I need advice about my elderly dog and meds.?

I would only give human medication if advised to do so by your Vet. Don't play chemist shop with an elderly dog, get the advise you need first, it's only fair to her.

Let's get this clear. Vets do prescribe aspirin and despite the potential side effects, aspirin can help a dog relieve pain. However, most vets would only recommend it as a short term treatment. Any other alternatives unde the class of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the same as aspirin.

If possible and if your Lucy is not in chronic pain, get the advise of your vet to stop the aspirin medication.

You mentioned that you give your dog glucisamine pill. Try to continue to give glucosamine but only glucosamine for dogs and not those made for humans. Though, it is not harmful, dogs have different adsorption rates than humans.

Glucosamine can help relieve joint pain and inflammation associated with canine osteoarthritis without causing the side effects seen with conventional medications.

You are serious???? No you shouldn't stick with the "asprin routine" and no you can not give advil, tylenol or anything else OTC which very well may kill her!

Call your local SPCA and ask if they can help you or advise help for you for paying vet bills. IRRESPONSIBLE.

I have NO sympathy for you, NONE. You don't play around giving your dog cocktails from your medicine cabinet. Find some way to get her vet care.

Add: why are you asking us on here if you should continue with the routine if your vet advised it? Yeah, right. See a vet for real, I read your posting history, and apparently you don't take your dog to a vet when she had problems for months.

Use a made for human glucosamine pill and give it daily. But your dog needs a WELLNESS exam.

What a horrible situation to be caught in. Your parents are lucky to have someone in their lives that is concerned about them. I think you are going to have to do some investigating into community resources. I would first call the health department and see if you can get an investigation started. I would probably also start calling to see what resources are available to the elderly in your area. There are home health care situations where people will help clean. I would also contact an assisted living facility and some nursing homes and see what you can find out about your dad qualifying for care. If mom refuses to go with him, then she can live on her own. I would also call some mental health agencies. Your mom is having some issues associated with mental health. It could be depression or something else. I do think it is going to take some intervention from some outside source to convince your mom that the living situation is an unhealthy one and unsafe for your father. Your only other option is to seek legal guardianship on the grounds of mental incompetence and force them into some other type of living situation. Good luck.

Our dog is older and has arthritis....she fractured her leg when she was young. We give her Triflex from the health food store...and it has been sanctioned by the vet! Yes, this is meant for people...all the doctors in the vets office agreed that it would be good. And she has done very well with it. And surprising, they also recommended fish oil, she has been taking that for the last 6 months.

Triflex is Glucosamine and chondroitin.

In the past, our vet has even prescribed Benodryl....another med for people.

Some of the people who responded to you got upset with you trying people meds...but the two vets we have seen in the vets office think it is perfectly acceptable. Just ask the vet!

Interesting I was talking to someone the other day who said she knew someone who was into herb that cleared up issues with herbs.

Administered correctly, aspirin may indeed reduce pain and inflammation, making dogs feel more comfortable. However, toxic quantities of aspirin may adversely affect all systems of your dog's body: the circulatory system, causing impaired clotting of blood; the digestive system, causing ulcerations in the lining of the stomach, intestines and bowels, and possibly ushering in a dangerous bacterial infection of the abdomen; the neurological system, causing behavioral changes, lack of coordination and seizures; and, the renal system, causing acute kidney failure. Symptoms of aspirin toxicity in dogs include:

•Panting

•Vomiting

•Bloody vomiting

•Depression

•Anxiety

•Lethargy

•Black, tarry stools (melena)

•Diarrhea

•Lighter urine

•Pale gums

•Loss of appetite

•Extreme thirst

•Spontaneous bleeding

The recommended aspirin dosage for dogs is 5 mg to 10 mg per pound of your dog's weight, administered once during a 12-hour period. An adult aspirin is 320 mg; a baby aspirin is 80 mg. The lowest dosage will likely provide adequate relief. If not, your vet may instruct you to gradually increase the dosage. Aspirin can be toxic if given in high doses of about 30 mg per pound. For example, a baby aspirin could poison a dog weighing 2 pounds or less, and an adult aspirin could poison a dog weighing about 10 pounds.

Do not administer coated aspirin, for your dog cannot digest it and excretes it in the stools.

You may be overdosing your dog.

As far as Advil or Tylenol - Ibuprofen is a popular and effective over-the-counter medication available to treat pain and inflammation in people. For dogs, ibuprofen can easily exceed toxic levels. The most common cause of ibuprofen toxicity is a well-meaning owner trying to alleviate pain in his dog who administers a dose he thinks is adequate without knowing the toxic dose.

The initial toxic effect is bleeding stomach ulcers. In addition to ulcers, increasing doses of ibuprofen eventually leads to kidney failure and, if left untreated, can be fatal.

Your dog has given you 13 years of loyality and love. You should be giving her the same now that she is older and counting on you to help her. Ask your vet for a less expensive pain medication or ask for a prescription so you can get them on line for a less expensive price.

Yeah try new things, everything works differently on different people/dogs.