We took Joey off Metacam (NSAID) because it was making him irritable. Now he's sweet again. DON'T OVER MEDICATE YOUR DOG! Vets love giving medicine. And for us it wasn't worth it.
Just like many doctors(but not all), four legged or other....I see a large rise in prescriptions they say we or our dogs need! I'm glad to see you took him off as it's seems very easy for someone to say "your dog needs" and we automatically think it's a good thing without even asking questions!
That's true. Didn't mean to make a generalization. Guess I did. We read some horror stories about Previcox and stopped that. Then we got Metacam prescribed. Which we couldn't find any really bad news about it except Joey was having an allergic reaction to it. Trouble breathing sometimes. He didn't rest very well. And he would always be snappy. I think a lot like people who use steroids, it has behavioral effects. We just accept now that occasional limping is OK for him but the tradeoff is that we get a happier dog who gets a good night's sleep.
Try using Glucosamine and chondroitin complex. It is commonly found at stores such as petsmart etc. It is natural and it helps my two a great deal, most specifically my female that is a little more mature. It takes a few weeks to get some initial results but it really does help with joint pains without any harsh side effects.
You may want to try glucosamine/chondrotin, we buy it at Pet-Co Pet Natural of Vermont Hip + Joint. It sure worked for our Tedi, he had a bum shoulder and if we ran out for a day or two he would start limping until we got him more. We found giving one in the morning and one at night worked best. We have already started Sami on it as a preventative, she just thinks it's a treat. Good luck!