Similar questions with Asprin, dog, safe, give, asprin, joint, stiffness

I was told to give Bufferin to my dog Mandy, 2 tablets twice a day, for her joint pain. The vet recommended it instead of aspirin, as it should not upset the stomach. She has seemed fine since on it, barely any joint discomfort.

 

 She also gets 2 Glycofex, which is natural, for joint and connective tissue support.  It contains:  Active ingredient : Perna canaliculus, which is Green-Lipped Mussel 600mg (no wonder they all love it so much!  Yummy!! ) Inactive ingredients are: alfalfa, brewers yeast, cellulose, silicon dioxide, stearic acid. I also give Omega3 Fish Oil 1200 mg for their skin and coat.

HelenofTroy, my friend, I know that you know all about these supplements though, but this has worked for me for the joint pain in conjunction with the Bufferin.  I give the Glycoflex to all three dogs even though they are 4, 7, and 10. It is recommended to be given to puppies and dogs through life as a preventative therapy.

 

Here is a warning!  Extremely important!!  I had learned this, but it is not something a lot of people would know! It also explains that buffered aspirin is much safer than regular aspirin.

 

WARNING

NEVER EVER give Tylenol (toxic to liver) or ibuprofen (Nuprin, Motrin, Advil, etc.). Ibuprofen is very toxic and fatal to dogs at low doses. Only aspirin is safe for dogs, and buffered aspirin or ascriptin is preferred to minimize stomach upset. When giving a dog aspirin always check the dogs stool. Look for black stools which can indicate occult bleeding, and then discontinue aspirin immediately (use a buffered aspirin instead). The coated aspirins are not readily digestible by canines, and are often passed through with little but the coating having been digested. Aspirin may also cause birth defects, so it should not be given to pregnant animals.

Sources: http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/aspirin.htm

Dogs are most commonly given aspirin for treatment of arthritis and associated joint pain. There may be other situations where your dog is in pain, where aspirin may give relief.

General dosage guide:

Weight of dog in pounds	Number of tablets each 12 hours	mg
8	1/2 baby aspirin or less	40 mg
16	1 baby aspirin	80 mg
32	1/2 adult or 2 baby	160 mg
48	3/4 adult or 3 baby	240 mg
64	1 adult or 4 baby	320 mg
80	1 1/4 adult or 5 baby	400 mg
96	1 1/2 adult or 6 baby	480 mg

Sources: http://www.school-for-champions.com/animalhealth/aspirin.htm

This was for my dog Tiger when I was a teenager and I was surprised that a human medication was given to a dog. I don't know, it just seemed very strange to me. But I've talked to many people since then who have had similar experiences. And just a couple of years ago, a vet suggested I give my cat a human medication for dizziness. So the idea isn't that far-fetched.

Now of course, I have no idea what the dosage was I gave Tiger back then. But a little looking around suggests that you're right, 3 baby aspirin would be fine. That's probably from the same site you saw (listed as my source). I'd be much more conservative and only give two. And I know it's probably too late and you won't see this in time, but I'd also call an animal hospital and confirm with a real live human whether that's an appropriate dosage.

And not to scare you, but read this site first:

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/nsaids.html

Despite what it says, I know that aspirin can be given to dogs and is prescribed for them, but try to get her regular meds as soon as possible.

I hope she feels better!!

Sources: http://www.school-for-champions.com/animalhealth/aspirin.htm