. In addition, they never use the reversible shot.
They're also going to be giving her hydromorphone for pain every four hours. When I looked up domitor on the Internet, it says on one site that domitor's side effects of slow heartbeat and low blood pressure are enhanced when used with drugs like hydromorphone. I called the drug manufacturer, and they agreed it's an off-label use. The vet at the pharmaceutical was very nice, and advised against its use in dogs with underlying liver and heart conditions and said there are safer, more age appropriate alternatives. When I told that to the vet at the hospital, he was furious and demanded to know the vet at the pharmaceutical who told me this. I didn't tell him because I didn't want to get her in trouble. He called them anyway, and the pharmaceutical called me to say they had another vet working there who countered everything said by their earlier vet. He said, in fact, it's okay to use the drug on dogs with heart and liver disease, and okay to use on old dogs. No age limit at all, he said. A vet at the hospital said he was trained by the pharmaceutical to use the drug off-label and that he's an expert. He is paid by the company to attend seminars in the "new uses" of this drug.The hospital uses it routinely on all the dogs coming out of surgery. I am terribly confused about this.
In addition, my dog also had a seizure on acepromazine (for storms)in 1998, and I was told she could never have it again. She only had a sliver of the 25 mg pill, and 12 hours later, she had a seizure. She never has had one again. But the hospital says they inject ace in all the dogs as a pre-anesthetic and that it would be okay to use it in my dog because they're only going to use a little bit of it. My previous vet was always very careful not to use it in her protocol after my dog seized, and she did fine. This is the only 24/7 hospital in the area (vet tech on night duty, vet on call for emergencies after hours), so I'm just not sure what to do. The hospital says I should leave the meds up to the judgment of the vet, that he knows best. I'm still scared, though. Can't I ask for safer alternatives to domitor and ace? Thanks.
If I were in your shoes I would find a new 24/7 hospital pronto. There's no point in dealing with vets you don't trust. Even if you have to drive several hours, wouldn't it be worth the peace of mind?
Hi, I hae an 11 year old, male, 80 pound airedale terrier that has recurring problems with his lower spine. FOr three weeks he has been on 1250mg of Novo Lexin twice a day, 50 mg of Tramadol twice a day. He has been onMetacam for at least a year. Since starting the Tramadol he has episodes of heavy panting, pacing, and he won't lie down to rest. He is very restless and is up several times in the night. He is whining constantly. Are these indications of a dosage that may be too high? Is is also safe to completely stop the Tramadol or do I have to slowly reduce the dosage?
Jennifer
50mg is mid range. What it sounds like to me is that the pain is not being controlled as well. Panting, whining and even the pacing is usually a sign of pain and discomfort. I would consult your veterinarian.
Tramadol can be discontinued without tapering.
My dog was biten by a copperhead a few hours ago. I could not aford the pain medication the Dr. offered(what college student could) but I did get the antbiotics. I have been prescribed Tramadol can I give him one or will it react with the venom. The vet said something about having to give an opiate based pain med so it would not react with the venom. Isn't tramadol a synthetic opiate?
This would be best answered by your veterinarian.
Regarding funds. Does the veterinarian you go to offer Care Credit? If so, I'd apply for it, ASAP. If not, find a vet that does.
My 8 mo. old female Sheltie is being spayed tomorrow. I am researching meds as I do not want her to come home on Rimadyl based on the reaction of our male Sheltie to Rimadyl. Would Tramadol be a suitable choice in this circumstance?
Yes, it would be a perfectly good choice. :-)
Good healing to your pupper after tomorrow.
My 7 year old rottie named Nikki was diagnosed yesterday after bloodwork and X-rays with pancreatitis. She weighs 105 pounds. Yesterday my vet gave subcutaneous fluids, antibiotics and pepcid as a treatment plan but did not prescribe anything for the pain. After a sleepless night for both myself and Nikki, I called the vet this morning to let her know that Nikki was in pain and needed something to help with that. The vet prescribed tramadol 50mg TID.
I am curious if this sounds to be an appropriate dosage for a dog Nikki's size? Also, could you give me ideas of possible side effects, if any, to look for. Nikki is no stranger to pain. By the time she was one years old, she had both back knees operated on. So when she started crying yesterday and her demeanor completely changed, I knew something was severly wrong with her.
She received her first dose of tramadol two hours ago and is sleeping now. However, she seems to wake up and whine a bit. The whining is different than the crying she was doing yesterday and earlier this morning.
I do not want to be a paranoid "mom" but the vet we saw yesterday was covering for Nikki's regular vet and she does not know Nikki well, nor do we know her. I want to do what is best for Nikki and always try to keep her first in my thoughts. If you could give me any suggestions, I would appreciate it very much.
Thank you in advance for any comments you can pass on to me.
Question - is profuse drooling a known side effect of Tramodol? My dog just had surgery to implant a rod in a broken femur and every time I give his Tramodol, he drools for a good hour. Should I discontinue use until I consult my vet in the morning?
Tramadol is very bitter and unpleasant. Drooling is something dogs (and cats) will do if they get a taste it.
Great page. I have a 12 year old pomeranian that weighs about 5.5 lbs. He recently had several large teeth removed.
He was prescribed tramadol orally after the surgery to control the pain. It was mixed into an oral suspension (I supposed because of the small size of the dog, in order to get the dosage right) and I was supposed to give .25 ml of a 100mg/5ml solution twice a day. So if I am doing my math right, that is 5mg per dose, 10mg per day.
My dog has responded well to the surgery and was up and around very quickly and we are seeing no signs of infection or problems with the teeth. There was some scratching on his face as the stitches dissolved but never to the point of causing any problem and he seems to have cut way back on the scratching now.
I took him off the tramadol within a couple of days because he seemed fine. However, we have noticed signs of mild constipation during the first week.
This week it has gotten worse. He squeals in pain when you pick him up and he has gone two days without a bowel movement. He is eating lightly, but perhaps a little less than normal. He hasn't quit eating entirely though and still seems to enjoy Pupperoni Treats (What do they put in those things, cocaine? He goes nuts for them) if we break them into pieces.
The squealing and screeching is extremely unnerving. He is so scared of being picked up that he squeals when you even act like you might be about to pick him up. It is heartbreaking, but also very frustrating because I don't know how much is pain, and how much is fear.
I took the dog to the vet today and as you might expect, he did almost none of what I described above while we were at the office. The vet was able to get one light squeak out of him and that was it. The vet suggested doubling the dose of tramadol to manage the pain and tapering it off over the weekend to see if that helped.
I mentioned the decreased number of bowel movements to our doctor, but at the time of the visit, it was a day and a half without a movement which is abnormal (he usually has one a day) but not extreme.
Now it is 10pm and we are at two straight days and we spent a good deal of time outside walking him and trying to coax him into having a bowel movement to no avail.
This leads me to believe that his problems may be gastrointestinal in nature and when we pick him up we are pressing on his belly and hurting him. It also leads me to my long-winded question: Should I continue the tramadol since it seems to have a slight incidence of constipation and it doesn't seem to be helping the pain.
Also, off topic for this thread, but what is my best step on the constipation?
Thanks for any help,
-TS
Just an update, my dog has moved his bowels (quite heartily) today. I will update whether or not this has fixed the situation or not later. Right now he still acts a little skittish and is still tender, but I am hoping that he will improve now that this has happened. If not, then I am back to square one on what is causing the pain, but I can probably rule out gastrointestinal if that didn't fix it. His stool was firm, but not dry. Basically normal, but a larger amount than usual.
-TS
I took my Pom to a different vet today and he showed me how his back legs were not responding properly. He says this indicates a likelihood of a herniated or ruptured disc in the spine.
So we are going to continue the tramadol and add a muscle relaxer and prednisone to cut down the inflammation.
My dog has a mild heart murmur, so we have to be careful with the prednisone and watch for fluid buildup. If we get that then I will have to try an NSAID. Will update later in the hopes that this may be of use to someone else later on...
-TS
Sorry I didn't respond sooner. I've had a full plate the past few weeks.
I'm glad you took your dog to another vet. It sounds like you had far better communication with the new one and you were able to help your dog better.
Good luck and good healing.
I just wanted to comment that although Tramadol is non-narcotic, it still can be addicting in humans. Long term use in animals have not yet been established but if the animal is on Tramadol for an extended period of time, weaning may be necessary to avoid withdrawls, such as with long term use with narcotics. Withdrawls in humans have been documented to be comparable to withdrawl from narcotics such as morphine. These withdrawls have been noted to last from 3 to 5 days in the moderate to severe stages with lingering effects for up to 14 days.
Dr.Helena S., DVM
Charlotte, NC
Thanks for the responses. We started our dog on a tramadol/methocarbamol/prednisone regimen Friday (yesterday) around 5pm. By 10pm we could see a noticable improvement, but definitely not a magic cure. (I didn't expect one, but I was pleased to see us at least partially managing the pain.)
He slept through most of the night, with an occasional whimper. I think these occur when he wakes and shift positions and catches something wrong. (He sleeps at the foot of our bed, he is a 5.6 lb pomeranian.) We had one squealing/screeching incident and it was my fault, I had gotten up and thought he was awake, and went to pet him. It startled him and he was probably squealing out of fear/pain from the sudden start. I won't make that mistake again!
I took him out this morning. His tail is occasionally at full mast, but sometimes he has it at about half mast. Two days ago it was tucked completely between his legs and he was walking with his back down low. This is an improvement for sure, but of course I want my old dog back ASAP! My vet said to expect significant results by Monday.
Just to clear things up about the different vets, we had an ongoing problem with the dog's teeth and finally decided it was worth the risk of anesthesia at his age to get them pulled. Our "regular" vet did not handle procedures this in-depth. So we went to another for this. I had taken my dog back to the "other vet" when we saw these symptoms thinking it might be related, but after that vet seemed to be at a loss (he just upped the dosage of the tramadol) and the dog continued to worsen, I wanted another look.
My "regular vet" immediately performed a test where he rolled the dog's back feet forward as if he was standing on his "knuckles" and showed me how slow he was to correct the situation and move back to the pad of his foot. I was told this was a classic sign of this type of back problem.
So we have him back down to his regular dose of tramadol (5mg twice a day) and we are using (if I am reading the labels correctly) 1.25 mgs twice a day with the prednisone for three days, then 1.25 mgs once a day for three days, then 1.25 mgs every other day until 14 days. Finally we have the methocarbamol at 40mg twice a day for 14 days.
If those are way off, I might have misread the labelling. The tramadol is labelled differently than the others. The bottle says 100mg/5ml and we are giving .25 ml twice a day. So by my math that is 5mg a dose, twice a day. The other bottles are labelled per dose - the prednisone is 1.25mg/0.5ml which is the amount we are giving him each time and the methocarbamol is labelled 40mg/ml and we are giving him 1ml per dose, twice a day. Our local pharmacist went to a lot of trouble to make the suspensions and he told me that he tried to add some peanut butter flavor to make it more palatable. It smells good enough, and he doesn't fight me when I am giving it to him - so that is good.
