As technology and the quality of veterinary medicine improves, many pets are living to older ages. This has created a new challenge of pain control for arthritis - just as in many of us (including me!) What can we safely give to our friends to improve their comfort and quality of life? For starters, let's discuss what not to give them. In past years. we used various anti-inflammatories such as cortisone, aspirin, Tylenol, and ibuprofen. Currently none of these are considered safe to use on a long-term basis for arthritis. Aspirin and ibuprofen can cause serious stomach ulcerations and intestinal bleeding. Tylenol can be extremely toxic, and is commonly fatal to cats. Cortisone has many wonderful applications, but long-term usage causes many very serious side effects! Many new Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) are now available for long-term pain management for our pets. Rimadyl, Metacam, and Previcox are 3 of the more commonly used NSAIDS that are now specifically approved for use in dogs. Although NSAIDS can occasionally cause side effects (most medications do - even aspirin in humans!), proper veterinary supervision can reduce these problems to be extremely rare. Early side effects include vomiting/and or diarrhea, at which point the medication should be stopped. To minimize risk, we always perform periodic liver and kidney blood tests to insure safety for your pet. Having frequently prescribed these medications for over 12 years, I have not observed one case of a serious problem! As responsible pet owners, we owe it to our pets to give them the very best quality of life that we can. Preventing the aches and pains of arthritis and old age can add many healthy and happy years to our pets' lives! Call us today for more information.