Senior dog who is agitated, pacing and panting

[ortegah]

Oh and the sedative effects of the clomicalm will wear off soon.

 

[Danita]

Right now he is on
Salmon Oil
Derramax
Clomicalm
Glucosimine
Eye drops
They said that we shouldn't see the full effects of the Clomicalm for a month. I can see when it wears off, he starts with the pacing and agitation pretty quick.

 

[ortegah]

Right now he is on
Salmon Oil
Derramax
Clomicalm
Glucosimine
Eye drops
They said that we shouldn't see the full effects of the Clomicalm for a month. I can see when it wears off, he starts with the pacing and agitation pretty quick.

Ooh ok so he has been on all of that. It might just be that the Deramaxx is ineffective now. Perhaps switching from the Deramaxx to another pain med might help. It sounds to me like the pacing is because he's hurting. The clomicalm might help him relax a bit. Are you noticing that he's not pacing as much? Or is he just sleeping more?

 

[Saemma]

Dirk and Danita..

 

[Danita]

He is sleeping like he *used to* but when the pill wears off he is back to pacing and panting. But mostly when only one of us is home. If DH and I are both home he is pretty calm. I am sure it is that he doesn't want to be alone, he isn't alone much at all either.

 

[Willow]

In my experience the clomicalm shouldn't be sedating. If he needs additional pain management in addition to the deramaxx, ask your vet about tramadol. That, combined with NSAIDs, was a godsend for my olders. Best wishes and huge hugs.

 

[Mystics Mom]

Question...all of what you are describing sounds like Dirk is also getting senile..Vet put my dog on DEPRENYL it increases brain concentrations of the neurotransmitter Dopamine..it helps cognitive awareness..it helped my old Boston Alot

 

[Kathie]

Danita, I have no answers for you, but my heart goes out to you. It is so hard when one of our animals is not feeling well. What is worse is that they can't tell us if they hurt and, if so, where. So, it's a guessiing game. I hope the meds work for him.

 

[hotfoot jackson]

I'm a semi retired human nurse and have some experience with people in pain,..I was wondering if you might ask the vet to increase your poor dogs dosage of pain killers? Dirk may just need to take it more frequently or at a higher dose to feel more comfy. His apparent anxiety may actually be his way of expressing his pain and asking you to stop the pain. Pain management in people requires constant juggling to get it right...don't see how dog pain management would be too much different. My heart goes out to you all in your difficult time. I lost a dear old Lab years ago from intractable arthritis..I have some idea of how it feels. Hugs to all of you.

 

[Welshanne]

The poor darling, it seems to be a symptom of pain or some kind of distress. Guess you are working towards giving him some quality to his life, as it is not easy to watch. When our pets have had a wonderful life, and although we never want to part with them, the decision has to be made on the next move to make the pet comfortable. That is the important thing then with age.Quality of life and not quantity. Good luck that you reach the right decision as to what to do for the poor dear.

 

[suncoast]

I know how hard this is. Prayers that the vet can figure out the right meds and dosage to give all of you some peace and security.

Ginger

 

[birdlady]

You are doing all you can Danita...believe me I know too well what you are going through....Coco has been taking glucosomine (now in the form of glyco flex III) ever since her crucitate ligament surgery when she was about seven...I swear this stuff has helped her stay with me this long. Roxi is not taking it too...she will be 13 this month and even though she is not showing many signs of aging, I am sure it will help her down the road.

 

[waterfaller1]

I would never give Rimadyl or Carprofen to my dog.
The Senior Dogs Project






​

 

[waterfaller1]

Side Effects of Rimadyl - More Information - Rimadyl Can Cause Death - Dog Health Report - Dog Care - Dog Health Problems Solved!

I hope you find the right answer to make Dirk's life more comfortable. Hugs to you Danita

 

[Anne & Gang]

honey, my heart goes out to you and to your old doggie..

 

[rocabird]

Those symptoms sound similiar to what 2 of my dogs started doing when they each reached about 14 years. They were diagnosed with Canine Cognitive Dysfunction and I put them both on Anipryl. This did give them both some improvement especially with the anxiety signs they were showing. I did eventually have to put them to sleep due to other health problems, but I was glad I was able to give them some relief and normalcy due to the meds.

Here's another link with info-http://www.swiftwaterfarms.com/swiftwater/p22CanineCognitiveDysfunction.htm

With my second dog, they had come out with a generic version of the Anipryl which was much cheaper although I had to give 4 tablets rather than one because it only came in one strength. I didn't see a difference between the name brand and the generic and actually saw more improvement with my second dog, I think because it was diagnosed earlier.

 

[Danita]

It sounds like everyone agrees that the pain is not being controlled

The sedative effects of Clomicalm apparently wear off after the first week.

When I go back for the refill this week, I will ask for something stronger. We did increase the Deremax, just a week ago and he is getting the strongest dose.

 

[Danita]

Side Effects of Rimadyl - More Information - Rimadyl Can Cause Death - Dog Health Report - Dog Care - Dog Health Problems Solved!

I hope you find the right answer to make Dirk's life more comfortable. Hugs to you Danita

Is this a form of one of the meds he is already getting?

 

[rocabird]

I looked up the Deprenyl Tanya mentioned and L-Deprenyl is Anipryl; my generic was L-selegiline which is also the same.

I just wanted to post another link in case you talk to your vet about this because it's not recommended to give anipryl when clomicalm is given.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_anipryl.html

 

[Danita]

Those symptoms sound similiar to what 2 of my dogs started doing when they each reached about 14 years. They were diagnosed with Canine Cognitive Dysfunction and I put them both on Anipryl. This did give them both some improvement especially with the anxiety signs they were showing. I did eventually have to put them to sleep due to other health problems, but I was glad I was able to give them some relief and normalcy due to the meds.

Here's another link with info-http://www.swiftwaterfarms.com/swiftwater/p22CanineCognitiveDysfunction.htm

With my second dog, they had come out with a generic version of the Anipryl which was much cheaper although I had to give 4 tablets rather than one because it only came in one strength. I didn't see a difference between the name brand and the generic and actually saw more improvement with my second dog, I think because it was diagnosed earlier.

The vet said it would take about a month for the Clomicalm to be fully effective. So I will see what happens in the next couple of weeks and then see if he should be on a different med.