Sorry this is so long, but I love having things reviewed to make sure we are getting him the best care possible - and hopefully this will help someone else down the line. It is very reassuring to find a similar case when you are having a problem with your pet and you see that someone else has dealt with it (hopefully successfully) with the same, or similar treatment as you are getting.
We are dealing with constipation (or refusal to go for fear of pain) again, but it is only two days and he waited about 2 1/2 days last round. He is eating normally and drinking a lot right now. Hopefully that is everything. Thanks so much for the responses.
-TS
Greenville, SC
I'm so glad to hear things are improving and that you were able to see the neurological demonstration. It is one that most vets I know use immediately when they are told by owners about symptoms similar to the ones you described. Isn't it just amazing how different two vets can be?
The dosages are pretty much normal doses for a dog your size. Most drug dosages have a range and all of the ones you describe fall in the individual drugs ranges. :-)
Thank you for sharing your experiences I'm sure that somewhere down the line someone will benefit.
Today was sort of a "two steps forward, one step back" kind of day. We had some more squealing, particularly when you have to pick him up. (Which unfortunately is not an optional thing, we live in a two story house and there are even three steps down from the front porch to the yard.) We also had him do some squealing this morning as well.
However, he moved his bowels today, and seemed much more alert and even did some trotting in the yard. Before, he would just go in the yard, pee without raising his leg, and then collapse in the lawn and just lay there sprawled out.
He seems more like himself, but he is still hurting from time to time.
We go to the lower dosage of prednisone tomorrow (1 a day vs 2 a day) and I would have liked to have seen more improvement. But I am trying to be patient.
I'll post again when there is a change, hopefully for the better.
-TS
Greenville, SC
We are seeing noticable improvments today. Our dog is still tender and will even squeal pretty good when he wakes up from a nap, or gets up too fast - but his behavior is markedly different. He seems so much more like his usual self. He had been going into a bathroom on the ground floor and sleeping most of the day. Tonight he came out and wanted to be on the couch with us again while we watched TV.
We go to one prednisone per day now, and I have been easing back on the tramadol with only 4mg (instead of 5mg) per dose now. I'll try to ease that down as we get near the 14 days so that we run less of a risk of withdrawal symptoms.
I'll update again in a few days or if anything changes.
Our pom is slowly but steadily improving. Now my worry is that he is acting less and less like he is injured and he will do something stupid, like go up or down stairs and re-injure himself. That is a good thing though. Just have to keep an eye on him.
-TS
Greenville, SC
Still somewhat of a mixed bag. We have good days, we have really good days and we have days where I feel like we have gone backwards. Definite improvements from a week ago, though. Will post back in a few days.
-TS
Greenville, SC
Well, it has been a few days. I'm pretty far off the subject of this discussion, but I'll stay with it since I started.
To try and stay on subject, I'll start by saying we are still on Tramadol and have upped the dosage significantly. We were at 10mg total per day (5mg x 2 times) and we are up to 25 mg total (12.5mg x 2 times).
We have taken some pretty big steps backwards. Our dog can barely walk. We have been back to the vet and had x-rays. The dog has three problem vertabra on the x-rays. Probably two of them are old injuries that healed, and one is the current problem. We aren't sure if it is a herniated/ruptured disc, or a spinal infection. Our vet (Upstate Veterinary Specialists - Dr. Dermot Jevens) seems to think the highest likelihood is the discospondylitis - or spinal infection. So we are agressively treating with Zeniquin (marbofloxacin) and hope to see results by Friday. (Today is Wed, and we started treatment on Tues)
Making matters worse (and worrying me that it still could be a disc and we aren't treating that anymore) is that our dog started having severe vomiting and diarrhea and we believe that was brought on by the prednisone.
So we have discontinued the prednisone for now and the diarrhea is almost completely gone and we aren't seeing any vomiting now but his mobility has greatly decreased at this point, and while he can still walk, he chooses not to if at all possible. We are hoping and praying that the anti-biotic starts making a difference soon.
If that doesn't work, then we have to do a CT scan and try to find the exact disc that is the problem and see if we have surgical options. I'll be back in a few days to report.
-TS
Greenville, SC
Is tramadol a good fit for bursitis? I have an almos 11 year-old greyhound, approx. 80#. He has chronic bursitis in his shoulder. It seems to give him quite a bit of pain, either limping profoundly and/or refusing to put weight on the leg while standing. He also pants a lot, especially in the evening. He is currently taking deramaxx but he still pants and my sense is that the deramaxx is relieving the pain some, but not completely. The bursitis seems to get better for a while, and about the time he seems pretty normal in his movements, starts the heavy limping and panting again. I'm wondering if adding tramadol to the deramaxx would be a good protocol for this condition. Are there any other treatments for this condition that I could pursue. What do you think about homeopathic remedies, ointments, etc.?
Hi! Does anybody know if Tramadol and DGP (Dog Gone Pain Supplement)be taken together, or Tramadol and Vetrin (buffered Aspirin for dogs)Safe taken together?? My dog is suffering with alot of left shoulder pain might be caused by bone cancer or OCD and Joint pain. She is a 92 pound Rottie. 9 years old. They had her on Previcox (New NSAID)but when given to her for awhile she would be very incoordinated, weak in back legs and pant heavy. I want to take her off this med. and try the DPG and Tramadol or Aspirin and Tramadol.
Thanks
KW.
My yorkie is 4 1/2 years old. He had neuro surgery last June for COMS/syringomyelia. This is an awful disease. He has been on pred now for over a year, I cannot wean him off due to pain. He is also on liquid neurontin 3 times a day. My local vet spoke with the neurologist a few months ago when none of the above was controlling Noahs pain. They added Tramadol. It is a 50 mg tab and I was told to give 1/4 prn for pain. Lately we have had more bad nights than good. I have had to give 1/2 tab instead of 1/4 for 2 days now. Today he had BM which had fresh blood also. I am trying not to freak as otherwise he appears okay. I jsut found this website and saw nothing about GI Bleed. So any history of such? Does Tramadol come in another dosing size that would be easier to measure. Noah use to be 4 pounds, now with all the pred he is at 9. I know this is weight is too much but I can't get him off it with the steriods. I also wonder if he may have developed Hemorrhoids due to the weight/pressure when squatting to poop? Any thoughts?
FYI the tramadol has been our saving grace many nights when he is hurting so bad, it kicks in within 20-30 minutes and he finally wll have peace.
AD --Alabama
Well, my Beagle is having the same problems TS. She has a two narrowed disc spaces and we are trying our best to treat this at home.
She is on Tramadol (3 -50 mg pills a day), Predisone (2 pills a day for 5 days and then 1 pill a day for 5 days). I do give her a 1/4 pill of Pepcid A/C with the Predisone, the neurologist seems to think it will help with any vomitting problems that could arise.
All she has done is sleep. Which is great because for the past 5 days she has been panting, shivering and whining. Now we have not been able to get her to go BM. She never lost movement and her reflexes are great so the Dr. thought the disc was just putting very light pressure on the cord itself.
I hope your pup gets better and I hope mine will to. It is so hard to see your baby in pain.
Christie Keith, you said that Tramadol can be a problem for cats, causing odd problems. Can you elaborate?
Mark - CA
First, thanks for the great info on this site.
Our 14-year old lab/shep mix (75lbs) has severe arthritis in all four joints (dysplasia in hips, arthritis and swelling in front). He's very stoic, and doesn't whimper or cry, but in the last year, he's starting having a much more pronounced limp, and atrophy in the back, crossing of legs which indicates neurological problems, etc.
At night (and often daytime too) he'd get very wrestless, panting, walking, panting, walking, looking to us for help, then panting and walking some more and he couldn't seem to calm down. (We tried Anapryl for adult cognative issues but it didn't help).
His problem, of course, was that he was in pain, and the pain made him upset and anxious because he needed help.
To treat that, the doctor prescribed Acepromazine as a sedative / anti-anxiety med and Tramadol for pain.
For all of you out there with dogs who pant and pace and pant and pace, then lie down for three seconds and get right back up to pant and pace -- talk to your vet about Acepromazine. It reeeeeally helps calm them down so they can rest and let the pain meds do what they're supposed to do.
Pain meds alone didn't do it for him, but the combination of Tramadol and Acepromazine has worked miracles.Acepromazine can be very sedating, so it takes some trial and error to find the right dosing. You want them comfortable but not comatose.
He's sort of sleepy a lot, but he is 14, so he'd sleep a lot anyway. He gets up when we come in the door, and gets excited when the doorbell rings, he'll switch rooms and lie down near my husband or I depending on his mood, and take a nap there for a while.
So he still enjoys life. He eats well, and even went to the dog park a couple of weeks ago for 15 minutes or so and had a great time smelling all the smells. This would not have been possible without the combination of these two meds.
His regimin is:
- 75mg Rimadyl 2xday;
- 75mg Tramadol 2xday
1 Lasix in morning (heart congestion which is controlled with Lasix)
- 1/2 tablet Acepromazine breakfast, one whole tablet at dinner.
- glucosamine/chondroitin 2xday
- Fish oil 1xday (to help lubricate joints, help digestion, and build antioxidants)
-Vitamin E 1xday (because fish oil can deplete Vitamin E)
*****Also, for anyone who has trouble giving pills to your dog, try sticking the pills down into a small piece of hot dog. They'll eat it right up. With all the pills my guy gets, this has been a godsend!!
Anyway, maybe this info will be helpful. I was at my wits end with the pacing and panting. he seemed desperate and I couldn't help him. Now it's very rare we have a night of pacing problems, annd as soon as we see it coming on, we give him a bit of extra meds and it calms him right back down and eases the pain so he can enjoy his night.
For us, it's all about keeping him comfortable and happy as long as he's with us, and this has made a huge difference the last year. Good luck to others!
Good luck.
Well,
I didn't realize that I hadn't updated this. Hopefully you will understand why...
I am "TS" who had the 5lb Pomeranian with back pain. Our early diagnosis was a probable slipped disk. When it didn't get better with prednisone and tramadol, we did an x-ray and the doctor suspected discospondylitis - a spinal infection.
We treated with antibiotics for 10 days and weren't seeing any improvements. We did another x-ray and that is when our world fell apart. There were very big changes in the vertebra in just 10 days.
We went back to prednisone and tramadol, with the assumption that it was probably bone cancer - relatively rare in a small dog in the vertebra. It was very aggressive and we turned up the prednisone and tramadol very high.
He tolerated this very well and we got about a month and a half before we noticed a signficant change. Another x-ray showed that the vertebra had completely collapsed and we decided it was time. He couldn't really walk on his back legs and the spinal cord was making a stair-step path through the disintegrated vertebra and the doctor told us that when it finally got pinched good as the spine collapsed, it would be terribly painful. We didn't want to get to that point, so we called it quits and had to let our little guy go.
It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced in my life. That was on July 20th and today is Sept 25th and I have tears in my eyes as I type this here.
