I received an email from a client asking about Previcox that their traditional veterinarian prescribed their dog. She wanted to know if the drug really was safe or is it going to affect the dogs health negatively.

Here is what I wrote to her…

Previcox is just another Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory (NSAID) with all the same side effects of other NSAIDS like Rimadyl, Etogesic, etc. It can be used for a short duration but should not be used for long periods of time. Also when changing anti-inflammatory medications you should really wait 2 days before giving the new one. Here is the information sheet from the FDA which really should be handed out to every dog owner when anti-inflammatories are prescribed to their dog.

www.fda.gov/cvm/Documents/N141230cis.pdf

If a dog has arthritis and needs to be on an anti-inflammatory such as this, because
the alternatives are not keeping the dog comfortable, then the dog needs to have blood tests at least every 6 months if not every 3 months to be sure no damage is occurring to the liver, kidneys, red blood cells, etc. The dog should also be monitored closely for loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting, and a just not feeling right attitude.

With all this said supposedly Previcox is less likely to produce the horrible side effects seen from the other NSAIDs, but in case you are wondering here are a couple of website cases, unfortunately anecdotal and possibly made up, but they are more and more of them that could be researched to determine their truth.

www.all-creatures.org/aip/nl-20061212-warn.html
www.k911.biz/Petsafety/DeathByPrevicox_RowdysLastVacation.htm

Here are traditional veterinarians opinions of the drug…
www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/ivapm/professionals/members/qow/previcox42006.htm

Notice that all these vets do and ask for blood work prior to putting the dog on the drug. Does that tell you something?

What it tells me is that yes this and other NSAIDs can and do affect the dogs health negatively. They are a God send when the dog can not walk and all other alternatives have been explored. They are also very useful in an emergency situation or right after surgical procedures. Using them correctly, they are wonderful drugs and very good for your dogs health. However, when used for a long term, meaning over one week, they can be very detrimental to your dogs health and many times the risks far out weigh the benefit. So these drugs need to be used responsibly and only if your dog needs them. There are many other alternatives such as Traumeel, Dog Gone Pain, Wobenzyme and especially acupuncture have fantastic results and your dog will be much healthier with these alternatives if needed for a long term duration. If the alternatives are not successful then you can resort to the NSAIDs and eventually you will have to resort to the heavy duty pain relievers such as the opioid Tramadol. That becomes an ethical question and quality of life question which we will not get into at this time.

One final comment about alternatives - you also have to be responsible when using these. These are not without their faults.. acupuncture can be time consuming and will require many trips to a qualified practitioner; wobenzyme can cause diarrhea in some dogs as it is an enzyme and also needs to be given without food. So you need to search out a qualified veterinarian or holistic practitioner recommended by a veterinarian to use the alternatives appropriately.