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Todays pets are well fed and cared for allowing them to live to a ripe old age. Joint and tissue inflammation may become a problem as your pet gets older and existing injuries or disease affects them. Inflammation or joint problems can present as some of the following symptoms:

Licking obsessively at a particular joint

Not able to keep up with you during walks

Muscle mass shrinking or loss of tone

Not willing to jump on your lap

Swelling, redness/heat in the joints

Restlessness and shortened sleep duration

Analgesics Versus Anti Inflammatories

Let’s just clear up any confusion here.You can identify inflammation by its tell tale swelling and redness, along with pain in a specific area of your dogs body. Anti-inflammatory drugs target the symptoms of inflammation by reducing swelling and discomfort. Now analgesics on the other hand, are great for reducing pain, but do not necessarily tackle inflammation.

Are Human Anti-Inflammatory Medications Safe For Dogs?

Certain drugs formulated for humans, such as buffered aspirin, are generally safe for dogs. Some formulations, like enteric-coated aspirin, are not as effective when used for dogs (as opposed to humans) because of the differences in human and canine physiology. The thing to take out of this article is that if you can access canine specific medications for your dog, then do so.

Canine Medications Are More Expensive

Canine medications are more expensive than the human equivalent as there are less manufacturers and the volumes of drug produced are significantly smaller. Try to save on price by shopping around at big pet produce warrehouses or online as you may be paying for medications for a long period .You may be shocked by the price differences, but it is safer for you pet than using drugs designed for humans.

Unsafe Human Over-the-Counter Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Over the counter NSAIDS According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, are the most common causes of pet poisoning in small animals, and can cause serious problems even in minimal doses.Some of these types of drug can include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ketoprofen (Orudis).Long term use or overdosing can cause irrepairable liver damage in dogs.

Ibuprofen, even though consumed and viewed as safe for us, is not appropriate for use with dogs as it is the number one cause of accidental poisoning in cats and dogs. Dogs given ibuprofen have experienced kidney failure, internal bleeding and ulcers and in some cases death.

Signs To Watch For

Even very low doses of ibuprofen can cause stomach ulcers in dogs. A dog should never ingest more than 50 mg of ibuprofen per pound of body weight.If you are administering ibuprofen to your dog beware of the following symptoms:

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Stumbling

Listlessness

Pain in the stomach region

If your dog displays any of the above symptoms call your vet straight away.

Natural Anti Inflammatories

The alternative to pharmaceutical drugs lies in homeopathic, herbal, dietary and environmental strategies, some of which have proven to be just as effective. Solutions containing Rhus toxicodendron are very effective at reducing inflammation, paralysis and rheumatic complaints. Rhus Tox, as it is known, is prized for its anti-inflammatory and antihistamine properties.