My wife and I held him in our arms as they did the injections, the first to put him to sleep, and the second to stop his heart. I would say to those who can't stay in the room, don't worry - it is peaceful. They don't feel a thing.
It is you that is left to hurt - but at least they aren't hurting any more.
We made it four days with my wife crying to sleep every night, dreading waking up to an empty house after I had gone to work.
We now have a 4 month old Pomeranian who is exactly like our previous dog in one way - he LOVES PEOPLE. But other than that, he is different in about every other way - which is good.
We didn't replace our little buddy, but we had to fill that hole in our hearts with a new little friend.
-TS
Greenville, SC
This page has been so helpful...thanks to everyone whom shares their stories.
I have a 12 year old boxer lab that suddenly couldn't lay down or walk very well. After I took him to the emergency vet, they put him on 2 pills of 50 mg of tramadol and predisone...which so far seems to have helped. He does however whince and pants at night. My vet said it was a side effect of Tramadol...but, I have seen a few entries where people have been told it is a sign of pain...Just was curious which is correct.
Our vet still has not told us what is causing his pain possibly cancer on the spine or a ruptured disc...was curious what the different outcomes could be for either.
Any help is appreciated.
HS, Colorado
"At 7:47 PM, Nancy Campbell RVT said...
50mg is mid range. What it sounds like to me is that the pain is not being controlled as well. Panting, whining and even the pacing is usually a sign of pain and discomfort. I would consult your veterinarian.
Tramadol can be discontinued without tapering." II don’t know about its use with in dogs, but in humans it has withdrawals similar to, or worse than that of long term percocet use. I am a chronic pain suffer and I had to go thru the ultram hell. The physical symptoms of withdrawal from most narcotics last a few days. With ultram, a synthetic opiate, withdrawals can last up to a month.
I am writing to ask for help on my almost 15 year old siberian husky, who has been pretty healthy until the last few months. She was attacked by another dog at the kennel, had her ear bitten up and has had multiple infections and fluid in it since, losing hearing and eye sight on the right side of face. She has had renal insufficiency since 2003, but done well with use of glucosamine and chondrotin for arthritis. She has had to be on NSAIDS (Rimadyl, then Deramaxx and Tramadol periodically) for pain and swelling related to this attack. About one month ago, after becoming dehydrated for refusing to eat because the kennel (first time staying at the owner's home since the attack), forgot to give her her Deramaxx making it painful to eat, her weight dropped, Hematocrit dropped from 40 to 35, and her kidney enzymes skyrocketed, with a BUN of 123, Creatinine of 5.23 and Phosphorus of over 7. Also, learned her thyroid had shot up to T-4=6.5; she had been diagnosed Hypothyroid in September after she developed a pacing/panting episode pattern during the night. She had improved on this with discontinuing Tramadol, moving from Rimadyl to Deramaxx and starting .8 of L-thyroxine, and I had been giving her two capsules each day of Calcium Lactate (a phosphurus binder). After her numbers were so high, she was prescribed Epakitin ( a prescription phosphorus binder) and her numbers all significantly dropped, bringing her BUN down to 69. Unfortunately, she fell on Thanksgiving weekend and hurt her tailbone, ending up the local emergency vets on fluids and drugged up with hydromorphine, causing her to fall over and over again hitting her tailbone. I got her out of there and drove to a veterinary medical school a few hours away. She was found to have a UTI and about 25% kidney function and no broken bones. She's on doxycycline for the UTI and also started on Enalapril for hi BP she developed after her fall. No One can check with an MRI for slipped disc because she can't tolerate general anesthesia because of the kidney failure. Her numbers were all high again. My vet and the med school are coordinating care for her since then. Her numbers came down last week after being back on Epakitin, being off all NSAIDS and off her L-thyroxine (she's back to Hypothyroid again). She's started pacing again and the vet recommmended Tramadol, and I finally convinced her to restart .4 L-thyroxine, but just read the comment by Anonymous 4:42 am, aboout Acepromazine (does this affect the kidneys?). My dog's kidney numbers went back up last week, which may be related to use of Tramadol again 50 mg b.i.d., eating human tuna fish without the Epakitin added, as my dog stopped eating her prescription food with all the meds added. Just found something she'll eat with the Epakitin in it, called Spot's Stew, low protein, natural canned food from the pet store, with some regular chicken pieces added to entice her. The pacing and panting continue and after reading this site, I'm going to try and give her the Tramadol in four 25 mg doses. Also, I'll call the vet on Monday to see what she thinks about the Acepromazine. The description of this dog that benefited sounds just like my Nikita, who will almost get laid down, and then pop back up to pace over and over again, during the night. We've had over a week of sleepless nights, so I'm desperate to here back thoughts of folks on this website.
I can tell by reading you're all dog-lover's and educate yourself as much as you can on your pets. What I've learned is that it is not the protein in food causing problems with kidney function, but the phosphorus that clogs them up, so a good phosphorus binder is important to use to help your dog's kidneys. I started with the Calcium Lactate OTC Capsules, and now the Epakitin seems to help, but unsure how these other variables are affecting the enzyme tests. I will keep you and your pets in my prayers and ask you do the same for Nikita and me. I look forward to any ideas, feedback. Thanks. Sleepless in Bellevue!
My 11 year old (70#)greyhound came up with a limp after having a lean back chair hit her right front paw. She started to limp immediately and has not stopped. I took her to the vet,who seems to think it had nothing to do with the accident. He took x-rays and thinks she has osteosarcoma (bone cancer) I took her her to a cancer specialist who isn't sure of the cause either. She prescribed 50 mg of Tramadol every 12 hours and 1.5 mg of Medacam once a day. The limp is still not any better at all. I increased the Tramadol to 75 mg 2 x/day but she still limps the same. Can I increase either of these medications or are there other medications I can try. Thanks for all your wonderful advice on this blog.
I have a 3yr old llaspo apso mixed with a shitatsu who is vomiting and have loose stool, is there anything I can give her until I take her to vet on tuesday
DO NOT WAIT UNTIL TUESDAY. When a dog is vomiting and has diarrhea you NEVER want to wait to see a vet. Get your dog to an emergency vet ASAP, the risk of dehydration is VERY HIGH and life threatening. Whatever is causing the vomiting and diarrhea could also be life threatening.
GO!
Now!
Greyhound owner.
Osteosarcoma is extremely painful. Consult your vet before increasing the dosage of either medication.
Best of luck to you.
My 2 year old chocolate lab was diagnosed with osteosarcoma yesterday. She has presented with a limp since mid-october but xrays have showed nothing until yesterday when finally they found evidence in her rear leg. Despite not weight bearing on that leg she has not whined, had trouble moving around etc. and has been very happy and well adjusted. After yesterdays xrays when she was coming out of sedation she was whimpering and it didn't taper off so the doctor prescribed 50mg of tramadol three times a day. She is about 70 lbs. When I came home from work today she managed to limp down the stairs to greet me. I gave her the afternoon dosage and shortly afterwards she began whining, really whining. She has not moved, will not elmininate (#1 or #2) even when I carry her outside. She is unable to do even the three stairs at all. She was FINE when I brought her in yesterday in all of these regards and although I know bone cancer is extremely painful I am having trouble believing that overnight she went from painfree (unless joint was palpated) to unable to walk at all and miserable). I am more concerned that she might be experiencing side effects of the tramadol. She is also disoriented and when she has tried to move has walked into doors etc. Should I decrease the dosage or discontinue? I don't want her to be in pain but what if the tramadol is making it worse instead of better???????
The whining is DEFINITELY a known side effect of Tramadol in dogs, as is constipation. The dose might be too high for her. I like to use multiple drugs, at lower doses, to get the most pain relief with the fewest side effects.
The best pain control for osteo, though, is amputation.
My 5 year old lab/German Shepard mix died last night. I probably will never know why, but she was on Tramadol. She had a slipped disk at the base of her neck and Tramadol and Rimadryl were prescribed. That didn't work, so x-rays were taken and they then prescribed prednisone only. She was fine for a few days and then started walking funny. I called the vet and was told to put her back on the Tramadol. Within an hour, she started losing the use of her legs. She laid on her side (we kept rotating her) for two days and then she just passed. I guess I'll never know, but I somehow believe that the Tramadol didn't help her situation.
This summer we adopted a senior (the vet estimates about 14-years old) dog who was found wandering the woods in rural Virginia. When we adopted "Annabelle" in June she was, basically, a mess. She'd had heartworm and lyme disease and was very thin (she weighed 35 pounds at the time -- she now weighs 47 pounds and is still thinner than I'd like...) She also had arthritis and some sort of spine problem - she could barely walk. Since adopting her in June, we've learned of other medical problems -kidney disease, high blood pressure and glaucoma. Anyway, the GOOD news is, that our vet and a team of specialists have found what appears to be the perfect balance of drugs and diet and she's doing absolutely great!! She takes Tramadol for the pain and that's made a huge difference in her ability to get around. She almost runs sometimes! They'd initially had her on Rimadyl but when we discovered her kidney problems, had to discontinue that. And the Rimadyl didn't really seem to help her much anyway - not like what we're seeing with the Tramadol. She's been on Tramadol for over 6 months now and hasn't had any problems or side effects with it. We're thrilled.
I have a 4 YO Irish Setter who was on Previcox for 6 months that caused a perferation in his digestive track that almost killed him. ONly the skills hands of a outstanding surgeon saved him. The surgeon placed him on Tremadol, 3 tabs twice daily. Now another vet says thats too much and that he should not be put on Tremadol for the long term. Ruben has spondylosis that is symptomatic. Can Tremadol be used long term? If not what else would you recommend? Thanks
How much does your Irish Setter weigh?
I've not heard any reason why a dog wouldn't be able to remain on Tramadol, if it is helping with pain.
Hi. A month ago I found out my 6 year old cat is experiencing kidney failure. She has her good days and bad days but it seems to be going down hill super fast. She was prescribed anti nausea medicine and reflux medicine along with her now daily dosage of fluids but she still seems to have a sore throat. She has totally lost her voice and swallows constantly. I asked my vet if there was a pain medicine I could give her and she gave me tramadol. I am to give her 1/8 of a 50mg pill but after reading of so many issues others are having I am wondering if it's really the right thing. It would break my heart to pieces if she spent her last days with me doped up and sick.
Great blog. i just found it and am most grateful for the information on pain relief for my dog, 9 y.o. Aussie/Eskie mix (does that make her bi-polar?). She's limping around from arthritis and since I am a chronic pain patient, I was researching the use of Ultram for her.
I also appreciated the "setting straight" of the information on what is an addiction. Of course I can't just stop taking oxycodone, ultram, effexor, restoril at once without some physiological effects ... so they are not just "psychologically addictive."
I reduce my use gradually on occassion to see where my pain levels are "au naturale" ... but requiring good pain management for my chronic pain syndrome is not psychological, does not make me an addict, and does greatly improve my quality of life.
