Let me qualify this discussion by saying that I am not especially crazy about taking meds for myself and I think that carries over to the dog kids. 

 

My female has been having some pain and discomfort in her hips, I am certain arthritis is to blame.  On a recent trip to the vet we got a prescrip and have been on Deremaxx regularly for about 2 weeks.  She feels better than I have seen her in a long time.  My frisky biscuit is back.

 

That being said I am concerned about side effects.  Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of this med? 

 

Thanks for the input!! ^-^

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I don't know about the med but if the side effects aren't too bad and her quality of life is better I would say it's good for her! Have you ever tried the glucosamine? Just a thought.
We take it everyday and have for roughly 5 years.....Big on suppliments!
Daily glucosamine keeps my seven-year old Pem's arthritic front leg from bothering him at all these day. We're a big fan.
I am not crazy about meds either (I never take cold medicine, for example), but there is nothing like a chronic condition to make you change your mind! I now take medication regularly for a chronic condition that I would never have dreamed of taking before I had the condition. I am not real familiar with Deremaxx, but if it has improved her quality of life it's worth it, and even if side effects do show up you know you gave her a period of time when she was feeling good that she would not have had otherwise; if she could, she would surely thank you for it!

The only thing I can add from personal insight is that sometimes with arthritis, once you get the pain under control, you can switch to an "as-needed" basis with the medication if the arthritis is not too severe. Having said that, I don't know if Deremaxx is a med that is well-suited to stop-and-start treatment. Some things are, and others only work if constant levels are maintained in the bloodstream (and with some drugs, side-effects are MORE likely early on than once the body adjusts, while with others side-effects are more likely to come with consistent use). So you might want to consult the vet and have a trial where you only give it when she's having ouchy mornings, if you are concerned and the medication is appropriate for that use.

Good luck with your girl and I hope she continues to be your frisky biscuit. :-)
On the glucosamine are you giving it once a day or twice? We had better results with Tedi Bear when we went to once in the am and once in the pm. Good luck and keep doing better and better.
Be sure to give glucosamine that has chondroitin in it also. My husband and I both take this for our arthritis and it really helps. It's very safe for us and the dogs. Rosie and Rocky both take it also. Rosie has shoulder problems and I give it to Rocky just because he is very active and Corgi shoulders take a beating due to their weird construction since they are dwarf dogs. Be sure to give it at the recommened dose and times. You can find it easily at pet stores, big box stores.
It does have chondroitin in and we do only give once a day.....maybe we will try twice a day. Thanks.
Heated pet beds are quite beneficail during cold months/mornings for arthritic dogs my Shuffs had a bad liver so nooo medication was given for his arthritus but I would have been popping pills down him if I could have no problem!! So I bought this expensive heated bed one day and after examing it relized that I'm kinda dense so I'll share my revelation with you .....shhhh don't tell anyone.... but if you go to your more serious gardening store they sell things called propergation mats that are the same thing in the beds save yourself some money.....and you can also buy lovely canine massage/ stretching books and become an at home doggie massuse there is a web site called DOGWISE.COM that has a pretty good selection of training books in this area....I didn't go this direction out of choice and it does take time but can bring a good quality of movement back to your pet.
We give one tab in the AM as well. Our vet said we can increase it to one and a half but the specialist said giving more most likely won't make a difference. May be worth a try. We use 21st Century K-9 Maximum Joint and have been happy with it.
I don't know if you have read any of my posts on Finn's hips but he has hip dysplasia. He was diagnosed at 8 months and has shown symptoms his whole life though he was not in any pain until he turned one. He started to have episodes of limping so we have to control his activity or he will over do it and limp.

Our vet also prescribed Deramaxx. We are giving it only as needed which is only when he shows stiffness and limping or in preparation for activities such as a trip to the dog park. This amounts to only a couple pills a month. They do seem to help him get through those painful periods. Our vet said he will probably get to the point where he needs them daily and if he is still young when that happens, surgery may be a better choice. In elderly dogs they opt for daily pain meds without surgery.

Yes, they can have side effects so you don't want to give them more than needed. If your dog needs them on a daily basis talk to your vet about doing routine blood work to monitor kidney and liver function. We too give joint supplements daily but sometimes more is needed and the Deremaxx comes in handy. You can talk to your vet about injections such as Adequan or try systemic enzymes (either Wobenzym or Medizym), some people swear by them. Where the specialist told us was the best place to start was weight loss. Finnigan is not overweight but in consideration of his hips she said he should be a little underweight and we may see a big improvement.
Thank for the advice. We keep aj at a very lean weight. She has a very girly and petitie form so we keep her with a very lean and defined waist line she has a real advantage on the size and weight thing. I do think I will opt to not give her the meds every day and up her glucosomine/chond. suppliment to twice a day. I think the boy will probably get saddled with an extra suppliment pill just cause....^-^

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