One day, your dog suddenly had to undergo a treatment/first aid session. In the face of a dog whining in joint pain, you’ll want to seek medication to ease your furry friend’s discomfort.
Human treatments also have many similarities with domestic animals because of differences in body composition and digestive system.
So, can dogs take Celebrex, an incredibly popular pain reliever that can be found in everyone’s medicine cabinet?
Scroll down for the answers and the most useful information about this topic.
What Is Celebrex?
Celebrex is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (or NSAID). It can inhibit COX-2 and block the enzyme that makes prostaglandins to moderate pain and swelling/inflammation.
It is intended for patients with acute pain, postoperative pain, discomfort, joint pain, and dysmenorrhea.
The dosage of Celebrex is not fixed, as it is subject to your doctor’s prescription based on your medical condition.
Typically, patients must take this additional pain medication once or twice daily after meals (to reduce the risk of stomach upset).
Pharmacists often encourage patients to combine Celebrex with a full glass of water (about 240 ml). After taking this human medicine, it is best not to lie down for at least 10 minutes.
Celebrex can provide effective and fast pain relief with only a small dose. But with certain conditions (arthritis etc.), it will take about 2 weeks for the patient to notice a positive change.
If you use Celecoxib in dogs for sudden episodes, be aware that this pain reliever only works at the first clinical signs of pain. As the pain worsens, taking the medicine may not work as expected.
Can Dogs Take Celebrex?
Because of differences in the digestive system, all drugs and supplements for humans are not recommended for use in pets, including Celebrex.
The kidneys and liver of dogs are much smaller than humans, leading to a much slower filtration rate.
When these drug residues do not receive timely treatment, they will easily turn into toxic substances that are absorbed into the dog’s body.
However, in some special cases, your veterinarian will still advise you to use Celecoxib for dogs as an emergency pain reliever.
Since most NSAIDs (including Celebrex for dogs) will be prescribed based on the patient’s weight, it’s unlikely your four-legged friend will be able to take the same dose as yours.
Therefore, you need to carefully determine your dog’s weight and consult your veterinarian before giving this human medicine to your dog.
What To Keep In Mind Before Dosing The Dog With Celebrex?
Although this COX-2 Selective NSAID was recently developed, it still has many adverse effects, even in humans.
Therefore, you must consider many factors and provide this information to your veterinarian.
First, this medicine is not intended for puppies and pregnant dogs. In addition, “hairy patients” who have skin problems and bleed easily (such as ulcers) cannot access Celebrex.
For dogs with a history of heart disease, Celebrex is at increased risk of stroke.
Besides, taking the wrong dose, or improper drug interaction, can also damage the gastrointestinal tract, especially the kidneys.
If conditions permit, consider alternative dog arthritis treatments for Celebrex, such as chondroitin and glucosamine supplements.
Besides, omega-3 fatty acids also help a lot in improving the condition of joint pain.
What To Do If My Dog Has Some Bad Signs After Taking The Celebrex Dogs?
Any owner hopes his dog will have better changes after taking the drug, at least reducing the chronic pain.
But In unfortunate cases, NSAIDs will affect your dog’s digestive tract, kidneys, and liver.
If your four-legged friend has any of the following worrisome signs, stop taking the medication immediately and take the dog to the nearest veterinary facility:
- Diarrhea
- Change behavior in a negative direction, such as getting more and more depressed and acting withdraw
- Anorexia, even skipping meals
- Suddenly change in how often you drink water (may increase or decrease)
- Wheezing due to lack of oxygen
- Skin becomes worse (scratches, redness, scrabs)
- Blood (or black tarry) in stools
- Fatigue, lack of energy
- Nausea, vomiting, bloody vomiting
All of the above signs cause concern, so you should schedule an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as possible.
If conditions do not allow it, use some supportive measures as directed by your veterinarian.
Never give your dog any medication without your veterinarian’s consent, or your dog’s condition will worsen (stroke, drug shock, or any other side effect ).
A dog’s serious condition is internal bleeding, threatening your furry friend’s life.
Therefore, if the pet shows difficulty breathing, vomiting, and bloody stools, the situation becomes more dangerous than ever!
Take advantage of every second and immediately take your dog to a qualified veterinarian.
FAQs
What Anti-Inflammatory Is Safe For Dogs?
A wide variety of NSAIDs exist, but only a few are approved for use in dogs. If you’re curious for a deeper insight, the following active ingredients are the answer:
- Carprofen ( Rimadyl, Carprovet etc)
- Etodolac ( EtoGesic etc)
- Deracoxib ( Deramaxx, Rederex, OstiMax etc)
- Firocoxib ( Previcox, Alfiroxx 227 etc)
- Robenacoxib ( Onsior etc.)
- Meloxicam ( Metacam, Apex Meloxicam, Meloxidyl etc)
- Mavacoxib ( Trocoxil etc)
However, you cannot use these products without thoroughly discussing your four-legged friend’s medical history with your veterinarian.
Your veterinarian will then provide useful information, including dosage, duration of action, frequency of use, side effects of NSAIDs, precautions, and necessary laboratory tests before using the drug.
Which Nsaids Are Safe For Dogs?
NSAIDs are drugs that have anti-inflammatory effects and relieve pain caused by impact, illness, or menstrual pain.
For pets, this medication is often prescribed for dogs with osteoarthritis problems (damaged cartilage that causes bones to rub together) or postoperative pain.
For those wondering which NSAIDs are safe for their dog’s health, here are the products that are safe and most often appear on veterinary prescriptions:
| Name of Veterinary Medicine | Active Ingredient |
| Galliprant | grapiprant |
| Previcox | firocoxib |
| Deramaxx | deracoxib |
| Metacam | meloxicam |
| Rimadyl | carprofen |
Is There An Otc Anti-Inflammatory For Dogs?
The answer is a big No! There are no over-the-counter (OTC) Anti-inflammatory medications that the FDA recommends for dogs.
It means that any NSAID veterinary medicine you see on the market (online, in pet stores, etc.) without a vet’s prescription have not been approved by the FDA.
Therefore, it is best to replace them with safe products for pets.
Is Celebrex Stronger Than Ibuprofen?
Ibuprofen is also a pain reliever with many similarities to Celebrex.
Patients use this drug after eating, combined with a full glass of water (about 240ml), and limit lying for 10 minutes afterward.
For patients with osteoarthritis, Celebrex and Ibuprofen are always at the top of the drugs most often prescribed by pharmacists.
According to research by doctors, these two drugs are equally effective for knee osteoarthritis. Your pharmacist will decide whether you should use Celebrex or Ibuprofen for other pain.
Some Last Words
Pets are like family members, so no one can bear to see them suffer the discomfort of pain. But never forget that they receive medical care differently from humans.
Commonly used pain relievers, such as Celebrex, can pose serious dangers without a veterinarian’s intervention.So, can dogs take Celebrex?
Through this article, we hope you have enough information to answer all your questions about this topic. See you in the next articles!