With CRPS, pain eventually becomes the disease, and the cost of pain which include: decreased immunity, fatigue, depression, osteoporosis from lack of mobility, and many other things. Pain in America is severely under treated because of shallow minds and lack of empathy, as well as the drug dealers.
Now, I'm off to start my dog on 25mg of Ultram. I'll be back for a report in a couple of weeks. Thanks for your reference information!!!
I have a question about Tramodol--and Deramaxx, too, I guess. My vet had prescribed Deramaxx for our 10-year-old Golden Retriever's arthritis and I had been giving him the maximum dose since last summer. A few weeks ago I took him in to the vet. They did some blood tests and discovered elevated creatinin, indicating decreased kidney function. We did two more blood tests after that, finding that his creatinin was indeed elevated. The vet took him off the Deramaxx and put him on Tramadol. I am concerned because some websites say that Tramadol is not good if a dog has compromised kidney function. I am noticing also that he is now drinking more water--is this a good sign or a bad sign? Is the decreased kidney function from the use of Deramaxx permanent? Thanks so much for your help.
My dog was prescribed Tramdol after surgery they said as needed for pain for 3-5 days. She did not seem to be that bad off,but then I read on-line better to give it before pain is severe, so I just gave it. Then my friend over says she is in pain, but he is an ass, and I do not think she was and I gave it again anyhow. She whines so so so bad and falls to sleep immediately, I gave her two doses today and I will not give it to her again. She hates it -- like she looks at me like Mama you drugged me again. I can tell she hates it -- the speciality hospital she was at, which is said to be the best in NY(LIVS) probably gave too hish a dose (.10 ml q 8h prn. But they did not put shake well or refrigerate on bottle, they also do not communicate at all with you, and she was in to be spayed and they decided to operate on her bladder b/c they found a "pocket". I did not authorize this procedure nor would I have -- she was not having any symptoms. Icannot get an answer to what was wrong, one Dr. says cystitis, the other says a pocket, the other says a birth defect - a hole. I ask specifically to Dr. Inferno: "are there any side effects/problems/symptoms I can expect and he says NO, I call twice later that day , finally get a call back, ask him about her posturing every twenty seconds, and no urine coming out, and he says that is normal, to be expected. I asked, why when I specifically asked earlier you did not say this, he just repeated it is normal, but she was not doing it at their hospital. I asked if they took her out of her crate to evaluate her at all, b/c she would most likely not do this on herself in a crate. No, they had not. She went from a perfectly healthy dog to a poor uncomfortable distressed little thing, and they claim they did the right thing. I feel like calling up "Dr." Infernaro and telling him, "Rosie is doing backflips and whistling Dixie", and he would, pre programmed, indicate that this is normal. I feel violated, raped, like I had and have no control over the life and health of my dog, they took away her quality of life and no one gives a shit. She is just 5.5 months old. I am getting myself so worked up already. And I just have to sit here and take it, there is no justice but vigilante justice. My puppy is my child, my baby, and these animals destroyed her. Tell me how you do surgery without authorization? How?
There's so much that is run together I'm having trouble reading what the problem is, other than the last line
"Tell me how you do surgery without authorization? How?"
Illegally. Log a complaint with the state. They have no right to perform surgery without consent.
My 12 yr old Jack Russell was just diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was fine until about 3 weeks ago when he started falling, getting stuck in corners...etc. He is taking Prednisone once per day now. And was just precribed tramadol to help him sleep at night. Is it safe to take the 2 together ? if so, can I use the Tramadol for pain relief during the day too ?
Thanks,
Arden
Last week my dog could not get up so I called my vet. She said to give the dog Tramadol HCI 50 mg which I did. But I also gave the dog a previcox tablet for arthritis. Well, by that evening she begged to go out and I let her without supervision and she got into the neighbor's garabage! The next day she had diarrhea so I cut off the medicine. Our vet was also trying to determine if Lucy had Cushing Disease. The next day my dog died and I don't know if I mixed the wrong medicines, the dog got into the wrong garbage or the Cushing Disease did her in. She's had symptoms of the disease for over a year. I think she died of a heart attach because her chest heaved several times. What do you think she died of?
Hi, my 8yr old golden was just diagnosed with "soft tissue" sarcoma in her front right elbow.We are devestated,we are waiting on some more precise diagnosis but we have been told they feel it is a very aggressive type sarcoma. Bottom line amputation would probably only be a temporary fix and we will lose her anyway. We are just not ready to put her down, but we love her so much we don't want her to be in pain. Do you think Tramadol .50mg every 4-6hrs, combined with Rimadyl twice a day is enough for her pain. I just cant handle the thought of her suffering. Wish there was a pill for broken hearts. My 3yr. old twins keep telling me they "dont want her to go to heaven." Heartbreaking. Thanks for any advice. Suz
Kathy, I'm so sorry for your loss. I really don't know what your dog died of only a necropsy would possibly be able to reveal the cause. I'm so terribly sorry you lost your friend.
Suz, the best relief for your friend is likely to be amuputation. The dose you mentioned for Tramadol is 1/10 of a pill so I'm am assuming you meant 50mg and with the Rimadyl which helps with any inflammation *some* relief may be afforded, but not what amputation is more apt to give.
My heart goes out to you and your family. May you find peace and love in the days to come.
I got a weeks worth of Rimadyl because my vet is convinced the trembling is because of pain, and the trembling/shaking seemed to decrease somewhat, though she still had the shaking sometimes. When discussing the high cost of Rimadyl, my vet said I could try Tramadol instead, as it is cheaper. So right now she is on her last (7th) day of Rimadyl, and starts Tramadol tomorrow. With Rimadyl, she takes 75mg twice a day. Tramdol is prescribed at 50mg from 1-4 times a day PRN. My dog weighs approx 70 pounds.
Our geriatric dobe X had her first dose of tramadol last night at bedtime. A couple of hours later I noticed her awake and panting--something that has never happened before--I'm sure as a result of the tramadol. I also noticed the panting after her dose this morning. I see panting listed as a side effect on another website. On the other hand, her pain seems to be somewhat diminished. Is there any reason to discontinue the meds because of this?
Hi,
My 12 year old Sibe was diagnosed with hip dysplasia when he was 2, and up until this past year, we have been able to keep his pain well managed with nutraceuticals (Glucosamine and chondroiton), vitamins and supplements (Vit C, Vit E, Fish Oil), acupuncture (works wonders!), acupressure, and massage. His age is finally catching up with him and early this year we put him on Rimadyl intermittently to control his increased pain. He started urinating frequently and having accidents in the house, so we tested him for UTI and kidney fxn. Both were fine, but we found elevated liver enzymes, so immediately pulled him off of the Rimadyl.
Our vet prescribed Zentonil to try to help with the liver (this is working well), and Zubrin for the pain. One capsule of Zubrin was given and he immediately vomited it up - no tolerance. We then tried Metacam. He tolerated it for the first 10 days, then started vomiting again - no tolerance, and it didn't really seem to be helping anyway.
Our vet has now prescribed Tramadol (1/2 50mg tablet b.i.d - he is 51 lbs.) and within the first 24 hours we saw an immediate change in his attitude. He is no longer the "grumpy old man" he has been the past few months. He actually wants to trot when we walk to the park, and he is asking to play catch with his ball again. We are wishing we would have been told about this drug months ago. He has been on it less than a week, but in this time we have not seen anything to indicate any adverse reactions.
I just thought it would be nice to share some good feedback on this drug. This is a very helpful site and I appreciate everyones' input.
I did notice that somebody had asked about interaction with DGP (Dog Gone Pain), but saw no response. Could somebody please address this, as we have been using that intermittently since last year?
Thank you!
DG in Colorado
I have learned so much from this thread (thank you VTs for having it).
My 75 lb shepherd/hound mix has been on Deramaxx for hip dysplasia for 15 months. He took a turn for the worse last week and I thought he was a goner.
The vet suggested we try adding Tramadol. Wow. He took 75mg, took a looonnnnggg nap, and then he could walk and he ate a BIG meal! What a transformation!
But, he has had diarrhea (no blood) since then and eats grass to vomit. Quite a few hours after eating, there is a lot of food that is undigested.
I added pepcid a/c, thinking it was the deramaxx that had messed up his stomach. No change. Barely eating.
Then I baked a chicken -- which he loves! So he is eating.
I took him off the Tramadol for one day, and the severe pain immediately returned. I gave him 50 mg of Tramadol last evening.. and within 15 minutes, he vomited.
So, I have isolated that the Tramadol is making him vomit.
Is there an alternative to Tram???
Disclaimer: I am really POOR! Trying to find piece work and/or a FT job. Have some items on ebay, praying for sales. $175 to my name till ???? So, yes, I need to go to the vet for a checkup, tests, everything. But I can't.
I will call the vet today to ask if there's an alternative to Tramadol.
Basically, the money I am holding, is reserve to put my dog to sleep! But what a conundrum. Spend the money on tests, etc.... to find that he has to be put to sleep but then have no money for that?!! Ugh.
I should mention that during this week's trial with Tramadol, that the diarrhea started hours after the 2nd 75 mg dose.
Stool formation started getting better when I went to just 50 mg of Tramadol per day.
And the vomiting ... well, he seemed to be doing better (since he ate more willingly with the baked chicken yesterday) but I opted to give him another 50 mg of Tramadol last night -- on an empty stomach. And then...woomph....vomited.
Essentially: I feel like the tramadol has caused him to vomit and have diarrhea....
techs, please read my blog post called alternative to pain- i need your advice but not quite sure how to use this site!! thanks!
You'll need to ask your vet. There are so many alternatives for pain control that I think it is best left up to your vet to decide what would be best for your pet.
Sorry, I couldn't be of more help.
I myself am a vet tech, but am looking for more opinions on helping my 14yr old, 93lb. mixed breed dog. She has had arthritis issues for about 7yrs now. One repaired acl, one not(just crate rest for 2wks for partial tear). She has been on several NSAID's and adequan injections for about 4yrs. Lately she has progressed further, and upon x-ray we found severe lubosacral stenosis, and arthritis in both hips, hocks and stifles. She is "knuckling" and losing control of her bowels. I tried tramadol to no effect- 50mg bid because she has elevated liver enzymes and is in a fragile state(also living w/an incompletely excised MCT for one yr. with no recurrence:). She was on previcox for over a year and i just recently switched to metacam b/c previcox seemed to be losing it's effectiveness. I tried prednisone- at a very very low dose (5mg bid) and she did great but absolutely cannot tolerate the drug. Severe aggitation, urinated on herself twice and ravenously hungry) I do know these are symptoms as I am a tech but they were severe with my dog. Unfortunately it worked the best. I even tried a natural hydrocortisone- same symptoms to a slightly lesser degree. I am desperate to give her relief- she is still very much alive in spirit. Have you any experience with amantadine or neurontin? Anything at all I could use in place of pred??? thanks so much!
Cody, I'm sorry you've been doing through this!
