First, let me set the scene for my question: My beautiful, well bred almost five year old Labrador girl came up limping last weekend. I'd noticed some exercise intolerance over the course of the summer but thought maybe just the heat. I never suspected hip dysplasia. Her sire and dam were OFA excellent & OFA good, we did late spay, I've kept her as lean as possible, have never run or hiked with her. Anyway, on Monday she had x-rays which showed severe dysplasia with arthritis developing. I'll be seeing an ortho vet with her but my regular vet thinks she'll need hip replacement surgery. My heart is broken.

My vet has her on 75mg Rimadyl twice/day. I was very hesitant to try it because I'm well aware how sick it can make some dogs. It's my understanding that Labrador Retrievers are particularly sensitive to Rimadyl. So far, so good, and we'll be doing blood work at two weeks, then on a regular basis to make sure the Rimadyl isn't causing irreparable damage to her liver or kidneys. My question is this, to those of you who clearly know Labradors best...do you think Rimadyl is the best choice or is there some other NSAID that Labs do better with? There are lots of different NSAIDS but I have the impression that they can all cause problems long term. Just wondering about your experience and what you might recommend. The Rimadyl is really helping her. This has been so gradual I honestly didn't realize she was in pain but now that I see the difference on Rimadyl I'd have a hard time not giving it to her. If she doesn't tolerate it, we'll move to Tramadol but I want to give a NSAID an honest try, at least until we can get to a surgical option. Thank you! :)

Has your Veterinarian discussed putting your girl on any suppliments such as Adequan injections, Synovi G4, Lubrisyn, fish oil? By giving your dog a good quality joint supplement and fish oil she may not need to be on NSAIDS daily for the long term. Talk to your vet. I have two boys with major orthopedic issues, having them on good supplements has decreased their need for NSAIDS. Best of luck with your girl!

Thanks! She's been on fish oil for years and I've started glucosamine, condroitin and MSM. My old labby girl, now gone, was also dysplastic (which is why I tried to be soooo careful with this one) and seemed to benefit from Adequan injections so I'm going to start that too. But nothing helps as much as the Rimadyl, the difference is so clear. It's just the worry of those nasty side effects. My old girl got really sick on it after a week or two.