Hi everyone, my pooch has just had tramadol for the first time. The vet told us it was a pretty strong painkiller. Have any of you ever had to give it to your little one? If so, did they tolerate it well? Did you notice any side effects, and was it effective? Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.
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Hi Tania, no, I explained it in my post about him; he had his first dose yesterday and was completely wiped out, just lying there for the rest of the evening. I share a place with my brother, and since he’s up at 4am for work, we’d talked yesterday about his next dose if needed. I’d told him that if Ulco was limping a bit when he got up, he should wait and see, because my big lad is getting on a bit and when he’s been lying down for a while and gets up, he moves in slow motion until his muscles and joints have woken up. I told him he'd have to judge if he was actually limping or just holding his paw up. I assume that’s what happened because there are some more tablets missing compared to yesterday. This morning, just like last night, he was half-asleep curled up on the sofa; he only got up once, and with difficulty, just to move to the other sofa and curl up again. So, either this medication isn't working on the pain, or the pain is gone but the Tramadol is giving him other side effects (maybe nausea, a tummy ache, or just a weird feeling—things that are hard to tell). Anyway, I had to go out, and when I got back, he came to meet me at the door wagging his tail, but with his paw held up and a few drops of blood came out. Now he’s back on the sofa but not curled up this time; he seems more alert, so I reckon the meds given between 4am and 5am this morning have worn off, which is why he’s less zonked. It’s hard to know if the tablets are doing anything for the pain since they just leave him so flat out.
Julie mentioned earlier that some doggies don't really respond to this medication. Even though I know my boy is terminal, I'm really hoping it works because the vet explained that if he has to take it and it eventually stops working, it would be better to let him go. After tramadol, the next step up is morphine, and at that point, he'd be completely doped up and spend all his time sleeping with no quality of life left.
Evening and thanks for your replies. It’s two and a half tablets every 8 hours, but only as and when needed. He had a dose just over 2 hours ago and he’s half-asleep now—likely that drowsiness mentioned earlier. He’s got a tumour on his toe (I made a post about this before); at first, it was just an anti-inflammatory, but since Thursday we’ve switched to one that’s also a painkiller. The vet gave us some blister packs of Tramadol to use for the pain. He was limping a few times yesterday, and during his walk at lunchtime today, he was holding his paw up whenever he stopped. He did the same later at home, so that's why I gave him his first dose.
😯 Hello @Lafilledu 59, how many drops a day is your pooch supposed to take?
It’s an opioid and it’s pretty strong stuff; I actually had to take some myself after a nasty dog bite. The tendon in my finger had come out of its sheath. I’m not usually a wimp, but I certainly felt that one! I had to take 4 drops morning and night and no more than that. I must admit, it is very effective. What’s the cause of your doggy’s pain?
Hi there, yes, Tramadol is a morphine derivative, so it’s a fairly strong painkiller. However, recent vet studies have shown that some dogs don’t respond particularly well to Tramadol, so it isn’t always effective – it really depends on the individual dog. As for side effects, it can cause mild sedation and drowsiness, and more rarely, some nausea and vomiting. If your dog has liver or kidney issues, it should be used with caution, and it shouldn’t be given to dogs with epilepsy. If your dog doesn’t have any of these conditions, don't worry – just make sure you stick to the doses prescribed by your vet!