The NSAIDs you are using are, as you know, very hard on your dog's liver, and for that same reason you can't use pred. You say 50 mg Tramadol BID had no effect, and I'm not surprised; that's a pretty useless dose for a dog that size.
If you look at the dosage information at vasg.org, you can see that the dosage range is 1 to 5 mg/kg (0.5 to 2.5 mg/lb) BID to QID, which is up to more than double what you're giving. I have found that giving this drug four times a day (same daily dose divided into four doses) is usually more effective than the daily dose given BID. And three times a day is also better than BID, and sometimes easier to remember.
Also, many vets routinely prescribe dosages of Tramadol quite a bit higher than you are giving your dog without any problems. I don't feel you've really given Tramadol a fair trial.
I do, however, like multimodal pain relief, and think amantadine and gabapentin (neurontin) are two drugs worth exploring. There is an excellent article here:
http://www.vasg.org/chronic_pain_management.htm
I think it will help you a lot. You can give all three... tramadol, gabapentin, and amantadine... together, btw. Combined with acupuncture if you can get it, I think you'll find you can do a lot better than you've been doing for the pain, without as much of a worry about the liver and GI damage.
Please let us know what you end up doing and how it goes!
christie, thanks so much for the response! one of my closest friends, and one of my dog's vets, just completed her year long course study in veterinary accupuncture so we have done some of that as well. as for the amantadine and the neurontin- no one at my hospital has any knowledge of them. these are things that i have found in my own research so thats why i wanted another opinion! thank you so much, i will keep you posted!
My 8-year-old Rottweiler started taking Tramadol one and a half weeks ago. He started on Deramaxx one week ago. He has developed a cough that I am very concerned about. He does have a heart murmur, but the vet said that blood work showed no reason to think that he would have a problem with these medications. Has anyone had this experience?
Thanks. I have a 39 pound 13 year old mixed breed border collie. She has had liver disease with elevated liver functions though a biopsy showed significant inflamagtion without fibrosis - without cirrhosis. She has been on prednisone and Imuran for the hepatitis. She has used tramadol, 15 mg evey 8 hrs approximately for control of what may be painful partial tear of anterior cruciate ligament in hind leg and tendinous extension or relaxation because of the prednisone. She's been very lethargic and recent reduction in appetite (which I understand can be side effect of Imuran). Does this dose of tramadole generally contribute to sedation and lethargy?
Thanks Gene Du Boff
Yes, one of the side effects can be sedation. Interestingly your pet is on a dose that is even lower than the recommended lowest dose. There may be something else going on or it could be the combination of drugs causing the increase of sedation. I'd check with your vet if I were you.
BTW, comment moderation is on, which means no post goes through until I approve it. I received notice of all four of your posts, but only approved this one. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I get a ton of spam posts if I don't moderate.
Hi, I noticed someone commented on their dog panting when they gave them Tramadol. My dog a 9 year old Great Pyrenees has Fibrosarcoma and my Vet has him on this. He also pants quite a bit and the meds seem to keep him up with the panting. I was wondering if I could give him Benedryl to help him sleep. Thanks!!
We have a 4 mo. old Rat Terrier whose back legs twitch a lot and when she stands she bounces as if she cannot hold hewrself up erect on her hind legs. One vet thinks distemper, however no other signs, a second vet seems to thin k possible spinal injury, x rays do not prove or disprove. The vet who feels it is distemper prescribed Tramadol today 1/4 of 50mg 2xday, she weighs 7lbs. At times cries when trying to relax and go to sleep, it breaks your heart, any suggestions/solutions.
Thanks
I am very relieved to read this thread, also. My American bulldog had patellar lux surgeries at 18 months of age and recuperated very well. However, at the age of 7 years, he's showing a bit of arthritis in his hips. I have kept him slim all these years and we walk him, and we give him double doses of Free and Easy, which is a wonderful supplement.
We also have stair on order for him to get onto our bed now. He should not be jumping off anything at his age (fused cervicals - wrist injuries). I am looking at a way to get Meloxicam (Metacam) without a prescription, and this is the best news ever!
I've found many places to get the tramadol (without the acetamenophin) online, and life will be so much better here.
Incidentally, we just got a puppy, and I think our dog is also a bit depressed. Dogs are just like kids, jealous....
My comment is that when Gator's time comes to go, there will be no way that I can put him through more pain that is necessary. Some of the people in this thread seem mislead as to what they're doing to their dogs. If anyone knows the pain of loss, I do. I've lost many beloved pets over the years. We rescue everything.
And when we lose Gator, it will be the worse loss ever. This dog is my best friend, my shadow, my road trip partner, the first face I see in the morning and the last one I see at night. I've slept with him every night since he came to us, with the exception of crate training.
And to think of keeping him around in pain longer than he should be here because I can't let him go would be the worst kind of karma. Selfish karma.
I think some of you dog owners need to really consider why you're keeping your dogs around. It's hard to let go, but when a dog has so many problems - the rollercoaster they encounter going to the vets, recouperating, getting injured again - keeping them alive may be cruel.
I just had to say that. We live next to an idiot who won't put her rottie down, and I've become very sensitive to these dogs. Her life is hell. Her shoulder vertebrae are fused because her dyspasia is so bad. She whimpers, cries, shakes, and pants. Her life is not good.
Maybe, when you dog gets to this point where it's on so many meds and is over ten, you should be thankful for the wonderful decade you've had and allow the pet its final dignity - to go peaceful and not after a drawn-out, torturous, elderly life stage.
I would strongly recommend you seek out a specialist and get a diagnosis, until then you're just spittin' into the wind.
My 5 year old basset hound hurt his back somehow a few days ago so we took him to the vets. He was walking fine although painful getting up. He was given dilaudid immediately at the ER which made him very incoordinated in his hind legs. SHe commented that he was a real light weight with the drugs.We left with metacam, tramadol and robaxin. All of these have a side effect of incoordination. It has not got any better and it going on 4 days now. His pain is better but the clumsiness persists. I called the vet and i reduced the doses. To check whether it is the meds or neuroloigical damage I stopped all meds yesterday.(Side note, still has reflexes, sensation and strength, bowel & bladder function). When should I expect to see the drug effects wear off. His last dose yesterday was 50mg of Tramadol 5pm, Robaxin 250mg 7am, and metacam 7am.
To anonymous with the basset..
I would expect all drug effects to be gone by now.
Sorry, not sure when the last comment was made on this, but i'll try nonetheless.
i have a 13 year old lab mix who has pretty bad arthritis and has been on thyroid medication and tramadol since April. she's like a brand new dog!
however, i'm having slight issues with the vet and prescribing her more of the tramadol.
they have said that i need to bring her in every 6 months for a re-evaluation of her thyroid medication, and have tacked on to that now a blood panel because of the tramadol.
is this normal? or is my vet being either 1) overly cautious or 2) making me do blood tests that are unnecessary?
I asked about why Tramadol would require constant blood tests(especially since this was a different vet in the office and the first one expressly said that Tramadol was a great pain medication because it didn't harm the GI tract)and was told that it too was an NSAD that could have liver problems.
is this true?
any help would be wonderful!
It isn't an NSAID and can be combined with NSAIDs.
From Veterinary Anesthesia & Analgesia Support Group
(http://www.vasg.org/)regarding Tramadol:
"An analgesic medication with a dual mode of action
(1) Mu opioid receptor agonist
(2) Monoamine reuptake inhibitor"
However, I think you're vet is doing the right thing to check the liver on occasion.
From same site:
d) Cautionary Information
i) May decrease seizure threshold
ii) Do not combine with TCAs, SSRIs, or MAO inhibitors due to the risk of serotonin syndrome
iii) Metabolism is principally via hepatic biotransformation, with a small amount excreted unchanged by the kidneys. Reduce dose or discontinue if significant hepatic or renal dysfunction exists
iv) Side effects, though rare, may include GI upset and sedation
BTW, sometimes it can take me a day or even two before I have the time to respond *thoughtfully* to a post. I sometimes work wonky and long hours. Some posts come through while I work nights and I'm not likely to respond until the the next evening after a day shift.
I have to sleep some time.
:)
thank you so much! please excuse my "rush" on the response. I actually just wasn't sure if you were still addressing such old posts! :)
thank you so much for the info. now i don't feel the "oh my god they're ripping me off" reaction so much.
thank you again! your blog is fantastic!
tobias
No problem! I try to respond to any question I can answer no matter how old the post is. I just didn't want you to think I was ignoring you. :-)
HI I just wanted to validate the fact that tramadol can create physical dependence. I have been taking it regularly for several years now because of fibromyalgia. I had a doctor cut it back by 2/3 and it wasn't pleasant. Please take the dependence caution very seriously of your dog is taking it on a regular basis. Also watch for constipation as it is also a legitimate side affect.
I just went to my vet for medication for my dog that has hip displaysia. Imaging my suprise when I got Tramadol. Hope it helps her like it helped me. I ran across this blog while looking for information on it's use in dogs. Good luck everyone with your dogs and be sure to take the precautions seriously. I will.
my 5 month old yellow lab puppy has hod he was taking deramaxx 25mg 1 time a day and that was not working so now he is on tramadol 1/4 of a 50mg tab 2x a day and still does not seem to be doing much better. Can I give both of these together at these doses? he is 32lbs.
I know several vets that do give both drugs together. However, I don't know whether the dosages are adjusted. Please contact your veterinarian regarding the proper dosages for your pet.
I am wondering if any vets are prescribing tramadol in the long acting mode?
I take it every twelve hours for a fractured spine with multiple disc herniations and it works wonders.
I have a very, very old dog..so old i can only guess his age..we have had him 10 years and the previous owner said he was five, six or seven maybe.. He is a big kentucky hound dog of indeterminate breeding and he has begun to decline with terrible hip degeneration.
I would like to stop giving him tramadol in bolus doses and move to long acting for better, smoother pain control.
Do dogs tolerate long acting?
My vet is wonderful but really, really old school..Remicade(sp?) is a new drug for him if you get my meaning.
hi, this is off topic but my 7 month old dog was neuterd and had one hind dew removed the vet put in 2 staples and bandaged it, the paw has swelled right up and so did above the bandage i removed the bandage but what can i do for his paw to regain circulation.
Circulation should have returned once the bandages were removed. If not, you need to call your vet, STAT.
We have used Tramadol for the past year or so in our clinic. We have had only great success w/ the drug. As previously mentioned, it is a wonderful option for patients that are unable to take NSAID's, or in a patient in which NSAID's are contraindicated.
Tramadol is addictive, especially over time. The tramadol "buzz" or "high" actually comes on so gradually and so long after the dose that most people and pets do nto feel a typical narcotic drugged effect. Therefore, it is not as widely abused like the mainstream narcotics. -- However, when stopping tramadol or reducing the dose, the symptoms will be just like morphinne withdrawal (You get very sick and achy). Therefore, it needs to be discontinued very slowly just like morphine.
