Page 10 - Arthritis in Dogs - Comprehensive by Dr Erik Johnson

The Arthritis Triad

There are three medicines that I’m using together to curb arthritis pain and they’re working VERY well.

In the brief discussion of arthritis above, you get the idea that “bad back end” is really a combination of
more than five potential deficiencies.

The “arthritis Triad” treats:

1. Bone on bone and nerve pain
2. Nerve impingement and muscle spasm
3. Inflammation
We give all three medicines for ten or more days and assess just how well they do on them.

Sometimes there is no benefit. This may mean that arthritis pain has nothing to do with the case. They
don’t need it.

Or it may mean that they are far too severe for “just medicine” and surgery crosses your mind.

The combination is:
1. Gabapentin (Neurontin, for bone and nerve pain)
2. Methocarbamol (Muscle relaxer)
3. Deramax (COX II inhibitor super “aspirin” safe for dogs.)

Sometimes the Gabapentin starts out low and bumps up because it can cause some dizziness in dogs at
first. That looks like:

1. 100mg in the morning x 7 days
2. 300mg at night for 7 days
3. Then 300mg twice a day for 7 more days.

After we assess how well they do on these medications – we cut back. We reduce dosing to amounts as
small and economical as possible WHILE STILL PRODUCING THE AMOUNT OF COMFORT they provided at
full dose.

A suggested method would be to drop the Methocarbamol to morning only, and Gabapentin at night.
The Deramax would continue daily, but may be cut to every OTHER day or swapped out for a ‘lesser’
anti‐inflammatory.

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