I have a 17 yr old Corgie mix. She had blood work done 6 months ago and all was fine. She is on 1/4 tab of Previcox (227 mg 60's) and just recently 1/4 tab 2-3 times per day of Tramadol 50 mg tab. She has been panting a lot and drinking a lot more. Could this be side effects of the drugs? She has been on Previcox for 5 months and just started the Tramadol. Thank you very much...Sonia
The panting could be pain related and isn't getting enough relief.
Drinking a lot of water though is something you need to be calling your vet about immediately.
Thank you Dr. Campbell for your reply. I wanted to say that she is really not drinking a lot, she just goes to the water bowl more often, but when she drinks, it only lasts for about 3-4 seconds. I was reading about long term side effects of Previcox and it said anorexia and change in drinking, both of which she has. I have taken her off Previcox and will take her to the vet for blood work. Her personality has not changed at all (she was at the vet on Monday and I told him all of this. He seemed to think it was all related to pain, therefore the Tramadol was given. He said if she didn't improve within a few days he would do blood work, but said since blood work was done 5 months ago and that her personality hasn't changed, he was sticking to his pain theory). Still perky and happy. Is there a set amount of Tranadol I should be giving her? She weighs 20.5 lbs and is taking 12.5 mg every 6-8 hours. Thank you again...Sonia
Glad to hear you're taking her to your vet, that really is the best thing to do. If he doesn't believe that the water drinking is significant is one thing but one should always error on the side of caution. Blood work can change significantly in 5 months so it never hurts to check it out. Better to know that it's all okay than to not know that something is very wrong.
BTW, I'm not a doctor, I'm a vet tech. :-)
Haha, should have known you were not a vet,you are way to knowledgeable (hehe)!!! She will be at the vet tomorrow for blood work. Thank you for everything! I love this site!!!
Does it take a few days for the Tramadol to get into the dogs system before you start to notice a change?
It's me again...got the blood test back on my 17 yr old Corgie. Thyroid low and liver and kidney SLIGHTLY high. Overall it was a good report. My question is...can you give Tramadol with Milk Thistle?
My 8 yr. old rott/shepherd mix dog was sadly diagnosed with Lymphoma over a year ago. After putting him through Chemo he went into remission for 4 months then the cancer came back twice as aggressive. Pleading with my Vet to help me in anyway he wanted to try to see if Tramadol would help him live for a few more days not in so much pain. The drug did miracles. The lumps in his neck shrunk in a major way his breathing was back to normal and he was happy as ever. This lasting for over a month now just a few days ago i noticed his neck got very inflammed again and his labored breathing is back. Just looking at him i can tell he does not feel good. He is on 50mg of tremadol twice a day. Should i up his dosage or is the tramadol no longer helping him? Any suggestions would be a big help.
Wow, what a great resource this blog is.
We have been on a merry-go-round, it feels like, for the past 6 months with our 6-year-old yellow lab mix, Oliver. He began limping and having trouble getting up from a lying position in September 07, so we took him in for x-rays and arthritis was apparent in both hips. Our vet put him on Rimadyl and Cosequin (glucosamine/chondrointin), which was immediately a miracle. After several weeks of limping and apparent discomfort, the limp vanished and he ran, jumped and played just like before.
On December 17, he was running in the park, leapt off of a step, and when he landed let out a scream that can only mean an ACL tear. (Our female had her ACL repaired 5 years ago when she was only 1, so I'd done this dance before.) I immediately took him to the vet for an x-ray. The tear was visible, and his knee showed the "drawer effect." I scheduled him for surgery at a place up in Wisconsin (prices in Chicago are insulting) and had him in for surgery the next day.
Because I had driven several hours to get him there and stayed in town all day, the vet let me take him home (back to Chicago) that afternoon. The ride home was awful and he whined a lot. Once we got home, he was extremely uncomfortable and none of us (Oliver, me or my husband) slept that night. He cried and shook and had to be moved every time he wanted to get into a new position. The first few days were like that--pretty miserable. But each day got better and within maybe 5 days he actually started leaning on the operated knee (left) to pee. He quickly improved and his trot returned. He was still on Rimadyl and Cosequin at this point.
Then, 6 weeks or so after surgery, he started limping again on the right side, like he did back in September when we first discovered the hip arthritis. My thinking was that he'd overused the right leg to compensate for the left and had exacerbated the hip. He also started losing function in both back legs on occasion, and would seem to fall butt-down for no reason. We took him back to our local vet (not the surgeon who repaired his ACL in Wisconsin) and the exam seemed to indicate pain in his hip. She suggested just seeing how he did going forward, but I knew that paresis and ataxia were rare side effects of Rimadyl, so I insisted on a different NSAID. (I don't have any medical proof that the Rimadyl caused these symptoms, but the symptoms have dissipated since he went off Rimadyl.) We put him on Metacam and Pepcid. The effect was slow, but the Metacam did alleviate the limp a bit.
For 3 or so weeks, he seemed like he was getting back to normal, but then he crashed once more. He started having a terrible time getting up from a lying position again, and the right-side limp became more and more pronounced. I took him in for another set of x-rays, which showed no change in the hips. Our vet suggested we consult a specialist at the Veterinary Speciality Center in Buffalo Grove, IL.
We took him to Dr. Bernard Paré, along with the x-rays we'd had done a few days before, thinking he would suggest a hip replacement, which terrified us. But he took one look at the x-rays and said that the CCL and meniscus in his right knee were severely torn, and there was a lot of fluid built up in the joint. He suggested a TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy) and said that traditional ACL repair on any dog over 40 pounds is ill-advised, leaving me kicking myself for not doing the TPLO on the left knee in December. Dr. Paré has been doing these surgeries for 19 years, so we trusted him and scheduled Oliver for the TPLO the next day. (It should also be noted that Dr. Paré performed a thorough exam, which showed extreme pain in the right knee, but none in his hips. He also said that his hips didn't look too bad and that he shouldn't need a hip replacement for at least 5 or 6 years.)
That was this past Thursday, April 10, and Oliver is obviously still recovering. I have to say that this recovery has been far better than after his traditional ACL repair in December. Maybe it's just because they gave me hydromorphone for the first few days, but for being only 6 days post-op, he is a pretty happy camper and has been since we brought him home. We didn't have any sleepness nights of whining or anything like that; he has seemed comfortable since we brought him home. I have to assume it's thanks to the hydromorphone. Plus, the joint seems extremely stable and Oliver appears to almost know that it's been fixed. He trusts it more and actually limps less only 6 days post-op than he did before the surgery.
So, he is still on Metacam and Cosequin for his arthritis, plus fish oil and boswellin as natural supplements. I have been giving him Tramadol the past couple days since the hydromorphone ran out, and he definitely has the restlessness and panting that Tramadol seems to cause. We barely slept a wink last night because he was pacing, panting and couldn't seem to relax, but he didn't seem to be in any pain. So I decided this morning to discontinue the Tramadol, and he doesn't seem to be in any pain today either. I'm going to see how he does through this evening and if the pain appears to have returned, I might have to go back to the Tramadol.
Sorry for the endless story, but I thought it might help someone at some point. We went through a lot just to figure what was wrong, and we may even have to have his left knee ACL repaired AGAIN with a TPLO if some of the fluid in the joint doesn't clear up--he still hasn't quite returned to normal in the left knee since the traditional ACL repair in December.
My thoughts and prayers are for all of you doggy mommies and daddies out there, and I hope you will send your positive thoughts to us and our dogs, too. Thanks!
P.S. For any midwesterners, I highly recommend the Vet Speciality Center in Buffalo Grove. Dr. Paré is an expert at these surgeries, and the staff is so professional and compassionate. It's a very large center with a lot of patients, but I've called them at least 3 times since Oliver's surgery for various pieces of advice and they always know who Oliver is and don't treat him like just a number. They are great!
My 14 yr. old Samoyed has only 3 legs. He was hit by a car while still a puppy and the vet. removed one of his back legs. He now has some back problems and arthritis in the good back leg. Our vet. put him on Deramaxx and has now added Tramodol (1- 50mg tablet twice a day). The vet had also put him on WD dog food to control his weight. He vomitted after eating the WD and he will only taste it now and seems to have a terrible time eating it. It looks like he is chewing gum. He has no trouble eating anything else. He is also sleeping a whole lot. Is this from the tramodol?
pdg
Hi Pat, you need to contact your vet immediately. It is quite possible your pet is having a serious adverse reaction to the Deramaxx. Vomiting, diarrhea, dark or tarry stools, inappetance are all possible adverse reactions to NSAIDs. Your dog is exhibiting two of them. Contact your vet. Now.
I have a 5 year old Mastiff/Shepherd mix. He was neutered last year and has since gained 20+ lbs. He has started to limp after he wakes up and I thught that his leg was falling asleep. He alternates which leg he limps on depending on which side he sleeps on. The Vet prescribed Tramadol. I have read that this is for serious pain. Should I keep giving this to him. He only limps for about a minute ot two and then he is fine. I don't think he really needs continuous pain relievers, other that that he gets around really good(running, jumping etc.).
Sypope,
I am not a vet but I have a similar situation. My Corgie is 17 and limps when she first wakes up too. The vet put her on Previcox and Tramadol. After a few months of being on both, she suddenly started losing her appetite and was drinking a lot of water. I have since taken her off ALL meds and she is back to normal. I give her glucosamine and chondroitin for the arthritis and it has helped a lot. If your dog only limps when he wakes up, I, personally, would not keep him on the tramadol. Put him on a diet and give him glucosamine and condroitin. There are NO side effects with that! I don't care what vets say, there are side effects to EVERY drug.
I have a 12 year old Chow mix. he has been prescribed Tramadol for severe hip pain until surgery in July. However, he is restless all night, panting, pacing and whining.
I left a message with the vet.
No sleep in this house.
I forgot to mention that Benny is also on Clomicalm (40mg twice a day) and Denemarin. Any chance that the Tromadol is interacting with any of those?
Please let me know your thoughts on the matter.
Thanks.
I have a ten year old pit bull female that has arthritis and hip displaysia
She takes rimadyl and tramadol. After reading up on tramadol I got nervous about what it was doing to my dog so I took one myself and it made me nauseous and light headed. I've also noticed my dog actually runs from this pill when she takes the others fine. Should this drug be used on a regular basis? Can I just give her aspirin? I'm concerned it's doing more harm than good.
Hi,
We have a 9 year old Dalmatian female who started limping on her right rear leg for no apparant reason. We let it go for a few days becuase she has been diagnosed with arthritis and we figured it was just acting up. We gave her baby aspirin per the vet, but 3 days into it she was just as bad. So we took her in. The vet said she thinks she has a torn ACL and prescribed tramadol 150mg 1-1/2 tablet every 12 hours. It doesn't really seem to be helping. She is still limping but she is sleeping better. She also has elevated liver enzymes and the vet suspects cushings.
Anyway, from reading other posts it appears the usual dose is about 50mg. Is 150mg 1- 1/2 tab considered high? Seems to me it is. The vet said she is trying to get her to relax her leg so she can feel for the tear. If this doesn't work she will have to be sedated. I really don't want to do that to her, but I may not have a choice because it's not getting better. She does however seem to pick and choose when she limps. When she is excited, she will run and jump around like she's fine. Otherwise she limps.
Wow, I have been reading all of the posts and am thinking my dog is not anywhere on near enough tramadol to make a difference.
She is a lab/shepherd X and weighs 84 lbs. She was limping severely on her left shoulder and the vet put her on Meloxicam (3.5 ml) once a day. (she also gets a cartriphen shot once a month) The vet then put her under and gave her a shot in her shoulder as she has some sort of cartilidge build up and it was supposed to help take care of the buildup. She stopped limping on the left shoulder and then started limping on the right. The vet then x-rayed the right shoulder and said the buildup was 3 times as bad as the left so again put her under and gave her another shot in the right shoulder. That didn't seem to fix anything so he then put her on .5 mls of tramadol twice a day. She wouldn't take the pills (she will take all others) so the vet had the pharmacy put it into liquid form ($145 later) and it apparently tastes worse than the pills so I am stuggling to get her to take even that. It hasn't helped so I am guessing that .5 mls isn't anywhere near enough but don't know how I will get her to take more. I don't know what else to do for her as he doesn't want to put her under again so soon to try another shot in her shoulder. Do I need to give her a larger dosage?
I would need to know the concentration of the liquid..how many milligrams (mg) per milliliter (mL)?
Does anyone know about my question? Is 150mg 1 - 1 1/2 tabs 2x a day too much tramadol for a 72lb dog?
Thanks
You hadn't posted a weight and I've never known Tramadol to come in 150mg tablets...only 50mg. 1 and 1/2 tab of 50mg tablet is a mid range dose.
Apologies. I thought I had posted her weight. She weighs 72.6 lbs. I am looking at the bottle now and it sais "Give 1-1 1/2 tablets every 12 hours for pain.
Tramadol 150mg. 21 tablets."
Should I call the vets and see if they perhaps mislabeled it?
Ah, now I understand. I was a little slow there. So give one to one & one half. One tablet is on the high end,
1 and 1/2 is a higher dose than I'm accustom to, but I'm sure since the vet prescribed it they probably have more experience with a higher than recommended dosage. Especially specialists and vets with a lot of specialist contacts prescribe drugs with more confidence over the recommended dosage ranges. :-)
Hi there...the pills were .5 mls and the bottle of liquid is a total of 100 ml but the instructions say to give her .5 mls from this little syringe twice a day. The vet mentioned that he wanted to keep her on the .5 mls (same as the pills, the liquid was given because she refused to take the pills).
Hi there...the pills were .5mls and the bottle of liquid is a total of 100ml but the instructions say to give her .5mls from this little syringe twice a day. The vet mentioned that he wanted to keep her on the .5mls but that it was a low dosage so I am assuming she is still on the .5mls.
Sorry to be such a pain, but mls isn't the strength, it's a measurement of volume. I need to know the strength which is in mgs (milligrams). It should say on the bottle _a number_mg/mL
which means how many milligrams per milliliter the liquid is.
Sorry, I am kinda new at this...100 mg/ml. I think that is the answer you are looking for....
Yup, that's what I needed.
100mg/mL
and you're giving 0.5mL
means you're giving your dog 50mg each time.
Which is a little over the lowest end of the dose range. As long as it's working, it should be great. If it isn't ask your vet if you can increase the dose.
My 7 year old labrador is limping on his left front leg. I think he jammed it making a quick stop for a food morsel that was thrown to him. The vet prescribed tramadol. He's only been on it a couple of days and I haven't seen any improvement. I wonder if he should have an xray. Seems like the tramadol is a pain med and isn't really addressing the problem?
Yes, Tramadol is a pain medication. But if it's not helping your pet heal and you have no idea what the problem might be it would be wise to contact your vet.
My 10 year old, 70lb. Queensland Heeler mix was prescribed Tramadol and Metacam yesterday for pain after neck trauma sustained from a door closing on him. (He's been on Metacam as needed for pain management of a torn ACL, so I'm sure his symptoms today are not Metacam related.) The vet's label on the Tramadol reads "Give 3 pills by mouth 3 times per day" (50mg tabs). After researching this on the Net, I'm concerned that I'm interpreting the label incorrectly (and of course, the vet's office is closed right now, hence I'm posting here). Is the daily does 150mg or 450mg? I've given him 300mg today and, while the pain finally seems to be under control, he's been pacing and panting quite a bit so that I'm not sure if it's from the Tramadol or the pain. His stool has also gone from normal to diarrhea in the course of the day, and it seems as if he may be feeling a bit nauseated, though he hasn't eaten any grass to vomit, and hasn't vomitted at all; he just seems to stand VERY still after a few paces when he first stands up.
I've decided not to give him another 150mg dose tonight until I can talk to the vet about the diarrhea (more especially since I was expecting constipation!), and ask get clarity on the label. I do plan on giving him his Metacam dose as normal tonight though.
I hope this is right. I don't think I'll be sleeping much again tonight.
My 10 year old, 70lb. Queensland Heeler mix was prescribed Tramadol and Metacam yesterday for pain after neck trauma sustained from a door closing on him. (He's been on Metacam as needed for pain management of a torn ACL, so I'm sure his symptoms today are not Metacam related.) The vet's label on the Tramadol reads "Give 3 pills by mouth 3 times per day" (50mg tabs). After researching this on the Net, I'm concerned that I'm interpreting the label incorrectly (and of course, the vet's office is closed right now, hence I'm posting here). Is the daily does 150mg or 450mg? I've given him 300mg today and, while the pain finally seems to be under control, he's been pacing and panting quite a bit so that I'm not sure if it's from the Tramadol or the pain. His stool has also gone from normal to diarrhea in the course of the day, and it seems as if he may be feeling a bit nauseated, though he hasn't eaten any grass to vomit, and hasn't vomitted at all; he just seems to stand VERY still after a few paces when he first stands up.
I've decided not to give him another 150mg dose tonight until I can talk to the vet about the diarrhea (more especially since I was expecting constipation!), and ask get clarity on the label. I do plan on giving him his Metacam dose as normal tonight though.
I hope this is right. I don't think I'll be sleeping much again tonight.
Giving 150mg 3 times a day is on the high end of normal.
The panting and pacing is likely due to pain.
Metacam can cause diarrhea especially the longer it is given. It's notable and should be reported to your vet.
Thank you for your reply! I spoke with the vet this morning and he's given the ok to lower the dosage on the Tramadol. My dog has tolerated Metacam very well--he's been on it since February but after the initial few weeks of a daily dose, we switched to only when needed which, thankfully, has not been often since he's now an indoor dog on restricted activity to protect that knee. This is why I think the Tramadol was the cause, especially since the diarrhea began after the second dose yesterday.
After a dose of some Pepto Bismol this morning, which he promptly vomited, he seemed to feel much better. Doc's also recommended a bland diet of white rice and chicken (two of doggy's favorites!). And so far he's tolerated today's first Tramadol dose well. He won't get the second until tonight.
Again, thank you for you reply and for this blog! I've truly learned quite a bit!
I would like to take my 11 year old Lab off Rimadyl. She presently is on 50mg Rimadyl & 25mg Tramadol every morning and only 25mg Tramadol at night. Is it ok to let the Rimadyl prescription run out and see how she does with just the Tramadol and of course Cosequin 2x a day? Thank you for answering.
Rimadyl is an NSAID not a steroid, you don't have to wean a pet off and there is no danger in stopping suddenly, if you decide you want to try going without, why don't you skip a few days now and see how your pet does, THEN decide whether you want to refill when it's time. Nearly all the vets I work with prescribe Rimadyl to be given AS NEEDED. Talk to your vet and find out if there's a reason why you couldn't do the same.
Is there a lethal dose of Tramadol for an 80lb dog? I have lost three animals this summer, one I had to put down with a 9mm. It was quick but very traumatic. I am sick of not being able to get a vet when needed and being Dependant on someone who is not part of the family making the call on a loved one. Believe me my dogs are loved. Is there a dose that would just let the dog go to sleep? For goodness sake. We can shoot them but cannot make the decision to put them to sleep quietly without out it seeming like a formal execution by lethal injection.
The reason for using "lethal injection" is because it's the kindest and least traumatic. What you are asking for is not something I would tell you even if I knew the answer. A drug overdose is not a smooth easy death and could possibly lead to violent convulsions, struggling for breath as their lungs fail to inflate, vomiting, bowels releasing, etc., before finally dying. No, I don't think that you really want a drawn out, violent death. A quick and painless death is far kinder, whether it by your 9mm or the sweetness of quietly slipping out of the world with euthanasia solution and a loved one whispering in their ear how much they were loved and will be missed.
My 11 year old Bearded Collie X had surgery 3 days ago to remove a skin cancer that erupted under his chin. It went well and stitches will come out in 10 days. He's always been a tail-wagging happy guy and quite the survivor. We adopted him 8 years ago after he was found tied to a tree with heartworm disease, then months later he almost died of poisoning by probably digging up some old TNT treated soil next to our 1910 house. Despite all of those treatments his personality remained the same.
Flash forward to today. Since the surgery (he's on antibiotic & tramatol) I don't recognize him. I've been tearing my hair out worrying until I can see my vet again tomorrow (Mon) but this wonderful blog, and all of the people who have posted,have allowed me to chill out a bit.
It must be the tramatol causing the bizarre side effects. He spent 2 hours with his nose jammed into a corner of the room; sudden jumping up spinning then crashing to the floor; modest constipation; almost no tail wagging (for someone who could hurt himself by thwacking anything in his way), etc.
I just read the entire blog. Thanks Nancy for your professional input and what a wonderfully supportive audience of people are here sharing help, even when their own heart may be breaking.
Great info and thank you for taking your time to address all these concerns!
Our one year old English bulldog just had her lucxating patella repaired (last monday); the doc sent her home with both previcox (1/2 tablet every 24 hrs) and tramodol (one tab every 8-12 hrs)
She's not whimpering or crying and is seems to be doing pretty well, considering.
She, however, has developed a bladder infection as well as a really gunky ear. And while presurgery she'd sleep the entire night, she's now very restless
Could this be meds related?
Again, many thanks for your info
Hi had my 10 year old at vet today with gum pain - to have teeth cleaned and some removed this week - she gave her tramadol 50mg to ease the pain, not given it to her yet....she weighs 10lbs is that not to much for her - the label says tramadol 50mg 1 daily, but after reading all the doses here it seems a lot at once for a little dog - we have had a few hiccups over pain meds in past, strenght to much for her thanks.
Vet did admit its a new med for them
debbie
The label says one daily. Which means you can split the tablet into 4 quarters and give it every 6 to 8 hours. Not one tablet all at once.
I can totally see how the label would be confusing and certainly QUITE unclear. I'm so glad you asked!
Hi 89703, have you been back to the vet to address the bladder infection (painful!) and gunky ears (painful!)? I'm assuming you have.
If not, do so, of course. :-)
If you have and she's on the necessary meds, then I would have to say that there is quite likely some pain issues still going on. I don't see the restlessness being related to the medication, though it may be due to the previcox if it is upsetting her tummy...another reason to give the vet a call.
I think more than anything you need to let the vet know that she's restless...it's often a sign of pain or discomfort. Dogs don't always pant, cry or even whimper when in pain or uncomfortable, quite often their restless and can't seem to relax.
HTH!
Hello, my 12 year old Husky has been on Tramadol for about 2-3 months now. She weighs in at 60lbs (she’s actually not overweight at all, she has more the characteristics of a male in size and appearance) but she’s been taking 2 50mg tabs in the AM and 2 50mg tabs at night.. My question is, can Tramadol have an affect on the bladder function? She’s been having more and more accidents around the house, when she is laying down, and she has to get up quick she has an accident, or she has one while laying/sleeping and doesn’t know, or just doesn’t move. She has a para-thyroid problem, not quite sure of all the details in that yet, but she has high calcium levels and drinks a ton of water. The accidents have gotten to be more frequent and I was just wondering if the Tramadol could be to high a dosage for her and she just doesn’t know she is having a problem, or is the dosage not high enough?
thank for your time and all advice!
I have no reason to believe that the Tramadol has anything to do with it. Sounds like a new problem to me that warrants a visit to the vet.
Good luck! :-)
I have a male Great Pyrenees named Sam. He is 11 years old. Some background info for you:
Four months ago on a trip home from the vet for his rabies shot, he was in the backseat of my husband's crew cab Ford truck and his butt slipped into the floorboard but his hind legs and front legs were still on the seat. Like he was folded. He never made a sound. He is very stoic. He sat like this for about 15 minutes unknown to us, and when we got him home he walked kinda like his rear legs were asleep. We found him 2 hours later at suppertime and he could not get up. His rear legs were useless. I think he pinched a nerve.
The vet put him on Rimadyl for 2 weeks and he slowly got better and started walking on his rear legs again, but he was still stiff and a bit weak on pivoting. This was 4 months ago.
Last month when his stiffness was getting a bit worse the vet put him on Novox this time. He seemed to do better and not so stiff. Sam is always in a happy playful mood.
Then one week ago, another of our Great Pyrs, Max, attacked Sam and got him down and was nipping at his back, but Sam's rear legs wouldnt let him get up to defend or fight back. He was splayed out. We broke the fight up, no blood just more barking than biting and Max making Sam go down with his weight on his back. Sam seemed fine the next few days, just a bit stiff and sore. I get home from work on Monday night 11/3 and Sam is barely walking, by Tuesday morning he cannot use his rear legs at all. They are useless. He drags himself with his front legs alone. He is in good spirits, eating and drinking, and wagging his tail. He poops and pees lying down but then drags himself to a new spot in the yard. I could not get him into the car by myself, he actually bit at me when I tried to put a towel under his belly to help him up. So the vet prescribed Tramadol and Meloxicam for him yesterday. He is still acting the same but no improvement on his rear legs at all. His feet fold backwards and he wont put any weight on them.
Coincidentally, I had another Great Pyr get snake bit Monday night too, but Sam is not snake bit. I dont know if the week old fight led to this finally affecting his rear legs or if Sam jumped and moved wrong when he heard the other dog get snake bit.
I cant bear to think of him not getting better. Is there anything else you would suggest?
How long does it take the Tramadol and Meloxicam to work? He is on 4 Tramadol *50mg twice a day. Sam weighs 130 lbs.
what else can I do to help him? He is such a gentle giant and I love his very much.
Hi,
We have a Dobe who is estimated at close to 11. We adopted him almost 9 years ago.
For the past year or so he has had occasional episodes (maybe 5 times) where he paces for hours, usually in the evening or at night. Twice he has even gone into the bathroom and gotten into the tub!
Our vet feels it could be Canine Cognitive Disorder and did blood tests to rule out other possibilities. With the results of the bloodwork, he is now on Thyroid twice a day.
He has also been on Previcox for arthritis. As I have been observing, I am wondering if the "behavior" incidents could be pain related rather than CCD because when he is receiving a low dose of Previcox every other day, he acts fine.
Due to the high cost of Previcox and our limited income on Social Security, the vet is asking us to consider Rimadyl for the pain.
We don't know what to do and would really appreciate some input.
We want to do the most we can for this wonderful dog and will cut corners somewhere else if Previcox is the best course.
Thanks so much!
JoJo
My 6 1/2 year old Doberman has been taking Tramadol for over a year now. He has Bone Cancer and DCM he has been taking 150mg 3 times @ day. Receintly I had to increase the dosage to 200mg 3 times @ day. He has been doing very very well with it. Unfortunately he is starting to limp on his front leg now and I am sure the cancer is in his front leg also. He also seems to be in more pain so that is why I increased the dosage.
He is a miracle as my vet did not feel Beau would make in any more than 2 months LAST November. He has been sick since he was 4.
My 4year lab's tramadol was recently increased from 50 to 100 mg every 8hours...we are in our 4th week of postop (screaming)pain from a closed, comminuted femoral fracture repair. Her pain appears to of gone from the leg to the lower side near her ribbs...is it safe that she been taking this for so long? She also takes 600mg of Neurotin 2x a day..I'm worried.
My 12 yr old, 23 lb Pug was just prescribed Tramadol for an unknown pain (probably a bone spur in his spine). Kind of a long story, but two weeks ago he began crying/yelping with sudden random pains. He has arthritis in his hind legs and trouble walking, but that didn't seem to be the source of his pain. Took him to the vet and after bloodwork and a chest xray (they thought maybe the sarcoma tumor that had been removed 2-1/2 yrs ago had spread), the only thing seen was something that looks like a bone spur on his spine. Also blood work showed an infection. So Metacam and an antibiotic were prescribed. Two weeks forward... Thanksgiving day we had a houseful of people and other dogs, and Pugsly was in obvious pain again. It's been hard to tell the source, it's so random and I can't seem to find an obvious cause. Friday he was a mess, shaking and crying and trying not to move.... Our vet was closed so I took him to another vet. They did another round of bloodwork, including Pancreas check and also another x-ray of his abdominal area. Nothing found except that abnormality on his spine again. Anyway, this vet prescribed the Tramadol, and it seems to be working well for the pain. My question is, is this something that can be given long term to manage this pain? Or should I stop when he seems better and only give as needed? I have another appt later this week with our regular vet, but I'm not sure if she even knows about this drug since she said something about narcotics if he didn't respond to the Metacam. Since the Tramadol seems to be working with no side effects (yet), if it's safe, I'd like to continue it. I've just been giving a quarter of a 50 mg tab twice a day, and that seems to do the trick.
My 12 yr old, 23 lb Pug was just prescribed Tramadol for an unknown pain (probably a bone spur in his spine). Kind of a long story, but two weeks ago he began crying yelping with sudden pains. He has arthritis in his hind legs and trouble walking, but it didn't seem to be the source of his pain. Took him to the vet and after bloodwork and a chest xray(they thought maybe the sarcoma tumor that had been removed 2-1/2 yrs ago had spread), the only thing seen was something that looks like a bone spur on his spine. Also blood work showed an infection. So Metacam and an antibiotic were prescribed. Two weeks forward... Thanksgiving day we had a houseful of people and other dogs, and Pugsly was in obvious pain again. It's been hard to tell the source, it's so random and I can't seem to find an obvious cause. Friday he was a mess, shaking and crying and trying not to move.... Our vet was closed so I took him to another vet. They did another round of bloodwork, including Pancreas check and also another x-ray of his abdominal area. Nothing found except that abnormality on his spine again. Anyway, this vet prescribed the Tramadol, and it seems to be working well for the pain. My question is, is this something that can be given long term to manage this pain? Or should I stop when he seems better and only give as needed? I have another appt later this week with our regular vet, but I'm not sure if she even knows about this drug since she said something about narcotics if he didn't respond to the Metacam. Since the Tramadol seems to be working with no side effects (yet), if it's safe, I'd like to continue it. I've just been giving a quarter of a 50 mg tab twice a day, and that seems to do the trick.
Hi Nancy we have a racing greyhound of 3 and half years of age and very lightly raced. He is recovering from a very strained back and possible tears in the lower back (lumber area) we have been getting him treated with remedial massage and he is improving well. We are starting his fittness campaign and another trainer told us aboutthis drug and that it would possibly assist with pain releif whilst the dog gets fitter. Are their any considerations that a racing greyhound would need to be considered when using this drug?
Thank you for all these helpful comments, you are wonderful to give your time and expertise so generously!
Our sixteen year old Labrador has been on Metacam (Melanoxicam) and Tramadol for around 18 months. She has arthritis in hips and possible spinal/neurological involvment. She had episodes where she lost control of her hindlegs and appeared disorientated and would stagger, panting and in obvious pain.
Over the past 18 months we have modified her environment (ramps etc) and (in consultation with fabulous vet) we have played around with the Tramadol dosage, and had her on and off it. Initially we thought the Tramadol was fantastic, and even more effective than the Metacam. She was more active and alert when on both medications. Lately, however, (past few weeks) she was having periods of excessive panting and drinking and was either very drowsy and inactive or doing restless pacing and panting. So we took her OFF the tramadol completely and she is much better - alert, active ...
Sorry to be so lengthy but my question is - I read somewhere on the internet that there can be an interaction between some flea products and Tramadol !! We did begin dosing her with Frontline and also oral dimethycarbamazine (daily heartworm tablets) about two months ago when the weather heated up... (so fleas and mosquitoes possible...) is it possible that these are interacting with the Tramadol???
Anyway thanks again, your site is a treasure and it has made me wish I had been keeping a diary of dear of old doggie's health and medication history to try to make sense of it all! She has good quality of life at the moment but of course a day by day proposition.
TRAMADOL WARNING to all dog owners: beware giving your dog Tramadol. Accounts of its safety have been greatly exaggerated. Research the personal stories of people trying to get off Tramadol if you don't think it is addictive or harmful. I don't think these vets are giving helpful advice. Don't give Tramadol to your dog without researching it thoroughly first!!!!!
Thanks for this info! My 13 year old Westie just had surgery today and was prescribed Tramadol for the pain. This was a very useful info source for me. :-)
I don't think tramadol was ment for dogs so i guess you can expect various side effects. I didn't know you could give animals human medications.
IN RESPONSE TO THE LADY WITH THE GREAT PYR... and anyone else having rear leg issues. If you have a large breed dog, especially German Shepards, PLEASE have your vet check for degenerative myelopathy.
We thought our blue heeler/shep mix was having trouble with his lower back and hind legs due to an injury, but after 4 horrible years of surgeries, painful recoveries and watching him become more and more paralyzed, we finally had a vet diagnose him with degenerative myelopathy. It is a neurological disorder that causes paralysis. Unfortunately, there is no cure, but know what is wrong can avoid unnecessary and painful treatments, and help you enjoy the time you have with your dogs.
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